Discusses teaching packages, which contain a variety of media resources, and how they can be evaluated through a surrogate teacher model. Evaluation strategies are reviewed, including content analysis, field tests, and pupil reports; the evaluation report is described; and use of this strategy in the United Kingdom is discussed. (Contains 30…

Uses content analysis of 1,391 articles published in leading journals between 1965 and 1989 to investigate women's scholarship in mass communication. Finds that the amount of published research by women has grown dramatically over the past two decades. Suggests few major differences between female and male scholars in research methods of published…

Presents an analysis of 30 children's picture books with ecology themes, intended for teachers who wish to use such books to motivate children to be problem solvers in matters involving their planet. Includes an annotated bibliography of the 30 books analyzed. (SR)

Investigates the 5 editions of John M. Lannon's "Technical Writing," a top-selling technical writing textbook for over 10 years. Claims that the text illustrates where the field has been and where it is going. Includes comments from Lannon concerning his book and how it responded to the social conditions of the 1980s. (HB)

Examines collaborative pedagogy in English departments in the United States in two contrasting decades, the 1930s and the 1950s. Focuses on the practices discussed in three English journals: "English Journal,""College English," and "College Composition and Communication." (HB)

This study compares two animated programs set in prehistoric times, "Cro" (an educational program about technology) and "The Flintstones" (a noneducational program). Results indicated that Cro's technology content was salient to children but children did not distinguish between the programs on the basis of their educational…

Applies 51 stylometric computer tests of Shakespeare play authorship and 14 of play authorship, developed by the Shakespeare Clinic, to 37 "true Shakespeares," 27 plays of the Shakespeare Apocrypha, and to several poems of unknown authorship. Finds that no claimant, and none of the apocryphal plays or poems, matched Shakespeare. (DSK)

Discusses the importance of including topics dealing with economics in elementary and middle school curriculum. Content standards for economics education are described, and three lessons are provided as examples of how to incorporate economics topics, including activities dealing with fiction, vocabulary, and group work. (LRW)

Analysis of a sample of 84 speech acts in everyday discourse referring to mental retardation identified four themes: (1) the discourse of category membership, (2) the dichotomy of normal and abnormal, (3) issues of place and space, and (4) fear. Results suggest how speech acts construct mental retardation and devalue individuals with the label.…

Identifies 10 criteria for reviewing children's books: content description; definition of audience; information on scope, tone, and style, point of view; comparison with author's other works or similar works; appropriateness of art to text; personal opinion; strengths/weaknesses; uses of the work; brevity; and judgment of literary quality.…

Reviews the status of literature on technology education in ERIC and other databases and the content of key journals. Critiques the quality of articles; identifies a focus for future research and the improvement of publishing in the field. (SK)

Examines library home pages of 50 universities and 50 two-year colleges to determine the home pages' purpose as manifested by their content and its placement within the structure of the site. Identifies aspects of the sites that reflect institutional character and a core common content that exists across academic-library Web sites. (Author/LRW)

Discusses abuse of the Internet as an information source for classroom assignments and emphasizes the need for librarians to teach students and staff to evaluate information sources. Considers content, source, access, and structure, and lists Web sites that have evaluation guidelines as well as examples of bad sites. (LRW)

Analyzes four informal science-related writing tasks produced by seventh-grade students (n=374) from two schools with different socioeconomic populations. Demonstrates that students' informal writing in the science context can provide a rich source of information regarding students' cognitive and attitudinal engagement with science. (Author/CCM)

An analysis of 599 reviews of children's books from six reviewing journals for 1995-96 was compared to earlier studies, revealing great variation in adequacy of reviews. School Library Journal provided the most complete bibliographic and ordering information but no single journal supplied all the information librarians need for purchasing juvenile…