A study investigated the levels of language proficiency and language anxiety of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners. The goals of the study were: (1) to determine the effect of gender differences and learner specialization on levels of English language anxiety; (2) to study the relationship between gender differences and academic…

Information is presented on a study designed to learn how successful Mexican American students surmount the factors contributing to Mexican American student attrition at the University of Arizona. The subjects were from the 1985 entering freshman class. Intensive interviews were conducted with each student, and content analysis of the interviews…

This paper uses a structural model with a large random sample of urban children to explain children's competence in math concepts and computation at the time they begin first grade. These two aspects of math ability respond differently to environmental resources, with math concepts much more responsive to family factors before formal schooling…

This executive summary reports the findings of a study of the mathematics participation and performance of female, Black, and Hispanic students in the Montgomery County Public Schools (Maryland), and generalizes its findings to mathematics instruction for all students. Goals of the study were the following: (1) identify at what point in the…

A study was conducted to investigate oral language used in fourth- and fifth-grade student dyads in a collaborative writing setting in order to understand better how children learn to write. The study was based on a theoretical framework that emphasized the interrelatedness of thought, language, and learning. Following a pilot study, students in…

A report on the undergraduate origins of PhD holders for the periods of 1920-1980 and 1970-1980 is presented. Its three goals are to show how many of each of the 1,200 U.S. colleges had graduates who earned the PhD during the two time periods; to calculate the proportion of each college's graduates who had earned the PhD during the two time…

Operation SMART (Science, Math and Relevant Technology) is a project of the Girls Clubs of America, a national organization serving mostly low-income girls in local club centers. Girls clubs provide out-of-school programming that pays special attention to the needs of girls and helps them take charge of their futures. Operation SMART's hands-on…

Traditionally, disadvantaged groups, such as women and minorities, have not excelled in science and math. Often the lack of literacy and achievement in these subjects is due to the following factors: (1) cognitive differences between how the information is presented and how the students process it; (2) lack of familiarity, because of cultural…

Data drawn from 30 journal articles and ERIC documents reporting on gender differences in natural science achievement were re-examined. Three meta-analysis methods were used: (1) vote counts and vote-counting estimation procedures; (2) tests of combined significance; and (3) analyses of effect sizes. The three methods produced seemingly…

Four issues of a University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) newsletter by and for teaching assistants (TAs) are presented, with focus on course syllabi, sexism, teacher evaluation, and foreign TAs. Consideration is given to: a positive classroom atmosphere; myths of college instruction; use of classroom tests; lecture methods; the "abused…

Of the empirical research on agency utilization, examinations on the usage of community based organizations (CBO's) such as Community Action Programs, Opportunities Industrialization Centers, and Urban Leagues, have been minute. This study of CBO's revealed significant relationships relative to the use of program services by 575 respondents…

A survey was conducted at Florida State University's College of Education to determine the status of the instructional aspects of multicultural education and to recommend new directions to insure that multicultural education is adequately addressed in the college's curriculum. The study focused on the extent to which 60 courses addressed sex,…

As part of a study of the Vocational Education Act (VEA) (see note), the clarity, consistency, and adequacy of the VEA fiscal requirements were examined. Six statutory provisions were identified. Three of these provisions govern the distribution of federal VEA funds from the state to local recipients: the application approval priorities, which…

The relationship between starting wage rates and level of education attained by young adults was studied, based on findings of the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. According to 1972-1979 data, the greater the educational attainment of the young adults, the higher their starting wage rates. Although the wage rates of…

Psychomotor, or physical education skills, can be tested through the use of various measures which employ one or more sport-specific objective measures, such as norm- or criterion-referenced tests, or subjective measures, such as teacher ratings or student self-rating. Norm-referenced tests embody standards which are set relatively for the purpose…