In further exploring the relationship between teacher behaviors and student learning, this study, part of the National Study of Student Learning, examined how teacher organization and preparation and teacher skill and clarity influenced the development of general cognitive skills in the first year of college. A sample of 2,302 students attending…

This project was undertaken to gather data on the experiences and success of Latino students at Long Beach City College (LBCC), in California. Reviews were conducted of demographic trends and the educational status of Latinos nationally and at LBCC to determine barriers to success and strategies for improving educational equality and success.…

A discussion of the literature on cooperative learning and demographic trends in American education focuses on factors contributing to academic achievement in an increasingly multicultural school population. Research suggests that cooperative learning groups achieve only in the presence of two essential conditions: group goals and individual…

A pilot study was conducted to field test instruments that could be used to assess, evaluate, and improve curricula to be used in the Agri Tech Prep 2000 (ATP 2000) project. The project features a 4-year tech prep program linking New York high school and postsecondary curricula to prepare students for careers in agriculture or acceptance into a…

Designed to develop a more practical model for adapting context to learner interests, this study used computer-based instruction to make alternative contexts for statistics problems--sports, business, education, or no-context--available for selection by individual learners. The subjects were 227 undergraduate students enrolled in required…

A model was developed of the choice-making behavior of students participating in postsecondary occupational education. The model was estimated empirically with data from a national survey of public or nonprofit institutions that offer such education, conducted in spring 1987. The survey involved 432 institutions and 3,330 students. Data were…

This paper discusses the modern American junior high and middle school from the perspectives of an interested observer, the educational researcher, and the students themselves. Discussed briefly are three factors that place junior high/middle school education in a unique context--the developmental stage of the students who are served, the…

Many who believe in the value of the study of the humanities are faced with the problems of how to attract vocational students to humanities courses, maintain their interest in such courses so that they fulfill the general education requirements for graduation, and, if possible, generate an ongoing interest in the humanities. In response to these…

Based on theory and previous research done on the factors that affect student ratings of college instruction, it seems clear that different types of students prefer different types of instructors. The type is apparently a function of naturally occurring needs in the students' personalities and naturally occurring teacher behaviors which student…

A selected population of 2,430 white, native-born, college freshmen women (under 22 years old) who remained at one institution for four years were studied to determine the effects of institutional and other variables on their career aspirations. Variables selected included background, career plans and self-esteem (after one, four, and five years),…

A theory, which proposed a hierarchy of determinants of student ratings of instruction, was tested. Situational variables such as class size, elective enrollment, and grade expectancy were hypothesized to be only indicators of more potent determiners. These motivational constructs were diversity of enrollment motives and subject matter interests,…

Reports on a study designed to compare student attitudes concerning their science teachers at the third, seventh, and eleventh grades where students participated in exemplary science programs. Results indicated significantly more positive attitudes of these students in a variety of ways. Included is the questionnaire used with the students. (TW)

Adults may seek out learning at different times in their lives, for different reasons, and for vastly different purposes. Some of the reasons are to achieve pre-determined goals; to fill education gaps; to explore options and make choices; to develop personally; to perform a job or role better; or to enhance employment prospects. Learning itself…

This collection of papers includes the following: "Learner Characteristics of Early Starters and Late Starters of English Language Learning: Anxiety, Aptitude, and Motivation" (Tomoko Takada); "Uncovering First Year Students' Language Learning Experiences, Their Attitudes, and Motivations in a Context of Change at the Tertiary Level…

This action research project implemented and evaluated an intervention for improving student engagement in the learning process. The targeted population consisted of first, third, and fifth grade students in a small, traditional, middle class community, located in central Illinois. Evidence of non-engaged behaviors were documented from teacher…