The acquisition of alphabetic knowledge (letter names, letter sounds, and letter forms) is an important predictor of later literacy achievement. This article describes research findings that provide new insights about how children learn the alphabetic principle and the implications for effective and efficient instruction of the alphabet. Teachers…

Background: Soft skills describe career attributes that individuals should possess, such as team skills, communication skills, ethics, time-management skills, and an appreciation for diversity. In the twenty-first century workforce, soft skills are important in every business sector. However, employers in business continuously report that new…

To investigate the influence of an innovative math fluency intervention, 36 middle-school students were randomly assigned to either an experimental (the Detect, Practice, Repair [DPR]) or control condition (reading intervention). After covarying pretest scores, the DPR treatment produced a significantly higher (p = 0.016) adjusted mean (M) math…

Research on students' attainment on multiplication facts, common errors, and meaningful instruction is briefly cited in this review. (MNS)

The necessity for developing computational estimation procedures has resulted from an increased availability of calculators and microcomputers in the classroom. This article reports on a study of middle school students who were given computational problems to estimate and explain how answers were obtained. Results are discussed. (Author/DF)

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT Far West Laboratory researchers involved in the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study contend that increasing Academic Learning Time promotes basic skills achievement among elementary school children. During the course of the six-year study, researchers identified numerous "helpful hints" for…

Variety in homework is one way to achieve educational excellence in social studies. The twin social studies goals of teaching basic knowledge and teaching reasoning/critical thinking skills are accomplished by providing variety. In accordance with Lee and Pratt's homework taxonomy, homework can be placed under one of the following: preparation,…

A meta-analysis of 79 research reports on the effects of calculator use on students' achievement and attitude in grades K-12 was conducted. At all but one grade level, students using calculators maintained or improved their paper-and-pencil skills. Suggestions for the classroom are included. (MNS)

An economics program designed for junior high and senior high school students indicates that learning economic content tends to improve a student's ability in social studies skills and, indirectly, also improves language arts and quantitative skills. (Author/RM)

Reports findings from a national survey of 1,269 representative colleges and universities, concerning institutional perceptions of the basic skills preparation of entering freshmen, the extent of students' needs for basic skills help at various types of institutions, and the ways in which institutions are responding to student needs. (AYC)

The Workplace Literacy Skills and Training Inventory was created as a needs assessment instrument to determine existing programs and services and current needs at workplace sites. Subjects were 64 representatives from businesses in Greene County, Ohio, randomly selected from the yellow pages. The framework for the inventory consisted of 16 skills…

Recall of multiplication number facts is a major educational objective in elementary grades, yet some children never acquire total mastery. A microcomputer multiplication number facts training program was developed which incorporated programmed instructional features including feedback, positive reinforcement, vanishing, branching and pairing.…

The purpose of this study was to determine if a multidimensional treatment in the study of the content area of social studies would help the average and below average student. The 37 fifth-grade students in this study came from a middle-socioeconomic level of north central New Jersey. The 18 students in the experimental sample received special…

Offers a rationale for collegewide writing across the curriculum (WAC) approaches. Assesses the effectiveness of a WAC project at Medgar Evers College involving two courses (computer science and chemistry). Reports improvement in students' ability to summarize an article's content and writing fluency. Includes writing assignment instructions and…

A study was conducted to explore skills and work-related dispositions in technical work. It used a sociocultural approach to examine skills in seven target jobs in worksites representing diverse industries--health care, traffic management, transportation, and semiconductor manufacturing. It explored employers' strategies for obtaining the skills…