The nature of teachers' attitudes toward the integration of instructional technology and the social and psychological factors that contribute to their acceptance or rejection of such technology were examined in this study. The study used a naturalistic methodology--an emergent design that is useful in studies where the definition of issues is…

Over three hundred school psychologists were surveyed about their working practice and their views with regard to treating seriously emotionally disturbed adolescents. The survey questionnaire sought the following details: 1) Demographic information; 2) Professional opinions about serious emotional disturbance; 3) Personal working practice with…

The purpose of this study was to determine students' perceptions about their biology teachers' attitudes and communication behaviors in classroom environment in Turkey. A Likert type questionnaire was constructed consisting of 33 statements divided to three sub-sections. The Cronbach's alpha reliability for the instrument was 0.9076. Results…

This study investigated factors related to five antecedents of library anxiety among college students: (1) barriers with staff (the perception that librarians and other library staff are intimidating and unapproachable; (2) affective barriers (feelings of inadequacy about using the library); (3) comfort with the library (how safe, welcoming, and…

This study investigated relationships among perceived need, teacher efficacy, and use of 10 teaching strategies recommended for the gifted. The survey of 318 preservice teachers, classroom teachers, and teachers of the gifted found higher correlations between teacher efficacy and need and between teacher efficacy and use than between need and use.…

The development and tryout of an instrument designed to measure college students' attitudes toward alcohol demonstrate the utility of Guttman's facet analysis for developing and validating instruments. Findings from the survey, administered to 1,049 students, support the construct validity of the instrument. (SLD)

Investigates whether congruence in value perspectives distinguishes science-able students who persist in science from those who do not. Results with 173 undergraduates with high commitment and ability in science confirm the associations between value congruence and science persistence. For all students, justice is the dominant perspective…

The degree to which statistical item selection reduces direction-of-wording effects in balanced affective measures developed from relatively small item pools was investigated with 171 male and 228 female undergraduate and graduate students at 2 U.S. universities. Clearest direction-of-wording effects result from selection of items with high…

This study examines the role of contact with diverse groups on prejudice levels of 284 college students at three midwestern colleges. The effect of Amir's five contact factors was studied in relation to students' generalized prejudice as well as prejudice toward people who differ from them in race, sex, and sexual orientation. Results show the…

This investigation offers a programmatic perspective into how a certain group of elementary preservice teachers experienced and evaluated their teacher education program by periodically assessing progress with regard to needs being met. A Likert-scale survey including open-ended responses was administered to 123 elementary preservice teachers at…

The confidence level (information-referenced testing; IRT) design is an attempt to improve upon the multiple choice format by allowing students to express a level of confidence in the answers they choose. In this study, the author evaluated student perceptions of the ease of use and accuracy of and general preference for traditional multiple…

In recent years, ethics has become part of most tertiary biotechnology curricula. There is, however, considerable variation in the extent and manner of ethics education provided to students in different institutions. In addition, the perceived need that students and employers have regarding ethics education, and the aims and expected outcomes of…

The author measured endorsement of the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) in college students following their involvement in a 2- to 3-week environmental problem module focused on global environmental problems and energy issues. The module included readings, discussion, and a writing exercise, and was presented during 3 sequential semesters within a…

This study compared 34 lower-achieving (developmental) first-time college students' self-reported self-regulation strategies from a Likert scale to those they reported in structured interviews. Likert scales have offered convenient administration and evaluation and have been used to identify what and how learners study. The reported study activity…

In April 2002, a NAS/Zogby poll found that only a quarter of sampled students perceived uniform standards of "right and wrong" and that most students felt that ethical behavior depends on cultural diversity. In this effort to replicate those findings in a larger sample of American college students, the authors obtained results that…