This book examines sociocultural factors that affect teaching and learning in today's Catholic elementary and secondary schools. The first chapter, "Cultural Diversity: An Important but Problematic Issue," discusses how demographic and societal changes have created a greater need for cultural diversity in education, and stresses the…

Students who are anxious about mathematics elect to take fewer mathematics courses in high school and college. This math avoidance is also typical for many first-year elementary school teachers who show high levels of mathematics anxiety. These teachers schedule less time for mathematics instruction than their less anxious colleagues. This paper…

Private elementary and secondary schools continue to play an important role in the American education system, educating about one-tenth of the nation's young people. This report, based on the National Center for Education Statistics' Schools and Staffing Survey of 1993-94, is designed to update the picture of private schools in the United States,…

Along with the growth of electronic communication in higher education, is the rise of virtual classrooms. Virtual classrooms exist because of technologies such as electronic mail, listservs, chat rooms, and World Wide Web pages. This qualitative research study examined one graduate course which was offered entirely over the Internet. Data from…

This study examined the relationships among college students' perceptions of their personal (constructivist-based) learning environments, the extent to which they viewed selected teaching and learning activities as enhancing their personal learning, and their personal learning efficacy. A total of 2,190 students in 145 evening classes offered by…

This study compared African-American and white college students' perceptions of the educational environment within large lecture classes. A total of 124 African-American students and 1,143 white students in 27 classes with enrollments of more than 70 students completed surveys as part of a larger study on student perceptions of postsecondary…

This study examined the impact of precollege variables and three motivational factors on retention and grades of 581 high risk college freshmen. The precollege variables were gender, ethnicity, parental education, financial aid status, and high school rank. The motivational factors were identified from the Noel-Levitz College Student Inventory…

Perfectionist students are not satisfied with merely doing well or even with doing better than their peers. They are satisfied only if they have done a job perfectly. Problems associated with forms of perfectionism that focus on seeking success are relatively minor, but problems associated with forms of perfectionism that focus on avoiding failure…

The goal of the research reported here was to examine how teachers perceived their role as coach, as well as how they actually interacted with students in a computer simulation environment. Simulations like "The Chelsea Bank" significantly impact the role of the teacher in the learning environment. The learner is placed in the role of…

This document provides a set of basic ethical principles that define the professional responsibilities of university professors in their role as teachers. Ethical principles are conceptualized here as general guidelines, ideals, or expectations that need to be taken into account, along with other relevant conditions and circumstances, in the…

Results of national studies suggest that for girls, the middle grades can be a time of significant decline in self-esteem and academic achievement. Reasons for this decline are not clearly indicated by research, but it is likely that multiple factors are involved. One factor is the preferential treatment boys receive in the classroom.…

To analyze some of the processes through which student voices and lived experiences can be either excluded or included, a study focused on elements of the classroom environment already addressed in previous analyses, examining "texts and talk" in two middle school English classrooms. The study analyzed how the classroom environments that…

This multiple case study examined the phenomenon of gifted student underachievement, using creative productivity (Type III enrichment in Renzulli's Enrichment Triad Model) as a systematic intervention for reversing the underachievement pattern. Twelve teachers selected 17 underachieving students (ages 8 to 13) as subjects. The study first…

Not all children can or should be straight-A students, as everyone differs in their abilities and interests, but all children have the potential to learn and to personally succeed in school. This guide describes a step-by-step program for intervening with students who are underachievers and for promoting student success. The guide provides…

Two teachers' experience with using reflective journals to help both teachers and students reflect on the teaching and learning processes is described. The technique was implemented in English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) classes in a Japanese university. Specific guidelines were established for students, and the journal format was a worksheet…