"Active citizenship" is currently a popular term in citizenship education policy discourse. Despite this policy interest, there is no agreement about the meaning of "active citizenship". This article draws on data from the IEA Civic Education Study to explore how students themselves construct "active citizenship". The results show that students…

In the rush to design training programs, experts have not paid enough attention to understanding the recipients of such training. There is also a need to question whether different groups would require different methods for implementing multicultural training. An exploratory study examined the issue of multiculturalism from the perspective of the…

A study interviewed 28 students enrolled in a great books course at Temple University. While interviews did not follow a strict formal pattern, they all covered 4 areas: (1) student interpretations of overall purpose of the course; (2) the influence the course had on the student; (3) which texts were "enjoyable,""difficult" or…

This digest describes datasets of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) that are related to rural education, discusses potential uses of NCES data, and offers practical tips for accessing these data. NCES has primarily two types of data; population data on the school universe and national surveys. Two population databases are the…

A study assessed the levels of bullying behavior at Hale School, an independent boys' day and boarding school in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia. In excess of 900 boys completed a survey instrument in 1994 and 1996. Results indicated that, despite a widely publicized program and the publication of anti-bullying and harassment policies,…

This document reports on a study to analyze the success of a revised health/wellness course at Gettysburg College (Pennsylvania). The research focused on two questions: (1) what increased knowledge and behavioral change students report once they have completed their health course; and (2) after a period of time, what students will say about the…

A study examined what critiques, if any, encourage debaters to think about their debating in the most productive ways. It evaluated oral critiques and revealed decisions as components in influencing the debaters'"self-talk" or internal dialogues as the more important messages. The study used R. Petty and J. Cacioppo's (1986) elaboration…

A survey of the participants explored the competing interests involved at a national debate tournament, including: (1) how the desire to maximize competitive prowess trades off against socialization among students; (2) how increasing the number of elimination rounds for reasons of judge equalization adds another round to an already crowded…

Teachers at an urban high school in New Brunswick (Canada) were reluctant to begin an intervention program directed at student anger and violence until they had gained input from the students themselves. A survey was conducted of the students' experience with violence and their opinions about how to address the problem. Participants were 769 (395…

A study examined female and male university students' perceptions about career choice. Essay response questionnaires were administered to 52 university students in speech communication courses in the Fall of 1990 and 55 students the following semester. After reviewing student responses, survey response questions were developed and administered to…

An informal study attempted to determine if audio-taped comments on student papers in freshman composition were as efficient and effective as those actually written on student papers. An instructor began the experiment in the third week of the semester--after he had already returned one batch of papers with written comments on them. Students…

This report describes a program to improve the attitudes of fourth-grade students toward social studies. Surveys of fourth-graders, their parents, teachers, and community members were conducted to find out their attitudes toward social studies. Students and parents reported a lack of interest in social studies. Faculty reported they were…

This paper suggests that because higher education is instrumental in increasing awareness and sensitivity toward minority images and can influence levels of tolerance that students display and convey to public actors; therefore, many universities offer classes that challenge students to look beyond stereotypes and to appreciate the diversity of…

In response to decreasing retention of the average freshman due to many anxiety-causing factors, the Freshmen Interest Groups (FIGs) program was instituted at the University of Missouri (UMC). A study explored the idea of FIGs to see if they are instrumental in providing emotional and task support in the university setting. A survey was…

This report summarizes the results of student satisfaction surveys administered at City College of San Francisco for the three academic years between 1995 and 1997. A total of 16,811 survey responses were collected by individual departments in eight instructional areas of the college. The survey addressed such issues as satisfaction with…