It is proposed that a process of "chiquitafication" has diminished the complexity of the languages and cultures of over 22 million Latinos living in the United States, and that this process has repercussions for their linguistic security, language maintenance, and ultimately, their hopes for a good life. Focus is on three aspects of this…

A study was conducted at William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) to develop a profile of students who withdrew from courses between summer 1992 and spring 1994. Between 1992 and 1994, 13.7% of the 175,000 course enrollments resulted in official withdrawals, representing a 0.4% decrease in withdrawals from the 1990-1992 cohort. An analysis of these…

The Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) Planning, Research and Development Division conducted three studies of the geographic origins of applicants to the Institute. The analyses of the places of origin provided SIAST with solid information to assist in planning program delivery in the province. The studies used the…

Conceptual and methodological limitations have hampered researchers' ability to establish valid, substantively meaningful, and theoretically driven self-report assessments of peer susceptibility. As a result, many assessments of peer susceptibility have been conceptualized as unidimensional and void of any theoretical underpinnings. This study…

This guide takes illustrated children's literature into the world of service learning (positing that when these two are joined, learning opportunities open up) and suggests how teachers can enhance students' service learning experiences with children's literature. Topics covered in the nine short sections of the guide include telling stories, the…

Extensive research has been conducted on numerous factors influencing the academic achievement of school children. While many studies have emphasized individual factors to explain differences in social behavior and academic achievement, others have examined macro-level factors, including those addressing the role of parental socioeconomic status.…

Noting that Canadians have witnessed profound demographic, economic, social, cultural, and technological changes over the last century and the need for sound demographic information for future planning, this report is the second to identify significant trends affecting Canada's families. Following an introductory section providing relevant…

This paper focuses on learner autonomy, noting that learner autonomy is not a matter of institutional mode but of learners' internal attitudes, and that learner autonomy entails an awareness of both self-direction and collaboration between the teacher and students and between students and students. The paper suggests that a teacher's attitude…

This paper constructs a multi-systemic picture of the impact of family violence on children, families, and society through a review of the empirical literature in these areas and their inter-relationships. Findings from the review include: (1) the experience of physical abuse has been associated with aggression toward others, children who have…

This study used data from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study, which consists of a two-wave panel of approximately 2,500 second generation students in Florida's Dade County public schools, to investigate the impact of non-immigrant/involuntary minority enrollment in second generation Hispanic students' academic achievement. Students…

This guide discusses using Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) to find out why a student is behaving inappropriately and to enable the provision of appropriate positive behavior intervention. It stresses that a FBA goes beyond looking at antecedent behavior and consequence to review everything in the entire environment of the student.…

This brief highlights some of the reasons that low motivation may prevent students from reaching their full educational potential. It begins with a discussion of some of the factors that contribute to this problem, including lack of relevance, fear of failure, learning problems, lack of challenge, and emotional distress. Most of the brief is…

Noting that our ability to incorporate the cultural strengths and the distinctive ways that families, specifically fathers, contribute to educational accomplishments of preschool children is severely constrained by major gaps and inadequacy in the research literature, this Digest explores what is known about the role of fathers in young children's…

This report describes outcomes of a survey that investigated the external environment of juvenile courts and whether this environment relates to the treatment of young offenders or custody decisions. In 1997, a statewide survey was administered to all courts with juvenile jurisdiction in a Mid-Southern state. This research was based on 71 courts…

This paper explores research on use of medication and non-drug interventions to modify the behavior of preschool children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It begins by discussing the symptoms of ADHD, neurological differences between children with ADHD and those without ADHD, and expected adolescent and adult outcomes for…