Reports on a study by Henry Becker that surveyed the research comparing the achievement of students using computer to those using traditional methods of instruction. Problems with many earlier studies are described, best-evidence synthesis is explained, effect size is examined, and implications for future research are suggested. (LRW)

Reviews a doctoral study which developed and field tested a programed instructional module that presented basic instruction in choral arranging as part of an existing college course. Points out the problem inherent in programed instruction which is moving to a more open-ended, creative level of instruction. (LS)

Examines how principals view the importance of the following: (1) tasks of media specialists; (2) standards of the State Board of Education and of accrediting agencies; and (3) media specialists' responsibilities in planning media programs, public relations efforts, and other media activities. (MS)

Reports on study conducted among White, Black, Mexican, and Puerto Rican children in grades two, four, and seven to investigate ethnic differences in children's patterns of media use. Previous research studies are reviewed, hypotheses tested are described, and results are analyzed. (15 references) (LRW)

Analyzes both book and film versions of "The Firm" and "Jurassic Park" to explore the rhetorical textures of incivility that contemporary audiences generally appear to share and enjoy as entertainment but abjure and revile as politics. Notes that these postmodern performances celebrate public absence and flight to the private…

Describes two parallel studies conducted shortly before the Kyoto conference on climate change: (1) an examination of media portrayals of global warming and the certainty with which information was reported; and (2) a telephone survey to assess public knowledge and attitudes about global climate change. Findings do not support a hypothesis that…

This article presents the results of a survey designed to assess students' experiences with media resources as a means to better understanding academic media center student patron needs and as a first step towards assessing student levels of media literacy, an important but often overlooked component of information literacy. Results indicate a…

The aim of this study is to show the media, particularly television, as a device belonging to the modern governmental societies' pedagogical apparatus that teaches, among other things, a set of truths forming a cultural curriculum in which one learns to divide the world. The author argues that much of the identity modeling undertaken by neoliberal…

The Media and Technology section of this collection of conference presentations contains the following 10 papers: "Carpooling on the Information Superhighway" (Lorna Veraldi); "New Media Departure in 'The Principle of Relative Constancy': VCRs" (Ghee-Young Noh); "Why the Western Design Approach Does Not Work for Asian…

A study examined 90 newspaper reports from the local and provincial press in Great Britain which covered the relaunch of Mencap, the largest national charity for people with learning disabilities. Mencap has adopted a new corporate style, a new logo, and a new "positive" image to reflect changing attitudes about disabilities. Using for…

The Newspapers section of the proceedings contains the following 11 papers: "News Items in the 'Shrinking Foreign Newshole': The Case of the New York Times" (Daniel Riffe and others); "Newspaper Coverage of Gays and Lesbians: Editors' Views of Its Longterm Effects" (Marilyn Greenwald and Joseph Bernt); "Effects of Staff…

An applied linguistic framework is presented within which specific applications of media technologies may be applied to language learning. The first two parts of the paper focus on the impact of media on linguistic communication and the possibilities offered by media technologies such as newspapers, radio, television, telephone/telex, computer…

The Advertising section of the proceedings contains the following 11 papers: "How to Systematically Design and Develop a Mastery-Based Advertising Skills Course" (Elaine L. Wagner and Andrea T. Smith); "Tolerance for Television Advertising" (W. James Potter and Walter Gantz); "Quenching the Thirst for Personal Information:…

Section B of the Miscellaneous Studies section of the proceedings contains the following 16 papers: "Ethics--Is It on the Media's Agenda: A Content Analysis of Three Trade Magazines" (Steven R. Snyder and Roxanne Buchanan); "Blacks, Whites and Read All Over: Ending Slurs on Newspaper Use by Race" (Gerald Stone); "Ethics in…

A study examined the role of the mass media in the development of people's conceptions about a neo-Nazi march planned for Skokie, Illinois, in 1978. The purpose of the study was to determine whether or not and in what respects different types of people had developed common conceptions about the event and what role the mass media played in that…