This study compared the instructional decision-making of expert and novice special educators in familiar instructional settings, investigating whether they differed in how they allocated attention to different instructional themes in the classroom. Participants were 38 expert special educators and special education student teachers. Student…

This study examined what 16 female family and consumer sciences (FCS) preservice teachers learned given 1 instructional environment. Participants were enrolled in three FCS teaching methods and curriculum courses. A 2-hour lesson on classroom management using small group theory was selected. On the first day of class, participants completed…

Multidimensional knowledge structures, described from a constructivist perspective and aligned with the "Mind as Rhizome" metaphor, provide support for constructivist learning strategies. This qualitative study was conducted to seek empirical support for a description of multidimensional knowledge structures, focusing on the…

Education for a democratic society has been a powerful, long-standing rationale for the entire public school curriculum, but the idea has special relevance for social studies education. This study used action research and qualitative case study to examine the extent to which notions of democratic citizenship developed in the personal theories of…

This study sought to investigate the educational outcomes of the College-Level Examination Program® (CLEP®) for students who earned credit through CLEP compared to those students who earned comparable credit through the Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) and through traditional course enrollment. In order to evaluate the short- and long-term…

This paper describes different approaches that have been used in research on reading, and reports on a study of reading comprehension in fourth-, sixth-, and eighth-grade students. Findings confirm that there are distinct age-related developmental levels in children's comprehension of literature. (PP)

Experiential learning programs must be marketed effectively if they are to succeed. The formulation of market strategy is discussed including: strategic planning; identification of a market target; and development of a market mix. A commitment to marketing academic programs is seen as a commitment to self-assessment. (MW)

A study investigated whether preassessments of general and specific knowledge can predict children's listening comprehension. Topical knowledge, assessed by multiple-choice questions, did predict story comprehension; topical interest, however, did not correlate either with topical knowledge or comprehension. (Authors/PP)

The relationship of life experience prior to the admission to medical school to clinical performance was studied. Age, prior military experience, and educational background were found to be related to clinical performance. The presence of an interest/motivational factor was presented and discussed. (Author/MLW)

Contrasts, through portraits of five young writers, the writing strategies of children used at home and in a kindergarten writing center that stressed a formal language arts program. Argues that the teacher's approach to writing instruction and the child's writing strategies must be compatible to ensure independent writers. (HTH)

Two research areas, schema theory and linguistic theory, are described which have contributed to theories about language comprehension. Models of language comprehension conceptualized by Roger Schank, Carl Frederiksen, and Walter Kintsch are discussed in relation to the research and evaluated for practical use in reading instruction. (Author/PP)

A randomized pre-posttest control group design was used with 34 university students in consumer economics to investigate aptitude-treatment interaction under a computer assisted instruction (CAI) and text mode of programmed instruction. Findings indicated a relative advantage of CAI for the lower aptitude student. Sixteen references are listed.…

An outline is given of the system developed by the American Council on Education through which more than 2,000 colleges have awarded hundreds of thousands of credits toward degrees for prior learning outside colleges, either in military service or employment. (Author/MSE)

The faculty's power to grant course credit assures that standards are fulfilled where credit is awarded. This power enables them to foster or to defeat an institution's policy on recognition of experiential learning as they favor or oppose its application to their respective fields of instruction. (Author/MLW)

The issues common to all models of educational programs are explored as an introduction to the varying ways unions and universities can work together. Cost and lack of time are seen as the most common obstacles confronted by workers interested in furthering their education. (Author/MLW)