The evolution of medical schools from their post-Renaissance Italian prototypes to present modern facilities has been marked by a variety of philosophies, methodologies, and pedagogical styles. Pressures to improve medical curriculum led to the educational media movement of the 1950's. By 1970, the Association of Professors of Gynecology and…

The research described in this report elaborates the dimensions and effects on elementary-aged children of cooperative, competitive, and individualized learning environments, with specific focus on peer relationships and personal satisfactions and dissatisfactions. Children's behavior was observed within the learning environments and again…

Describes a study that used fifty-four 10th grade social studies students to investigate the effect of positive goal interdependence and positive goal and positive reward interdependence on achievement. Results indicated that cooperation promoted higher achievement than competition and that both positive goal and reward interdependence are needed…

Reviews literature on teachers' nonverbal behavior in the classroom. Focuses on nonverbal expression of teacher expectation, nonverbal expression of attitudes toward certain students, students' perceptions of teachers' nonverbal messages, and the effects of teachers' nonverbal behavior on student attitudes and performance. (CB)

This book is designed for parents who have trouble understanding their school-aged children's grades, report cards, and test scores. It helps them make sense of school reports and offers resources to open communications between parents and teachers. The seven chapters focus on: (1) "Getting Started" (e.g., what grading and reporting mean, whether…

A questionnaire was administered to first-year biology, physics and chemistry students in an Israeli university to assess their views on the nature of the contribution made by their high school courses to college achievement. Results indicate that high school curriculum influences attitudes, knowledge retention, expectations, and achievement in…

The University of Akron measured the effects of a three-year advertising campaign by means of a questionnaire sent to high school seniors and their parents as well as incoming freshmen enrollees. The results indicated that the advertising had been effective and supplied the university with guidelines for future campaigns. (Author)

Describes an inter-university graduate library and information science course developed at the University of Michigan and the University of Illinois to investigate cost-effective distance independent learning. Highlights include technology/task fit; instruction and assignments; course evaluation; and student and faculty course evaluations. (LRW)

Reports on a study of grade 6 reluctant readers, identifying factors that served as barriers to the students' voluntary reading habits, finding them varied and complex. Points to several areas in which schools can promote voluntary reading, including choices in instructional reading, opportunities to read for enjoyment, and access to high-interest…

Federal policy regarding equal opportunity for men and women in intercollegiate athletics under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is viewed as a form of distributive policy that fails to incorporate principles of supply (spaces on teams) and differential demand among men and women. The result is seen to be another form of…

Describes a districtwide conflict-resolution program implemented in all New York City high schools during 1992-93. The program tries to empower students and staff by teaching them how to resolve conflicts nonviolently and use conflict as a vehicle for personal growth. During the first year, schools made substantial progress in handling…

Nursing (n=109) and medical (n=108) students from a large Canadian research university were surveyed to determine differences between first- and fourth-year students' perceptions of necessary competencies. Nursing students' perceptions of competencies important for medicine were more congruent than medical students' perceptions of those important…

A college teacher's survey of 100 freshmen found only 11 who planned to study in groups, and that most would do so for subjects they believed the most difficult, particularly those requiring quantitative problem-solving and those in which assessment was more frequent. Most believed that reading and writing were solitary, not group, tasks. (MSE)

Describes the planning process involved in designing a new library for St. Pauls' School (New Hampshire). Student and faculty input is discussed; site selection and space considerations within the library are considered; collaboration between the librarian, the architect, and a library consultant is described; and staff planning is discussed. (LRW)

Evaluated an in-school mentoring program for underserved elementary students that emphasized personal and social responsibility (self-control, respect, effort, participation, self-direction, and helping others). Student interviews and teacher and mentor journals indicated that students were able to apply the goal of effort to classroom learning…