The purpose of the guide is to address changes in American schools, focusing on holistic learning, multiple intelligences learning theory, and the importance of aesthetic experiences in children's education. It strives to empower professional teachers with knowledge about new learning theories with concrete activities to put that knowledge into…

The ability to think is a natural part of every human being and must be developed to its maximum potential. Consistent with educational reform efforts which emphasize the development of basic and complex thinking skills, this paper describes a model designed for curriculum planning which integrates ideas from critical thinking experts. The model's…

This study designed a music program for improving academic skills of first grade students after the teaching staff found the students doing average work in the classroom. The school involved in the study was located in an urban, middle class community in Northern Illinois. Results of standardized tests showed the extent of the academic problems of…

A study investigated the nature of college students' English-as-a-second-language self-concept using a hierarchical, multidimensional model of self-concept. Subjects were 306 students in a Hong Kong higher education institution responding to a self-concept questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) replicated previous findings that a global…

The regular education initiative is a recent movement away from special education for students with learning and behavior problems. Leaders and advocates from the fields of school psychology, special education, and compensatory education have argued that the current within-child disability approach to serving students experiencing academic or…

A study investigated the results of the use of Form E (Vocabulary and Comprehension subtests) of the Nelson-Denny Reading Test (NDRT) with six successive cohorts of freshmen entering a midwestern state university. The purpose of the study was to determine the relationships existing between NDRT scores and other indicators of academic success such…

The records of 7,499 college students were examined to determine if the Nelson Denny Reading Test (NDRT) scores, high school or college grades, high school rank or ACT composite scores differed across 8 colleges or major student groups at a midwestern state university. Arts and science students and music students tended to produce slightly higher…

Findings of a study of the attitudes, values, educational achievements, and life goals of U.S. college freshmen are summarized. The study report, "The American Freshman: Twenty Year Trends, 1966-1985," is based on the Cooperative Institutional Research Program's annual surveys of college freshmen. Major findings from the study point to…

Two recent studies imply that there is a negative selection process at work which systematically attracts and then holds in the teaching profession young people with modest verbal and quantitative abilities. The Vance & Schlecty study compared "recruits"--those who had: (1) majored in education; (2) taught school; or (3) obtained a certificate to…

Shavelson's hierarchical facet model of self-concept was used with a sample of 158 college students, using a revision of Fleming's Self-Rating Scales (SRS). It was hypothesized that six factors would be identified in exploratory analysis corresponding to six SRS scales: self-regard, social self-esteem, physical appearance, physical abilities,…

A multidimensional program of student assessment that has been used for over 7 years at Ohio University is described. Between 200 and 250 freshman actually participate each year. Various forms of value-added testing, measures of social and academic integration, and alumni outcomes measures are used. The program is unique in that general education…

The Teacher Cadet Program (TCP) provides a course of study to encourage academically-able high school students to consider teaching as a career. Reported is an evaluation of the program's effectiveness based on data collected from a survey of college freshmen who were high school cadets, interviews with a sample of the surveyed college freshmen,…

A longitudinal study tested the hypotheses that in relation to parents with an external locus of control, parents with an internal locus of control: would have a higher level of mother-infant interaction, would have more self-directing and less conforming values for children, and would have children who showed more academic competence. The initial…

A description of the standardized, multiple-choice Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and how to use it is offered. Medical school admissions officers medical educators, college faculty members, and practicing physicians are active participants in selecting content, drafting test specifications, and authoring questions for the exam. The MCAT is…

This paper examines some of the implications of present testing programs for minority groups. The effects on prospective teachers and the institutions that prepare them are discussed. The role of the testing movement in molding the curriculum that is taught in colleges of education is described with particular consideration of state-mandated…