A study of two adult basic education centers compared 17 reluctant learners (early dropouts) with 20 persisters and found that, although reluctant learners value education, they have negative attitudes and experiences of schooling and drop out because of dissatisfaction with the lack of challenge and attention they receive. (SK)

Discusses a survey of the music education interests of adults who attended musical events in Austin, Texas. Reports that the piano was the instrument most frequently chosen for private study, choral groups were the preferred performance organizations, and music history and aural analysis were favorite academic study areas. Examines influences upon…

Discusses techniques teachers can use to have students evaluate their own learning. In primary grades, students can make wall charts and lists of things they have learned, whereas students in the upper elementary grades can keep learning journals. (MDM)

Current discipline and motivation problems in our schools are indicative of students' rejection of an education irrelevant to their lives and worthless in terms of future employment. Educators must abandon their determination to maintain a competitive and hierarchical educational treadmill and encourage the young to begin an exploration of the…

Among 74 rural respondents to an adult education questionnaire, most favored group instruction offered at traditional locations on practical, economically relevant subjects. The most frequently cited barriers to participation were situational, with cost predominant. The greatest resistance to adult education was centered in the neediest…

A discussion of the teaching of poetry begins with a brief look at attitude toward poetry within British educational institutions, followed by an assessment of the relationship between poetry teaching and teaching reading skills to children and foreign language learners. A new approach for teaching poetry is presented. (11 references) (Author/LB)

Critics of recent Australian higher education policy emphasizing accountability appears to be motivated less by fear of external scrutiny than by concern about examination of higher education's internal values and functions, particularly in the potential for conflict between liberal arts and applied and technical education. (MSE)

Explores why so many people in Arizona--and elsewhere--have polarized themselves with regard to beginning reading instruction. Finds that at the root of this debate lie fundamental beliefs about the role of authority in child rearing. (SR)

Criticizes the research literature in comparative education for its pessimism over the perceived failure of education to bring about changes such as economic development in developing nations or elimination of social inequalities. Suggests that educational researchers must clarify what they mean by desired change, which changes are valuable and…

Describes how public school teachers are under attack despite evidence of social, economic, and political influences hindering their work. Outlines local ways to enhance image and bolster the status of education. (SK)

Describes the cultural origins of East Asian educational values and practices, contrasting characteristics of East Asian and Western education; arguing that differences in cultural values carry over into educational values, policies, and practices; and cautioning that with the current global diffusion of educational policies, it is important to…

Explains that Jerome Bruner has been one of the most prominent U.S. psychologists and educators since World War II with particular interest in and influence on social education. Reviews Bruner's work focusing on the influence of his early years in public opinion research and the significance of his conversion to postmodernism. (Contains…

Comparison of the conceptions of learning of 60 nursing students and 54 auto mechanic students, elicited in individual interviews at program beginning and end, found qualitative differences and similarities. Differences within an educational program were fewer than those among students participating in different programs. Among students within a…

British nurses (n=275), many of whom had to upgrade skills for conversion to registered nursing, participated in an upskilling exercise. Participants and a comparison group of nonparticipants were categorized as either opportunity-takers or conscripts (those who viewed retraining as obligatory). (SK)

A study of 1097 employed Finnish adults found that 51.8% had recently participated or intended to participate in adult education. Those aged 40-44 were three times more likely to participate than ages 60-64. Participation was influenced by educational attainment and lack of know-how. Results suggested the importance of acknowledging the…