Shows that main idea statements were used by a variety of leading American writers of nonfiction in the nineteenth century; that usage patterns bridged gender and racial differences; and that even a difference of purpose or audience did not materially alter main idea patterns. Shows the importance of main idea recognition skills as tools for…

Explores the roles allocated to women in the famous collection. States that, although collaboration figures prominently in many of the more than 200 tales, the benefits of collective action are not extended to women. Examines the differences between male and female collaboration in the tales. Contemplates the implications of these differences for…

Examines the first 14 books of the "Sweet Valley University" series. Finds that the storylines on sex send conflicting messages that make readers believe that premarital sex is not an important issue. Notes that date rape and a brief look at racism and alcohol abuse are the only serious topics addressed. (RS)

Describes basic misconceptions about the origin of elements and forms of matter found in chemistry texts that need modification in light of modern observational data and interpretations given in astronomy. Notes that there are forms of matter other than elements and compounds. Confounding examples from astronomy include white dwarfs, neutron…

Finds that in the areas of readability, interest level, and thoroughness, the news in community daily newspapers was not significantly better than that produced by students. (RS)

Describes how an electronic greeting card Web site, Egreetings, redesigned the site to improve the number of greetings sent by users. Goals included reorganizing the card collection, including taxonomy and controlled vocabulary; improving navigation and searching; placing ads and promotions; developing a music greeting collection; and improving…

Discussion of electronic commerce focuses on Web site evaluation criteria and applies them to different industry groups in Korea. Defines six categories of Web site evaluation criteria: business function, corporate credibility, contents reliability, Web site attractiveness, systematic structure, and navigation; and discusses differences between…

Discusses educational reform and the lack of libraries in charter schools. Presents results of a content analysis of books about charter schools and discusses the lack of information about libraries, and suggests the need for teachers and teacher librarians to take leadership roles in emphasizing the role of libraries in charter schools. (LRW)

Views intercoder reliability as a sampling problem for content analyses. Develops a formula for generating sample sizes needed to have valid reliability estimates. Suggests steps for reporting reliability. (TB)

Analysis of cultural imagery in 1,699 television commercials from 1992-94 showed that women were less prevalent, more likely to be shown in families, less likely to hold jobs or be in professional occupations, less likely to exercise authority, and more likely to be depicted as sex objects. Results suggest that sex stereotypes in media imagery…

Content analysis of test banks accompanying 17 management education texts revealed that questions refer to male examples nearly two-thirds of the time. Female managers were referred to significantly more often by first name only. (SK)

Examines three episodes of the children's educational television show "Reading Rainbow." Finds that the program reflects prevailing beliefs about literacy development--it provides viewers with many experiences with print through exposure to quality children's literature and through modeling the use and enjoyment of literacy; employs…

Describes a study that examined the empirical research on performance improvement by conducting a content analysis of articles published in "Performance Improvement Quarterly" from 1997 through 2000. Provides a detailed analysis of the empirical research studies and includes an appendix listing the 49 articles studied. (Author/LRW)

Content analysis of peer reviews of 42 diversity-focused journal submissions (majority rejected) resulted in four themes: (1) reviewers often requested clarification of terms; (2) they cited what they considered author biases; (3) they applied instrumental and disciplinary constraints; and (4) they displayed goodwill, discomfort, or biases on…

Discusses characteristics of well-structured content as it relates to the design of instructional technology resources. Topics include online course design; online learning; principles of designing for learning; multimedia learning resources; knowledge structures; digital learning resources; and differences in digital content. (LRW)