This book brings together the contributions of individual language scholars, linguists, anthropologists, psychologists, and neurophysicians. Each chapter focuses on the human cognitive processes involved in language activity and the impact of language diversity on them. The basic issue is how to correlate language diversity with the universality…

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Labor-Management Committee (SPALMC), which serves approximately 180 adult students annually, was experiencing inconsistencies in performance among its adult education staff. The problems included teachers arriving late 50% of the time and individualizing instruction only 70% of the time. To remedy these problems,…

This monograph is part of a series on institutional support for student assessment. This report, which covers the second stage of the study, analyzes the results of a national survey of postsecondary education institutions that examined how institutions approach student assessment, their patterns of organizational and administrative support, and…

This paper offers an example of how to apply action research to improve English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL)/English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) writing instruction. This research was conducted over a 5-year period while the researcher taught 9 semester-long sections of advanced EFL writing to Taiwanese undergraduates. Using Reid's (1987) Perceptual…

This paper discusses problems related to library collection of science materials from developing regions, including price increases leading to cancellation of peripheral titles. The importance of access and preservation of such materials is noted. The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Science Research…

A study investigated the perceptions of vocational education and training (VET) students and teachers from New South Wales, South Australia, and Victoria about ways students engage in learning in VET, practices currently used by VET teachers, and factors shaping learning and teaching in initial VET. Data were collected from the following sources:…

This conference proceedings contains three plenary session reports, 12 working group and 79 research reports, 35 short oral reports, 60 poster session reports, and two discussion group reports. The titles of all papers (excluding "short orals", "posters", and brief discussion group reports) are: (1) "On Relationships…

Empirical evidence is insufficient to support or refute claims that increased competition in the training market in Australia will produce the benefits proponents claim or the severe drawbacks upon which opponents speculate. Research about strengthening demand suggests competitive processes would be feasible in most areas. Research is conclusive…

Immigrant minority groups and immigrant minority languages in Europe are viewed from three perspectives (demographic, sociolinguistic, and educational) through case studies. The first part, using a demographic approach, includes research on immigrant minority groups in population statistics of both European Union and English-dominant countries…

This study, which focuses on one college of the City University of New York (CUNY), is in two parts. The first part is a paper titled "Open Admissions and CUNY in Crisis: A Comparison of Remedial and Non-Remedial Students"; the second paper is titled "Factors Affecting Grading Practices." The first study examined the difference…

Based on a secondary analysis of the Scottish School Leavers Surveys from 1978-96, a study focused on low attainment with particular reference to gender. Findings indicated the proportion of low-attainers at ordinary or standard grade had more than halved since the 1970s; it declined more among women than men. Low S4 attainment was associated with…

A study analyzed a range of factors associated with male and female low attainment and the subsequent routes of low attainers leaving S4 up to the age of 19, using the Scottish School Leavers Survey data from 1978-96. The most significant trend was the extent to which low attainment declined, although significant differences in terms of gender…

This publication presents several articles on teacher development and improvement: "Teacher Development: A Strategy for School Improvement" (barriers to and features of effective teacher development); "Help Wanted: Recruiting and Keeping Quality Teachers" (teacher incentives, beginning teacher induction, teaching conditions,…

CEDEFOP (European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training) reviewed vocational education and training trends and innovations to promote "anticipation" in the way, tools, and instruments by which institutions and bodies cope with new challenges to education and training due to changing socioeconomic demands and requirements.…

A study used data collected under the Australian Vocational Education Training and Management Information System Standard to examine the effectiveness of enabling courses (lower-level preparatory and prevocational) in assisting members from "disadvantaged" backgrounds to progress to other training programs. It also identified factors…