A discussion of trends in foreign language testing covers current preferences in test types (especially for oral proficiency testing) and external influences on instructional program development and student evaluation strategies. (MSE)

The effects of enrollment increases on student achievement in an English polytechnic were evaluated by examining student grades over time and across disciplines in which different grading practices were used. (MSE)

Argues that the form and function of presidential foreign policy rhetoric are grounded in a nation's acceptable images of political reality. Examines the rhetorical responses of Presidents Reagan and Mitterrand to the terrorist bombing in Beirut and to acts of military interventions by the United States and France in Grenada and Chad. (JD)

A program is described that set out to improve/enlarge the reading background of entering students by asking them to read 5-10 specific books before coming to college, featuring one book each year as the "common text," and providing a number of special seminars and activities based on that text. (MLW)

Responses to Snyder's Self-Monitoring Scale (SM) by 138 Mexican, 154 Mexican American, and 145 Anglo American undergraduates were analyzed to determine the scale's factorial structure. Clear differences existed in the structure of SM responses for the three ethnic/national groups showing that the meaning of subjects' responses was culturally…

Study of native speakers of Yoruba who spoke English as a second language found that transfer of learning from one language to the other decreased with increasing proficiency in English. Transfer from Yoruba to English was higher than from English to Yoruba at lower levels of proficiency in English. (Author/CB)

The effects of reducing dental clinical requirements were investigated. Twenty-seven senior students participated in a modified system in which requirements were reduced to essential experiences while the remaining seniors served as controls. No significant differences were found. (Author/MLW)

Highlights findings on the status of academic library microforms facilities in the United States and Canada based on visits to 11 libraries. Topics covered include administration, personnel, collection access and storage, classification, acquisition, circulation, indexes, hours, facilities, signage, equipment, photocopying, cleanliness, vandalism,…

Replicates an earlier investigation of job satisfaction among library personnel in academic libraries, looking at such factors as different departments within libraries, supervisory level, length of time in the profession, age of the employee, and employee's career orientation. Both studies found significant differences in satisfaction between…

Outlines evaluative criteria and compares optical data disk products used in library technical processes, including bibliographic records for cataloging, acquisition databases, and local public access catalogs. An extensive table provides information on specific products, including updates, interfaces, edit screens, installation help, manuals,…

A study of the dental school applicant pool, measured by the number of individuals taking one of two standardized dental school entrance examinations, found substantial changes in the last 15 years. Applicant pool differences in Canada and the United States and probable reasons for those differences were also analyzed. (MSE)

Two concepts were taught to mentally retarded and nonretarded third graders (n=88). Both groups learned faster when computer displays continuously converted the concepts either into concept examples or concept nonexamples, compared to procedures where examples were not converted. Mentally retarded students benefited more from the conversion…

Four moderately mentally retarded students, aged 8-13, were taught to read food words found in grocery stores, using constant time delay or system of least prompts procedures. Both strategies produced criterion-level performance in training and other settings, but the constant time delay procedure was more efficient. (Author/JDD)

Identifies differences between primary school teachers in England and France in the areas of conceptions of accountability, teacher role in relation to parents, and the nature of teaching. Proposes six broad themes based on teachers' perceptions of their work: collectivism/individualism, universalism/particularism, role…

A study of enrollment patterns in five major metropolitan areas, that reveals barriers impeding Black and Hispanic access to two- and four-year institutions, is discussed. Causes of shrinking access include segregation in schools, increasing college costs, inadequate assistance to unprepared students, and lack of commitment to equal opportunity.…