The UK reading literacy data from the OECD PISA 2000 study are analysed using multilevel methods. The main analyses focus on the composite reading literacy scale resulting from the study and the explanatory variables used are 16 of the scales derived from answers given to the pupil questionnaire administered as part of the survey, together with…

This paper reports the results of a telephone survey of 151 undergraduates who withdrew in their first year of study at a post-1992 institution. It focuses on the negative experiences which they reported during their time at the university and the ultimate reasons for leaving, exploring in particular issues around choice of course, academic…

The democratic changes that occurred in Croatia within last two decades are oriented towards European values and multi-intercultural perspectives. Let us remember that, according to the census from 1991, Croatia was inhabited with people from 27 nations, with Croats being a majority. During the Homeland war, basically a defensive war against the…

The case study of a Ukrainian university student in the United States investigated factors in the student's adjustment to the United States and acquisition of English as a second language. The student, aged 20, came to the United States to study music after being denied admission to a Russian conservatory because of his ethnic background, and had…

This study compared the relative frequency of the identification of students as maladjusted to school by standardized achievement tests and by teacher ratings. Subjects were 290 primary school children between 8 and 12 years of age from London, England. Children's achievement was assessed using the mathematics, maps, and reading subscales of the…

This paper examines the extent to which American undergraduate students find problems adjusting to study in Israeli colleges, universities, and yeshivot with respect to the Hebrew language, academic matters, personal situations, and living arrangements. The study asked 671 undergraduate American students studying in Israel how difficult it was for…

This study examined the relationship between children's experiences of domestic violence and their adjustment at school. Sixty-three children (28 girls), in Israel, their classmates and teachers took part in the study. Children were divided into four groups: (1) those who were victims of physical abuse; (2) those who witnessed abuse; (3) those who…

This paper begins by reviewing evidence nationally, provincially, and locally that many students drop out of secondary school; that failure rates in core subjects in grades 9 and 10 in Ontario are high; and that ninth graders in Ontario reported being concerned about their school progress, their level of preparation and readiness for high school,…

An analysis and discussion are presented of observations of 27 different first lecture situations at the University of New South Wales at the beginning of 1978. The analysis was intended to provide teachers with a range of data about what occurred during first lectures in schools other than their own, and to highlight the potential impact of the…

Attitudes toward their children were assessed in interviews with 357 mothers of nonhandicapped elementary students and 93 mothers of mildly retarded students in Yugoslavia. Child behaviors (academic and social) were assessed through teacher interviews. A markedly stronger relationship between school behaviors and mother attitudes was found for…

Rated the adjustment of 129 newly mainstreamed learning disabled, emotionally disturbed, and mildly developmentally disabled pupils. While the teachers were, in general, very satisfied with the pupils' progress in both academic and behavioral areas, satisfaction declined after grade six. IQ data did not predict satisfactory adjustment. (JAC)

Noting the importance of young children's school readiness, the Danish Ministry of Education initiated transition activities to help preschoolers make a successful transition to kindergarten. This study examined Danish teachers' understanding of and attitudes toward transition activities. The study's questionnaire listed 32 typical transition…

During 1998 and 1999, the Starting School Project at the University of Western Sydney-Macarthur conducted a survey across New South Wales (Australia) of parent and teacher opinions about children's successful transition to school. Survey responses were received from 240 teachers and 243 parents of young children. Respondents were grouped according…

Changes in adolescents' perceptions of the family as they adapt to residential schooling were studied for 51 residential and 57 nonresidential tenth graders in a school in Israel. No differences in the perception of family climate were found between the groups, suggesting no change with the individual's act of leaving. (SLD)

A program in the School of Education at Queensland University of Technology (Australia), designed to improve the experience of graduate students in a research-based master's program, is described. Strategies for overcoming problems of student isolation and building a sense of belonging are highlighted. It is argued that graduate students need…