Examined effects of diversity-related courses on the intergroup tolerance and sociopolitical beliefs of 131 undergraduate students at the University of Michigan before and after taking a required race and ethnicity course. Comparison with other students suggest that such courses can buffer students from declines in intergroup tolerance exhibited…

British students who had compulsory science in the National Curriculum from ages 11-16 (n=115) had significantly higher scores on a science test than those for whom secondary science had been optional (n=30). Almost all had very low scores on questions related to the circulatory system and sound and light, regardless of their science background.…

Provides: background information regarding external pressures on schools and teacher preparation programs; a survey study of preservice and practicing teachers' knowledge regarding effective reading instructional methods; and the resulting changes in the teaching of reading courses. (SG)

Attitudes of nursing students in required (n=31) and elective (n=29) online courses were favorable both before and after courses. Preferences for online or classroom format remained stable; most preferred online. Those in elective courses were slightly more favorable, perhaps because of their high-stakes nature and students' first-year status. (SK)

Investigates whether state course graduation requirements affect high-school dropout decisions, using aggregate data on dropout rates, individual data from two time periods, and aggregate data on high-school completion rates over 15 years. Results strongly suggest that state-mandated minimum course requirements cause students to drop out.…

Two studies investigated the effectiveness of a course in career planning for psychology majors. Study 1 used a quasi-experimental design. Students who completed a corequisite research methods course in the year before the department added the careers course to the curriculum served as a comparison group. Analyses showed that students in the…

The purpose of this study was to determine the immediate and long-term effectiveness of a university level conceptually-based health-related (CBHR) fitness course on health-related fitness (HRF) knowledge. Two hundred and seventy-seven students served as subjects. Subjects were grouped according to the following criteria. Group 1 represented…

This paper presents the preliminary work for developing guidelines to ensure that industry-sponsored projects in first-year courses aid, not hamper, retention of students. Specifically, the overall research plan includes the following steps: (1) investigating the appropriateness of industry projects in a required introduction to engineering design…

This paper reports on the examination of physics teachers' beliefs and perceptions of laboratory and ICT supported physics instruction. The findings indicate that the teachers in the sample were generally positive about the affordances offered by the physics lab and ICT in physics instruction. However, school culture context, mainly the need to…

As this report goes to press, the nation's capital is in the midst of a six-moth, city-wide celebration of William Shakespeare. With this celebration as a backdrop, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) researched how Shakespeare fits into English curricula at 70 of the nation's leading colleges and universities. ACTA surveyed English…

A model incorporating prerequisite mathematics performance and other variables deemed to be associated with learning elementary statistics (ES) is developed. The relationship between ES performance and the explanatory variables is well represented by the logistics form. Aptitude, effort and motivation are the only significant explanatory variables…

A survey of 1,102 Michigan physicians and a second survey of 532 physicians attending continuing medical education classes covered the topic of whether or not continuing medical education should be made mandatory. The results do not support a return to mandatory continuing medical education. (Author/CH)

Graduate students face numerous sources of anxiety. In order to explore students' stressors, student attitudes and anxiety toward two mandatory graduate counseling courses are examined here. All participants were students enrolled in either the Career Development or the Tests and Measurement course during the summer quarter (N=43; Mean Age=33…

Attempted to cross validate a model of relationships among social--contextual factors, individual differences, and intrinsic motivation in 219 adolescent students in required courses and elective courses. Results indicate data are best represented by a model that separates social-contextual factors, individual factors, intrinsic motivation, and…

Presents results of a survey of college English departments concerning general education requirements and the English major. Finds that English programs emphasize courses in the traditional areas in their requirements for the English major. Notes that general education requirements frequently do not include an exposure to literature. (RS)