Discusses the tension between the university faculty's research mandate and their teaching responsibilities. Suggests that there are no rewards for acquiring teaching skills and that research agendas often drive the construction of undergraduate political science curricula and contribute to the neglect of producing engaging textbooks. (KO)

Discussion of the educational effectiveness of textbooks focuses on a model of a virtual textbook that relies on hypermedia. Highlights include changing roles of teachers, students, and content; systemwide features of the virtual textbook, including interface and object-oriented design; classroom environment; sequencing; and a prototype. (Contains…

Discusses and criticizes criminal justice's deviation from its roots in sociology and adaptation of a more career-oriented perspective. Maintains that the symbiotic relationship between law enforcement agencies and criminal justice as an academic discipline has corrupted the discipline and inhibited academic inquiry. (MJP)

Reports on a study of 25 years of the content and contributors in economic education research. Finds that economic education has become a legitimate subfield within economics and has grown from mostly descriptive research to sophisticated mathematical and econometric models. (CFR)

Describes limitations of a Western, individualistic perspective on psychological theory. Summarizes research and theory regarding how personality may be shaped differentially by individualistic and collectivist cultures. Describes strategies for teaching about the impact of culture on personality. (CFR)

Studied the role of textbooks in elementary education. Found that the influence of textbooks on teachers' thinking and on classroom instruction was somewhat less than the literature indicates. Patterns of textbook use were not consistent across academic subjects. Conditions of elementary education encourage selective and variable textbook use. (BB)

Effects of a summary skills learning strategy on the comprehension of science text were examined with five elementary-age urban minority students with learning disabilities participating in a summer remedial program. The strategy produced clear improvement in comprehension which was associated with similar improvements in the completeness of the…

Reports study results of introductory psychology students preparing for a quiz using programed instruction, reading a text, or reading an unrelated text. Lists principles of learning, including clear learning objectives, small steps, logical sequence, active responding, and drill and practice. Concludes that programed instruction is highly…

Analysis of data on a conflict between the Joshua Gap (California) school district and local parents over the district's decision to utilize a multiculturally oriented textbook series suggests that contrasting images of the local and larger U.S. community, and contrasting views about the role of schooling, contributed to the conflict. (IAH)

Reviews the debate about history education and curriculum restructuring in Great Britain. Discusses three aspects of these efforts: (1) public discussion about the emerging national history curriculum; (2) attention to promote experiential learning outside the classroom; and (3) increased awareness of the role of American studies. (CFR)

Discusses changes in history textbooks and historical research during the past three decades. Asserts that popular history and social history are emphasized much more than in the past. Recommends that teachers experiment with new ways of teaching history, including using photographs, music, and other primary sources. (CFR)

States that studying the motives and ideas of conscientious objectors during the Vietnam War poses conflicts between individual and civic responsibility. Presents a lesson about the major issues of individual conscientious objection to military service during that period. Includes three student readings and two teacher background supplements. (CFR)

Reviews the reform of secondary school physics in the United States from the 1930s through the mid-1960s. Describes the impact of progressive education, World War II, and the post-Sputnik reforms. Points out differences between past reform efforts and the current Project 2061 of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). (CFR)

Proposes methods of applying new social studies teaching techniques. Suggests making the social studies classroom more social through group discussion, research, and writing. Recommends using textbook journals to help students learn to think, read, and write more critically. Calls for the use of interpersonal and textual metadiscourse. (SG)

Comprehensively reviews literature concerning immigrant history and experience in the United States. Discusses literature covering colonial immigration, old and new immigration, Hispanics, and Asians, as well as novels and autobiographical accounts providing insight into immigrants' experiences. Includes literature concerned with nativism also.…