This is the report of a 1990 review of Recreation, Parks, and Leisure Studies programs at the University of Florida (UF), Florida State University (FSU), and Florida International University (FIU). Among the conclusions are that these programs are essential to the lifestyle of Florida residents and the continued economic growth of the state.…

This digest summarizes the ERIC report concerning proprietary school education. Many proprietary schools offer no degrees and many of their courses are less than one year. They are profit oriented and market driven with decision making centralized in the ownership. The curricula are job-skills oriented and comprise programs in office, technology…

This study was designed to test a less labor intensive data collection methodology than the extensive interview system developed by the University of Michigan currently used to show the relationship between faculty rationale and course description. Subjects (N=210) were randomly selected faculty members each of whom was responsible for teaching…

Perspectives concerning "research about research" are summarized, based on symposia sponsored by the University of Goteborg in Sweden. It is noted that studies of science, technology, and society (STS) are prevalent in several countries during the 1970s. Based on visits to STS programs in the United States, it is suggested that there are…

The educational history of resource conservation as an academic discipline is discussed. Also examined is whether conservation should be taught as a static or dynamic concept. The first conservation text was written in 1910. Since then, geographers have stressed several approaches to resource conservation including the inventory and analysis of…

Using data taken from responses to Federal questionnaires administered in New York State by the State Education Department, the postsecondary participation of five racial/ethnic groups in New York State is presented in summary form. The groups are Asian Americans, Blacks, Hispanic Americans, Whites, and American Indians. The categories of…

Two basic questions provide the focus for this report: (1) What is the distribution of education and non-education majors among public and private school teachers, and within certain subgroups? and (2) Does the distribution of bachelor's degree fields differ between public and private school teachers? Some key findings are: (1) public and private…

A historical perspective of agricultural education is needed in order to understand its role in the future. Agriculture as a science did not exist prior to the 19th century. The Morrill Act contributed greatly to this development. With the realization that higher education could serve persons interested in the agricultural and mechanical arts came…

The study attempted to determine liberal arts college faculty perceptions of their careers and professional needs and specific strategies for enhancing faculty job satisfaction in their roles as teachers, scholars, and members of different disciplinary groups. A total of 9,204 full time faculty at 142 participating colleges, all of them…

To what extent and in what ways do issues about content and the teaching and learning of content figure in the conversations between novices and their mentors? This paper explores that question by means of four cases drawn from a large data set about two different first-year teacher programs, an induction program sponsored by a university and a…

Data from a 1984 study undertaken to validate 15 teacher competencies for Connecticut's Beginning Teacher Support Program were reanalyzed to determine whether the competencies were applicable to all teachers or were specific to grade levels or subject areas. The original study examined 1733 responses to a survey that asked teachers and…

Ways to further the development of higher education and research as a field of study are addressed, with a focus on the role and importance of various disciplinary perspectives. It is argued that, in simplified terms, the field of higher education and research is dominated by two major traditions: "science studies" and "higher…

Since the rise of science and technology in the latter part of the last century, teachers in the humanities have experienced extreme pressure to justify the place of the humanities in a progressive, scientifically oriented culture. Critics have termed humanists variously as elitist, because they concern themselves with moral priorities rather than…

If teachers are to help students develop higher-order reading, thinking, and writing skills, then researchers must begin by articulating the ways of knowing that are central to particular domains. A study was elaborated to provide initial information about the ways in which people talk about "knowing" in academic subjects as they appear…

Throughout history there have always been confusion and even contradictions concerning professionalism. An occupation can be considered a profession in one country and not another, and in one historical period and not another. One contribution to this confusion is the explanation of the social system by Talcott Parsons and others, which has framed…