Surveys of 371 European American, African American, Mexican American, Vietnamese American, and Armenian American adolescents in ethnically diverse high schools in Los Angeles found that most adolescents set high goals for the future and expected to reach them. Compared to European American adolescents, minority group adolescents attributed…

Describes the preliminary findings of a comparative study investigating what "English" as a discipline means to secondary school and college teachers and students in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Situates these findings in a historical context, reviews current discussions about the discipline, and looks to…

The Master Gardener Classroom Garden Project provides inner-city elementary school children in the San Antonio Independent School District with an experiential way of learning about horticulture, gardening, themselves, and their relationships with their peers. Qualitative interviews indicate that participation in the gardening project had many…

Investigates the level of students' private access to computers. Finds that nearly half of the students surveyed have access to computers outside the university labs. Discusses how students' independent access can influence courses aimed at integrating word processing and the writing process. (PRA)

Presents the development of a course for senior citizens in South Australia who requested computer literacy and Internet instruction from their public libraries. Describes the course, library facilities, equipment, and post-course survey. Presents an analysis of the survey and student recommendations for course improvements. Includes a simplified…

Discusses study that assessed developmental students' adjustment to college using the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ). Findings revealed that student SACQ scores fell below the means of the norm sample on the Personal-Emotional, Attachment, and Social subscales. There was also a significant difference in scores, with regard to…

A survey of 52 high school students with disabilities found that 15 reported negative experiences when interacting with general education peers, students wanted to disassociate themselves from special education and special education students, and several indicated that they did not like special education. Recommendations for teachers are provided.…

Categorizes beliefs toward art education that prospective teachers bring to certification programs and how these beliefs change. Using "Eisner Art Education Belief Index" survey data, discovers four main themes that emphasize the importance of interaction between beliefs of preservice teachers and subject matter in creating values prospective…

Surveyed 196 medical college seniors about changes in the health-care system. Of the respondents, 79% believed that cost reduction rather than quality of care is the primary consideration behind recent changes, and 78% thought that managed-care organizations hamper physician ability in rendering optimal care. Discusses implications for curricular…

Identifies barriers to the recruitment and retention of Pacific Islanders in higher education by using student enrollment and matriculation data and information from student surveys and focus groups. Describes a program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa to recruit and retain Pacific Islanders. (SLD)

A survey of 84 college students revealed positive perceptions of community service but not of its inclusion in college courses. Factors influencing participation in service included desire to help, self-efficacy, and the costs of time and interpersonal conflicts. Framing community service as service learning might help students recognize the…

Evaluates efficiency of a sample of Spanish secondary schools, focusing on the measurement model's theoretical specification and the "ex post" analysis of results. Highlights characteristics that differentiate the most efficient schools from the least efficient. Stresses the importance of employing information supplied by both…

Asks students to rate their attention to 29 syllabus items before receiving their introductory psychology syllabus, and again at the end of the semester. Notes differences in responses for first-semester students, continuing students, and nontraditional students, as well as for students as a whole. (DSK)

Analysis of questionnaires completed by 715 undergraduate psychology students identified four patterns associated with writing term papers: (1) a minimal-drafting strategy; (2) an outline-and-develop strategy; (3) a detailed-planning strategy; and (4) a "think-then-do" strategy. Detailed-planning and think-then-do strategies appeared to result in…

Presents information on a three-year study exploring the antecedents of school-based adjustment among 134 inner-city high school students. Findings indicted that freshmen-year attendance and demographic indices were most strongly predictive for those who dropped out. Among students who remained in school, freshman academic success was robustly…