While the climate for students of color at public institutions in states where affirmative action has been curtailed is chilly, some neighboring private institutions are exploiting the opportunity to gain in diversity. Some fear the anti-affirmative action trend will soon begin to affect even private institutions. (MSE)

Compares traditional cataloging to Web-based. Discusses intellectual-access issues as they apply to reference services today, and outlines deficiencies in traditional cataloging, and corresponding attributes of Web-based intellectual access. Notes ways that catalogers and public-service librarians can address these issues. (Author/AEF)

Examines the emerging form of text on the World Wide Web and how it is influencing reading, in particular reading by non-native readers of English. Focus is on the visual representation of text structure. (Author/VWL)

Surveys initial student perceptions of a university-level computer-assisted language learning (CALL) course. Over 100 Japanese first-year students were questioned about the influence of CALL in their language classroom and on language education in Japan in general. Their views are presented and analyzed in the context of teaching and learning…

Describes and compares five major types of college learning-community curricular models: linked courses; learning clusters; freshman interest groups; federated learning communities; and coordinated studies. Characteristics of each model are outlined concerning institution size, basic unit of instruction, number of students involved, faculty roles,…

In two Oakland (California) high schools, one urban and one suburban, an audiovisual presentation designed to enhance student interest in optometry as a career was given. Results of the presentation, measured by a questionnaire, suggest that few high school students are considering pursuing an optometry doctoral degree, but an on-site presentation…

Assesses differences between the self-perceptions of gifted high school freshmen (n=62) and nongifted peers (n=162) regarding intimacy with family and peers, social support, family responsibilities, self-esteem, depression, and risk-taking behavior. Results show that gifted students may be socially precocious when compared with their nongifted…

Investigated whether low-income mothers learned to interact with their preschoolers in ways that fostered narrative skills. Mothers of intervention children were encouraged to elicit questions, encourage longer narratives, and participate in narrative conversation. Assessment of children's pre- and post-intervention narrative and vocabulary skills…

An Australian study examined the role of language background and gender in the assessment of native and non-native English-speaking university students enrolled in physics courses. Attention was given to differential performance and was analyzed in relation to test-item type and level of student communication skills. Implications for academic…

A study examined the impact of prejudice and discrimination at 18 institutions on the adjustment of 1,454 students to college. Results indicate perceived discriminatory behavior negatively affected minority-student academic/intellectual development, social experiences, and institutional commitment. Although differential effects were noted for…

Data from a national higher-education database were used to analyze gender inequality among bachelor's-degree recipients. Women continue to receive degrees from institutions that fall below average on several criteria. However, gender differences are small and accounted for by women's relative absence from selective engineering programs and…

A study investigated the clinical preparedness of 144 Stanford University (California) medical school graduates in 11 areas, comparing it with peers from graded medical schools and rating the accuracy of the dean's letter in representing graduates' capabilities. Results indicate that graduates from Stanford's two-interval, pass/fail system…

Discusses the approach taken by Cornell University (New York) to the end of mandatory retirement for faculty, noting the differences between the private and publicly assisted colleges that form the university. Topics addressed include the construction of the retirement plans, demographics of the faculty population, changing faculty expectations of…

Formulates a model partitioning college/university administrative/faculty ratio (administrative intensity) into two components, one using internal factors and one using sources of funding dependence, to explain demand for administrative resources. Results show public institutions use relatively fewer administrative resources in seeking both public…

The aim of this study was to determine universal versus language-specific aspects of children's ability to organize cohesive anaphoric relations in discourse. Analyses examine narratives produced on the basis of two picture sentences by subjects of four ages (preschoolers, 7-year olds, 10-year olds, and adults) in four languages: English, German,…