Repeats a mid-1980s project as part of the Economic and Social Research Council project, "Pupil's Approaches to Subject Option Choices," allowing comparison of approaches before and after the National Curriculum implementation. Shows across-time and between-school differences in subject preference, but little instability in perceptions…

Discussion of access versus holdings of academic library materials and the performance of document-delivery services focuses on work at the University of Liverpool (United Kingdom) that is investigating existing and future document supply services, including costs. Expresses concern regarding the low level of subject coverage by many of the…

A study with 45 high school seniors investigated the relationship between performance in a computer-based 10-lesson science tutorial program and students' Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) profiles. Results indicate performance differences in the program's two phases (knowledge acquisition and knowledge application) for all MBTI scales,…

The American Council on Education's new survey of 2,297 college presidents in diverse institutions found more women and, to a lesser extent, minorities are becoming presidents, but white men predominate. Presidents are serving somewhat longer terms, except in doctoral-granting institutions. New presidents are coming to the job with more…

Presents an interview with Stephen Toulmin, recipient of the Jefferson Lecturer in the Humanities, the highest honor bestowed by the federal government for intellectual achievement. Toulmin started out as a physicist but eventually became interested in philosophy. Discusses a broad range of topics including psychotherapy, voter registration, and…

The 11 chapters of this theme issue explore important issues that relate cognitive style to educational concerns. They link cognitive style with reading comprehension, parental teaching, family qualities, teaching, distance learning, strategic learning, socialization, and athletic performance. (SLD)

Outlines a small group activity that gives students a sense of the fervor surrounding cognitive psychology's rapid emergence between 1950 and 1970. Students perform a bibliographical analysis of the seminal text "Cognitive Psychology" and illustrate the analysis through a graph correlating the citations to historical decades. (MJP)

A study of 58 doctoral students in four departments notes four general tasks of transition and initial socialization into graduate student life and future career: intellectual mastery; learning realities of graduate student life; learning about the profession; and integrating into the department. Some reasons for leaving a doctoral program are…

The pervasiveness of information technology in higher education requires rethinking notions of student, course, curriculum, and other traditional concepts and processes of instruction. This article discusses Internet issues (access, portability, reliability, reboot priorities and back-up communications, student preparedness) and describes new…

Criticizes the emphasis on job and skill training that has gained recent support in the United Kingdom. Discusses the Dearing Report of 1997, a government review of the purpose and practice of higher education. Maintains that education should enhance students' critical-thinking skills. (MJP)

Describes ongoing case studies of U.S. teacher-education institutions that are reforming subject-matter preparation for prospective teachers. Discusses research goals, theoretical framework concerning levels of disciplinary understanding and the nature of knowledge and skills across university disciplines, and problems with the administrative…

Lists resources available from ERIC that address the nature, content, purpose, and appropriate pedagogy for social studies and citizenship education. Briefly summarizes the main argument of each resource. Includes information on availability and ordering of documents. (MJP)

Examines the decentralized and discipline-specific nature of graduate education and how it creates a unique and diverse climate for graduate students. The current population of graduate students is described, research on graduate students is described, focusing on four factors that influence the student environment and five types of student.…

This subject guide includes Web sites and other resources on ancient civilizations with age levels and appropriate subject disciplines specified. Also includes CD-ROMs and software, videos, books, audios, magazines, professional resources, and a sample student assignment. (LRW)

Discusses the cost of access to research information and suggests that lower staff costs in a digital library setting are a key to providing more affordable access. Topics include equivalent library services; quality of service; differences between disciplines; archiving and preservation; citations, hyperlinks, and reference linking; metadata;…