This purpose of this study was to identify influences on young males' decisions to withdraw from their studies in certificate courses at a Western Australia College of Technical and Further Education (TAFE). The research focused on males aged between 17 and 21 years, and their reasons for either dropping out of or persisting in entry-level…

The Blackboard Learning System™, a Web-based server software system, is widely used on many college and university campuses today. This paper explores the use of the Blackboard system as a teaching and learning tool. Particular emphasis is placed on the online chat feature available through the Blackboard interface. During the fall 2002 pilot…

Contends that, in the public's perception, much of adolescents' trouble today can be traced to deterioration in the quality of family life. Reports on a study of education completion and marriage. Finds that females living with mothers only, who complete their senior year in high school, actually have higher educational attainment and later…

Maintains that content-rich, meaningful curricula can provide learning opportunities to all students. Describes an informal, nonprofit community-based learning program that extends the school's curriculum beyond the classroom by providing access to multimedia resources. Presents an 11-step collaborative model for the project. (CFR)

Presents a model of empirically supported instructional strategies for optimizing the mainstreaming of mildly handicapped students. Argues that such a model must account for the actual characteristics of mainstreamed students rather than the categorical designation applied to such students. The model is described within an overall model of…

A study involving 199 private liberal arts college freshmen found a weak but statistically significant correlation between high school grade point average and freshman grade point average (FGPA) but not between Scholastic Aptitude Test scores and FGPA. For academically underprepared freshmen, motivation-related noncognitive variables significantly…

The Mathematics and Science Partnership Project helped California teachers infuse technology into secondary science and mathematics classrooms. After receiving training in use of the hardware and software, teachers developed project-related goals and redesigned their curricula to incorporate technology. The project created more student-centered…

Maintains that elementary teachers are encouraged to integrate the curriculum to motivate students. Describes an instructional unit in which students set up and run an "international store," in which the items are priced in foreign currency. Provides recommendations on designing the unit and operating the store. (CFR)

Examines aspects of the structural and regulatory environment of schools to identify features associated with higher levels of engagement among at-risk eighth graders. Results from 6,488 at-risk students (about 33% were Hispanic American, 28% were African American, and 39% were white) support the importance of school characteristics in student…

Describes a school-university collaboration that developed alternative teaching strategies for motivating inner-city, African-American middle school students (effort-based grading, multiple performance opportunities, increased student responsibility/choice, and validation of cultural differences). Observations, teacher journals, and student…

This article discusses the school engagement literature and offers a conceptual framework with the intention of developing a common terminology to more efficiently organize research and practice. Three distinct perspectives are outlined in relation to school engagement: psychological, educational, and developmental. Four main contexts of…

In recent years, thanks to the evolution of the Internet, wide availability of classroom computers and increased broadband access, blended learning is emerging as a new tool in the K-12 educational toolkit. Defined as learning that combines online and face-to-face approaches, blended learning is accomplished through the combined use of virtual and…

The aim of this paper is twofold. On one hand, to shed new light on the uneasy relationship of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) with foreign language (FL) pedagogy in the past and on the other, to explore the possible contribution of CALL to FL pedagogy. The first part of this research starts with a brief description of the first CALL…

Olympic View Middle School has established a program designed to stimulate interest in foreign languages and cultures. The course is intended as an introduction to foreign language and culture study, and is required for all 7th and 8th grade students. Program 1 of the course is taught during one semester of 7th grade, Program 2 during one semester…

A study of the role of the modern language program at Michigan Technological University looks at perceptions of administrators, faculty, and students concerning the program and language learning needs, and student motivation in studying languages. Concludes that despite language enrollment and retention problems, modern language courses are both…