The second of a two-volume report, this document focuses on the study of written language growth and development among 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-year-old children. The first section of the report introduces the program of research by examining its methodological and conceptual contexts. The second section provides illustrative and alternative looks at the…

The New Jersey College Basic Skills Placement Test (NJCBSPT) is designed to measure basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills of students entering New Jersey colleges. The test consists of five sections: Essay, Reading Comprehension, Sentence Sense, Mathematical Computation, and Elementary Algebra. The test is intended to answer the question…

To explore student facility with argumentative writing, 40 persuasive essays of 5th, 7th, and 11th grade students were analyzed for their relative percentage of reporting (narrating), interpreting, generalizing, and speculative sentences. Fifth and seventh graders were found to use significantly more narrative and fewer generalizations than older…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 21 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the black press of Tennessee from 1865 to 1980; (2) news values and decision making; (3) news coverage of the Indiana State Assembly; (4) an information theory…

Three major items to which teachers of U.S. history survey courses in 2- and 4-year colleges and universities must attend are discussed. First, they must work to develop in their students basic learning and study skills and self-discipline. This means such mundane but essential things as adhering to course deadlines, maintaining grading standards,…

A study was conducted at Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) to determine the extent to which college and state guidelines for the completion of college preparatory work were being followed. Current MDCC guidelines require students who score low on the Florida Multiple Assessment Programs and Services (MAPS) entrance examination to complete…

A case study traces the evolution of "once-upon-a-time" in a child's classroom story writing, drawing upon data collected in a three-year study of writing development in an urban magnet school. The subject, Mitzi, is observed from kindergarten through second grade. The study assumes that stories are cultural discourse forms that serve…

A study was conducted to determine what oral and written communication courses lawyers both perceive as useful in practice and recommend for prelaw students and to provide data for design and development of these and related courses in continuing education programs for lawyers and legal assistants. A total of 295 lawyers from California responded…

The writing problems of most Spanish-English bilinguals do not stem from their bilingualism per se, but are similar to those that inhibit other basic writers. The most serious is unfamiliarity with written, academic English. Students can rarely overcome this on their own. Most need intensive remedial and developmental instruction to be adequately…

A study investigated one way in which teachers can focus on more than children's products and writing processes by examining their social processes as well, specifically the health of the classroom communities and the individual children's comfort within those communities. Under the supervision of the same teacher, "journal time" in…

Expanding student knowledge of basic geographic concepts through fictional literature is the goal of this instructional guide. During a 2-week Global Studies Institute, held at Sturbridge, Massachusetts, teachers and librarians selected motivational books of contemporary and historical literature appropriate to middle school students and developed…

This simulation uses a science fiction setting to capture the unparalled adventure, danger, and uncertainty of the colonization period in United States history. The simulation can be done in small groups or individually, and value judgments affect the outcome of the simulation. The premise of the simulation is that due to overpopulation,…

The California Assessment Program (CAP) collects a wide range of achievement and demographic data to help local schools and districts improve their instructional programs. Tests in the areas of English/language arts, mathematics, history-social science and science designed by California educators are administered to students in grades 3, 6, 8, and…

Noting that being illiterate in this country precludes full participation in society, this paper addresses the issue of whether or not American society is truly literate. The first section of the paper offers a historical review of commentary on literacy and education to show that there has never truly been "a golden age of literacy," but rather…

A small scale research project involving teaching writing skills to slower learning students in three different Scottish schools is the focus of this volume. Chapter 1 discusses the context and nature of the project, while chapter 2 presents teachers' accounts of their professional practices in teaching writing, including their perceptions of…