To establish evaluation criteria for home multimedia products, this study examined 13 case studies of experienced users of CD-ROM encyclopedias aimed at the home consumer. Findings ranked seven features from most to least important: searching; textual content; browsing; multimedia; aesthetics; interactivity; and system performance. Results suggest…

Maintains that all too often learning activities in K-3 social studies textbooks exhibit a tendency towards "busywork" and lack any real educational objective. Lists several of these activities and includes corrective measures that render them more productive. Includes a table of guidelines for teachers using social studies textbooks.…

Describes a study that analyzed 16 library periodicals with respect to various characteristics of their authors, including sex, occupation, affiliation, and geographic location. Previous studies of the literature of librarianship are reviewed, subject coverage and research methodologies are examined, and article length is noted. (58 references)…

Six articles on the curriculum history in Scandinavian countries are presented. Topics discussed include the role of patriotism in Norwegian history textbooks, pedagogic text analysis, mathematical curriculum development, social influences on school subjects, and the history of English as a subject in Norwegian curricula. (TJH)

Examines the role of critical language in film criticism. Compares and contrasts Monroe Beardsley's philosophy on film aesthetics with the New Criticism. Outlines some of the contributions Beardsley has made to the study of film criticism. (KM)

A content analysis of major German television news shows and 53 weekly surveys on 16 issues were used to compare linear and nonlinear models as ways to describe the relationship between media coverage and the public agenda. Results indicate that nonlinear models are in some cases superior to linear models in terms of explained variance. (34…

Compares effectiveness of action, verbal, and written communications from schools in 59 South Carolina school districts through a survey of superintendents. No significant differences are found in district evaluation of effectiveness of the three modes of communication. Existing communications are primarily composed of surface types of information…

Discusses the field of television aesthetics and its contribution to education. Highlights include visual and auditory perception; cognition; composition of television images; and criteria for the analysis and evaluation of educational or instructional television programs, including content, medium, impact on the audience, perceptual factors,…

Reviews research on the portrayal of gender and occupation on prime-time television and describes a study that focused on representation and patterns of activity of male and female characters across the contextual variables of industry, occupational role, hierarchical position, plot function, genre, and dramatic tone. (36 references) (LRW)

A computerized search was conducted of U.S. newspaper coverage of gifted education, and results were analyzed in terms of geographic location, major topic areas, and topic categories crossed with geographic location. The 62 articles were classified as addressing schools, enrollment/minorities, screening, funding, attitudes, curriculum content,…

Four expert high school special education resource teachers were observed providing classroom instruction. Content analysis of postobservation interview transcripts was used to identify the presence of 124 reflective practice indicators in the subjects' instructional decisions: 49 for personal responsibility, 39 for testing, and 36 for problem…

Reports on a study of the effectiveness of computer-mediated communication (CMC) in providing African American and female middle school students with scientist role models. Quantitative and qualitative data gathered by analyzing messages students and scientists posted on a shared electronic bulletin board showed that CMC could be an effective…

A former editor of this journal, 1972-74, selects an outstanding article from his tenure that highlighted the severe drop-out rate among Indian children in Canada. This unique study featured interviews with nine Native families without use of tape recorders, content analysis of interview data, and involvement of the families in data analysis and…

Reports on a study exploring the ways in which humanist scholars engaged in informal, prepublication discussion of their work on the Humanist, an Internet discussion list. Scholars used the list for exploratory discussion and requests for specific information. It was used less for teaching purposes than for scholarly or professional/technical…

Interviews with 39 vocational directors and 78 instructors identified leadership behaviors of successful administrators in 7 attribute clusters: physical, intellectual, personal, ethical, human relations, management, and cognitive. The result is a portrait of vocational administration as a complex, dynamic, and multifaceted process. (SK)