Reviews the (largely British) literature on lay discourses of the rural--people's everyday interpretations of rural places and ideas of the rural. Suggests that lay discourses of the rural are complex and incoherent to an extent that makes it difficult to incorporate them into established academic rural studies. Partly supports the concept of the…

The revised National Policy on Education in Nigeria is discussed, with attention to objectives of special education, policy guidelines, and suggestions for effective policy implementation. Issues include funding, limited definitions, and lack of a legal document to clarify service regulations and the legal basis for services for disabled persons.…

Rather than being a handbook of resources, this book is primarily a glossary of testing terms from the routine to the obscure. Although the title suggests a focus on performance-based evaluation, the book concentrates on orthodox testing procedures. (SLD)

A survey of 1028 teachers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland found that nearly 75 percent thought creativity in students was rare, yet most thought it could be developed. Teachers' definitions and perceptions of creativity were examined, and differences in views based on gender, teaching style preference, and subjects taught were also…

Describes the use of geiger counters for scientific investigations and experiments. Presents information about background radiation, its sources and detection. Describes how geiger counters work and other methods of radiation detection. Provides purchasing information for geiger counters, related computer software and equipment. (MCO)

Explores what is meant by reading, noting that to read is to respond appropriately to a specific consensus centered on certain values and that the consensus is achieved among persons whose paths through life have come together with members of dominant discourses in society. (SLD)

This article defines test bias and reviews research methods most aptly applied postpublication to educational and psychological tests. Best methods for estimating bias in criterion-related or predictive validity and determining bias in construct validity across groups are explained. (Author/JDD)

Results of a nationwide survey of state definitions of giftedness are presented and compared with several federal definitions as well as with state definitions five years earlier (1985). Results indicated that most states use some modification of one of the federal definitions. (DB)

This special issue introduction identifies major issues in educating students with attention deficit disorder, including the definition of attention deficit disorder, congressional actions, and Department of Education actions. It also previews articles in the special issue and considers the leadership role of the federal Office of Special…

Posits that an evolutionary perspective can unite the study of the typical development for and individual variation within a species and that environments within the normal range for a species are required for species-normal development. Individual differences in children reared in normal environments arise primarily from genetic variation and…

Describes the difficulties of defining basic writers and basic writing. Argues that Michel Foucault's concept of the "author function" is applicable to academic and literary discourse and shows how it serves to organize curriculum and define the object of study in English departments. (HB)

Proposes that educational researchers consider the implications of a new psychological concept, dysrationalia: the inability to think and behave rationally despite adequate intelligence. The paper argues that researchers need an intuition pump, or prompt, like dysrationalia to aid in reconceptualizing intelligence because I.Q. tests do not measure…

This paper reports on a comparative evaluation of the Phrasal Definition Format of the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English and the Sentence Definition format of the Collins COBUILD English Language Dictionary. The study found that English-as-a-Second-Language students expressed strong preferences for having usage examples and for the…

Article discusses the relationship between credentialing and professionalism in health education, including definitions and illustrations of common terminology, methods of certification, and examples of the professionalization process. A main emphasis is the application of Boyer's principles of an effective community interwoven into the concept of…

A testlet is an integrated group of test items presented as a unit. The concept of testlet differential item functioning (testlet DIF) is defined, and a statistical method is presented to detect testlet DIF. Data from a testlet-based experimental version of the Scholastic Aptitude Test illustrate the methodology. (SLD)