Through a multiple case study design the influence of teachers beliefs on literacy instruction for at-risk first graders was examined and described. The volunteer sample of five female teachers who taught in different high risk schools within the same school district participated in the study. Five issues guided the study: teachers beliefs about…

This article discusses Japanese students' difficulties in reading English, overviews some of the problems of college English textbooks, presents the results of research on the subject, and discusses characteristics of measures of readability. Teaching methods that have proven effective with Japanese students and activities for engaging students in…

A project of Local 343 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America and the Construction Labour Relations Association (CLRA) of Manitoba documented the workplace literacy skills needed by union carpenters on job sites in Manitoba. The following techniques were used: mailed questionnaires to the carpenter members of Local 343 and…

This study identified input, environmental, and output variables accounting for differences between successful and unsuccessful groups of underprepared students at Johnson County Community College (Kansas). The study applied an adaptation of Alexander Astin's input-environment-output model of assessing student and institutional effectiveness.…

A readability study for the Albuquerque Technical-Vocational Institute (T-VI) was undertaken to provide information regarding the reading ability required to complete training and to function in entry-level jobs. Readability formulas were applied to materials used in training and on the job. In addition, students were tested for level of reading,…

The Kansas Minimum Competency Tests (KMCT) were designed to provide information about student performance on selected minimum competencies in reading and mathematics. The KMCT were criterion referenced tests in which each item was keyed to a minimum competency objective; student performance was measured against a predetermined standard. The tests…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 19 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) children's approaches to reading tasks; (2) methods of teaching word recognition to aphasic/severely language disordered students; (3) intentional forgetting…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The seven titles deal with the following topics: (1) the effects of human teacher intervention on skills and presentation time while using programed learning; (2) the effects of advance organizers of varying length on seventh grade…

In spring 1986 Anglo students received higher scores than Blacks or Hispanics on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), on all subtests and at all grade levels in the Denver (Colorado) Public Schools. This study, by attempting to locate patterns of item response, seeks to identify items in the ITBS that suggest differential pupil achievement by…

Prior to registration at the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP), most potential new students are given a battery of tests to place them into appropriate courses, specific areas of study, or special support programs. Most students are tested on one day and then asked to return on a subsequent day for counseling and registration. Between…

Individual pupils were observed in junior high school science classes to characterize and record their classroom behaviors. The sample (N=80), drawn from five urban schools, was evenly divided by race (black and white). Instruction in class was based on laboratory work or other activities requiring active pupil participation. Systematic…

Intended to provide an outlet for systematic and substantive reviews, both empirical and theoretical, and for extended integrative reports of programatic research, this volume focuses on the nature of reading and reading disabilities, with implications for both theory and practice. The first chapter of the book reports on a long-term study of the…

This paper describes an intervention program initiated to assist children from disadvantaged backgrounds attain early literacy skills. The pedagogy includes use of play and technology. Data shows significant gains in assessment scores after seven months. Implications for policy and practice are offered. [Note: The footer in this full text article…

This article reports on observations made during an intensive course in French organized by a business firm for its immigrant Portuguese workers. The principal aim of this project was to study course materials as they are actually used. Special attention was therefore paid to: (1) teacher discourse, which, although an essential component of…

The purpose of this practicum was to develop a bilingual management system to enable bilingual teachers to monitor individual students' performance in the bilingual program. This required: (1) revising the kindergarten thru sixth grade student performance objectives; (2) developing kindergarten thru sixth grade criterion-referenced tests and…