Finnish students, aged 14, enrolled in compulsory civic schools, had considerably less fluency in English as a second language than those students enrolled in the more selective middle schools. Achievement of older gymnasium (college-preparatory) students did not differ by school type: state, private urban, or private rural. (CP)

A record number (84,000) of United States students studied abroad for credit in 1994-95, a 10% increase over the previous year. Most were white and female. The trend is attributed to efforts to promote international education and better government and institutional policies. Over half those studying abroad attend programs of one semester or less;…

This contribution to "The Visible College" column considers the question of expanding the Master's in Library Science (MLS) program to better prepare students for future participation in the library profession. Benefits include exposure to core curriculum, opportunities for specialization, forming alliances with and taking classes in…

Data on 180 pediatrics and 302 internal medicine residency training programs concerning vacation, leave of absence, extension of training because of absence, and related policy suggest wide variation depending on postgraduate year of training, discipline, program size, and program type. Implications for accreditation, testing, and certification…

A review of the literature on medical school curriculum and primary care specialty choice suggests that three types of curricular experiences may increase interest in primary care: third-year required family medicine clerkships, especially longer clerkships; continuity experiences in primary care settings; and primary care tracks. (Author/MSE)

Using an 18-item form, residency program directors rated residency performance of graduates (n=401) of a 3- and a 4-year medical school program at Loyola University of Chicago. Three-year program graduates showed less strength in background medical knowledge and experience using research data. The only marked differences were in surgery and…

Plans of some to reduce the time for completing the traditional undergraduate degree or to redefine it to require fewer credits are examined critically. Reasons for considering time-shortened degrees and responses to the idea are considered. A reexamination of the meaning of the undergraduate degree is recommended. (MSE)

A University of South Florida program giving medical students four years of primary care training was found to have little effect on specialty choice of its graduates (n=93 students), when compared to students who volunteered for the program but did not enter it or who did not volunteer. (MSE)

Education majors (n=61) took General Special Education Programming in various concentrated time formats. Those in 2- and 3-week formats made greater gains than those in 5- and 15-week formats, and all indicated that they learned as much or more as in regular-format teacher education courses. (SLD)

Summarizes the principal steps involved throughout the development of a CD-ROM on the history of Nebraska's media explaining the reasons for producing the software, its contents and features, selection of material, and the actual design process. Provides recommendations that may help other teachers considering a similar project. (CMK)

After reviewing articles that discuss educational approaches for young children with autism, this article concludes that engagement is a critical feature, it is not clear that one approach is more effective than another, applied behavior analysis is a common foundation, and approaches may benefit from a more complete consideration of the family…

This study examined perceptions of preparedness for post-secondary education in the province of Ontario. Participants were 272 university students enrolled in the first year of a four-or five-year concurrent teacher education program and represented two distinctive groups: (a) entrants who had completed the old five-year Ontario Academic Credit…

The School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh is discontinuing its undergraduate program in 1990 and will prepare only postbaccalaureate students as teachers beginning in 1990-91. The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program had been developed as a one-year program for liberal arts graduates who want to become teachers. In this context,…

To explore the relationship between pre-therapy information and perceptions of therapy by prospective clients, a total of 192 black subjects and white subjects, equally divided by race and sex, were presented pre-therapy information, observed an initial therapy session, and then rated the therapist and predicted the overall therapy duration.…

Students in the five year Austin Teacher Program at Austin College (Texas) major in academic disciplines--English, history, mathematics, biology--not in education. Child psychology, educational psychology, and educational philosophy courses are taken through the departments of psychology and philosophy. The primary undergraduate exposure to the…