Examines the current rift in perspective between whole language arts and traditional language arts instruction by analyzing the basis of each view in research and theory. Suggests research developments that might alleviate the present impasse. Describes the need for new hypotheses, a variety of designs, improved instrumentation, and collaborative…

The effectiveness of alternative procedures to correct for rater leniency/stringency effects was studied when true scores were known. Ordinary least squares, weighted least squares, and imputation of the missing data consistently outperformed averaging the observed ratings; and the imputation technique was superior to the least squares methods.…

Results of empirical validation studies of six statistical models available for indirectly estimating the need for alcohol, drug abuse, and mental health services across a large geographic area are presented. Models were evaluated using Colorado Social Health Survey data for 4,745 adults from 48 subareas of Colorado. (SLD)

Physical and medical correlates of mathematical giftedness were studied in gifted (497 males and 508 females) and environmentally privileged (high socioeconomic status) (647 males and 485 females) tenth graders. Medical and physical well-being appears more highly associated with mathematical giftedness than with socioeconomic privileges. (SLD)

Fifty low income minority gifted high school sophomores were compared to 42 higher income Asian and Caucasian gifted sophomores on college and career counseling needs. Results showed many intergroup similarities in motivation, career planning interest, and knowledge about college issues. Data suggest, however, some different college and career…

The patterns of adaptive behavior in gifted and nongifted children (n=296, ages 2-16) were compared using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale. Results indicated a significant difference between gifted and nongifted groups in communication, social skills, and daily living skills, but not in motor skill development. (Author/JDD)

Discussion of issues related to the development of navigational tools for networked resources considers parallels and differences between traditional library materials and networked resources. Four domains of the networked environment--applications, information containers, information content, and users--are identified; and results of a pilot…

Demonstrates a means for estimating the number of retrieved items using well-established selective dissemination of information (SDI) profiles in the SCI, INSPEC, ISMEC, CAS, and PASCAL databases. A correlation between individual database size and number of retrieved documents in technical fields is also examined. (17 references) (LAE)

Substance use and possible factors affecting substance use were assessed for adolescents at 12, 15, and 18 years of age. At ages 15 and 18, higher levels of use were predicted by higher levels of previous use, greater ease of making friends, higher substance use among siblings, and decreases in perceived parental warmth. (BC)

An experiment exploring Zimbabwean bilingual readers' use of background knowledge in reading comprehension is reported. In contrast to previous results, the bilingual participants of these experiments do use context to improve comprehension on some passages. (15 references) (Author/LB)

A University of New Mexico medical school study investigated opinions of faculty and students concerning student unethical behavior; discrepancies between the two groups' perceptions; prevalence of such behavior, as estimated by faculty and students; and policy and procedures concerning instances of unethical student behavior. (Author/MSE)

A study of 20 graduate medical students who received unfavorable evaluations and 20 who received the highest evaluations found little difference between the groups in medical school admission qualifications, overall academic achievement, or standardized test performance. Ratings appear to be the result of personal or motivational issues, not…

Data on undergraduate student gender (by percentage), athlete gender, total spending on athletic scholarships, and percentages awarded to men and women are presented for 257 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I colleges and universities. In many cases, data are offered for both 1991-92 and 1993-94. (MSE)

It is argued that, although assessment of colleges and universities can promote discussion and encourage improvement of college instruction, accountability serves only to further chill the regulatory climate without specifying needs or solutions. As currently conceived, accountability cannot receive widespread faculty support because it usurps…

A Norwegian study found a positive correlation between the number of graduate students that faculty (n=1,815) supervised and their own research productivity. Differences were found across disciplines. The effect of integration of students' research into faculty research was also examined. (MSE)