Conceptualizes how a study of vernacular discourse could be carried out by defining vernacular, describing the critique of vernacular discourse, and explaining the purpose of such criticism. Illustrates this approach through a brief study of one example of vernacular discourse: World War II representations of women in the "Pacific…

Analyzes faculty position advertisements in journals and other sources. Asks who is advertising, what information the ads conveyed, teaching load, qualifications, additional responsibilities, summer teaching, and materials requested. Concludes that the job-hunting process for an applicant seeking a position in academia can be an elaborate obstacle…

Presents a content analysis method used in evaluating the quality of group learning in seminars held both face-to-face and with computer-mediated communication. Explains the development of two research instruments: (1) a student questionnaire; and (2) content analysis, which identifies examples of indicators of critical and uncritical thinking…

This viewer's guide reflects some of the best classic and contemporary film titles available. These are films that reflect the traditional values of faith, family, and freedom. Seventy-five films are reviewed in the categories of achievement, communism, conscience, entrepreneurship, faith, family, freedom, crime and justice, regulation and…

Content analysis of 12 Finnish and 18 American primers for grades 3 through 6 published primarily during the 1980s examined story type, plot setting, protagonist's characteristics, dramatic tasks, portrayals of family structure and parental responsibility, and extrafamilial peer and adult relationships. Results suggest that a nation's cultural…

Compares coverage of social and natural science in "The New York Times," the "Los Angeles Times," and network television news. Reveals that journalists demarcate social and natural science, but fail clearly to demarcate social science and lay perspectives; and that social science is portrayed in the media as a less distinctive…

This study analyzed four characteristics of political commercials to determine their impact on television viewers' reactions: (1) issue versus image strategies; (2) attack versus support appeals; (3) presence and absence of music; and (4) visual content, either with families or in professional campaign settings. Memory measures and attitudes are…

A search of "Library Literature" and "Library and Information Science Abstracts" yielded 49 articles published in the 1980s on librarians' burnout. Content analysis techniques were used to identify relevant factors and variables. Findings indicate stress crosses all types of libraries, appears more prevalent for reference…

Based on a comprehensive language proficiency assessment project, this article reports on a four-level scale that assesses literary interpretation. The notional components are sequenced from the specific and concrete to the general and abstract, with focus on literary components that can be used to interpret any work. (Author/LB)

A new method for evaluating the content representation of a test is illustrated. Item similarity ratings were obtained from three content domain experts to assess whether ratings corresponded to item groupings specified in the test blueprint. Multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis provided substantial information about the test's content…

Trends in treatment of women and gender differences were analyzed in four adult education journals from 1966-88; detailed content analysis of six journals was performed for 1987-88. Only the British "Adult Education" showed an increase in articles on women and gender. General articles in all journals showed few signs of feminist…

Preservice teachers (n=75) wrote reflective essays about their experiences presenting a reflective teaching lesson that illustrated one of four different instructional domains. Analysis of the essays indicates that reflection was similar and stable across the reflective experiences, despite the instructional domain and level. (IAH)

Discusses repurposing content for computer-assisted instruction. Topics addressed include cost reduction; cost effectiveness; instructional quality and consistency; design issues; database design, including organizing information for repurposing and the use of courseware; and examples derived from multimedia and hypermedia applications. (LRW)

Proposes that the value of formal writing conventions has diminished. Notes that, although formal conventions are important, the findings are hard to generalize. Uses content analysis to prove formal conventions are valuable and are often justified on rhetorical grounds, suggesting the dichotomy between formalist and rhetorical axiologies is…

Describes the Health Passport Project, a program that uses a centralized computer database for maintaining and distributing health and education records for children in foster care in San Diego, California. Includes a content analysis of the health information stored in the first 431 "passports." (MM)