Reports on a study providing evidence that prior knowledge influences the comprehension of texts and that the effect is not because of contrived materials or other validity problems. (FL)

Compares interactional rules in the lessons of a teacher who taught in a culturally congruent way and one who did not. Concludes that control over topic of discussion was maintained only by the teacher who used culturally congruent interactional patterns, and that the lessons of the other teacher were frequently sidetracked because of conflicts…

There is a wealth of information available on the World Wide Web that can assist pre-service teachers in their course studies. Yet observation of students in a technology integration class indicated that students were not able to find resources efficiently or reliably. The purpose of this study was to establish a baseline of what undergraduate,…

This document was produced by the authors based on their research for the report "Student Traffic: Two-Way Movement between Vocational Education and Training and Higher Education," [ED495183] and is an added resource for further information. The original report investigated the extent and nature of student traffic between the two…

This study by the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD), California, aims to determine the impact of prerequisite enforcement on retention and course completion rates in English and math courses among underrepresented students. The report analyzed a subset of the more than 300 prerequisite-enforced courses offered by the SDCCD. The course…

This paper reports on findings from a research project aimed at examining teachers' change over time (the first 2 years of teaching) through their own perceptions, the perceptions of their students, and analyses of the school culture in which they work. Overall, a general pattern was found: most teachers developed according to a narrow, individual…

Help struggling readers understand content area texts with research-based, innovative classroom tools that foster lifelong reading comprehension habits. This book presents easy-to-use activities organized around six habits of reading comprehension: (1) Organizing text information by sculpting the main idea and summarizing; (2) Connecting to…

With the increased use of computerized adaptive testing, which allows for continuous testing, new concerns about test security have evolved, one being the assurance that items in an item pool are safeguarded from theft. In this paper, the risk of score inflation and procedures to detect test takers using item preknowledge are explored. When test…

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) is a new field, but it has a long history, since children have always learned from adults and demonstrated their competence by observation of their work or by the quality of their products or services. Later, formal learning became more valuable and recognized school credentials paved the way to…

This report contains suggestions on how adults can secure college credit for past education and life experience. According to the report, there are eight categories of life experience that can be worth credit: work; homemaking; volunteer work; noncredit learning; travel; recreational activities and hobbies; reading, viewing, and listening; and…

This article summarizes findings and recommendations about how to apply research on teaching and learning to classroom practice presented in "How People Learn: Bridging Research and Practice." Section 1 examines existing links between learning research and education practice. Section 2 highlights the ways that people learn, noting three…

This guide is designed to help Minnesota high school students in their educational planning and to encourage colleges and universities to state clearly their policies in granting college credit for successful completion of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations in high school. The guide also represents certification…

This study investigated the relationship between preservice teachers' dominant intelligence(s) and picture book preferences. Participants completed the quiz, "Where Does Your True Intelligence Lie?" to determine their dominant intelligence(s). They also reviewed and ranked 21 picture books, chosen to represent each of the seven intelligences,…

Content area reading instruction includes two elements: the information presented in subject matter text, and the plan that teachers use to help students understand the content. According to research and interviews with social studies teachers, there is a high failure rate in the social studies content area because children have problems…

This study investigated whether there was a significant relationship between the predominant teaching approach to which an individual had been exposed during school life and: (1) level of communication apprehension (CA); and (2) preferred teaching approach if the individual became a teacher. A sample of 61 student teachers in the middle of their…