Assessment thus far has been shaped primarily by questions about student learning outcomes; however, assessment "behind outcomes" means looking more carefully at the processes and conditions that lead to improved student learning. Nine areas of inquiry for assessment "behind outcomes" are suggested, with appropriate methods for addressing them and…

Volunteer observers shadowed 162 randomly selected 8th graders in 161 schools on March 8, 1989. Following simple directions, the volunteers recorded the events and activities of the students. Each observer completed an interview with the shadowed student, a structured interview with an administrator, a school information sheet, and a statement of…

Participants in sorority and fraternity rush at Miami were surveyed about their experiences with that process, the factors important to the decision to pledge or not to pledge a Greek-letter organization, and the effect rush had on a person's self-image. Another study question was whether there were any differences in personal background…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was an association between the amount of formal social work education completed and ability of students to judge the degree of appropriateness of proposed solutions to problems frequently encountered in social work practice, and secondarily to determine whether students' judgments of problem…

The Student College Experience Survey of Santa Barbara City College (California) is intended to determine students' levels of satisfaction with various aspects of the college life, including environment, instruction, and services. The survey also aims at determining student characteristics not available from the data collected through the student…

A study of income levels of college graduates suggests that income is a function of a complex series of events including student attributes at time of college entry, institutional characteristics, performance and experiences in the institutions, the nature of the organizations in which graduates are employed, and job characteristics. (MSE)

Describes a study of the lives of Johnson County Community College students, focusing on the ways students apportioned their time, the problems they experienced and their solutions, their expectations and experiences, and the impact of the college on the students. Students typically had many obligations in addition to education. Includes 6 data…

Presents case studies of three science majors who decided to enter teacher education after participating in a classroom teaching assistant project. Finds that some academically talented science majors can be positively influenced to teach by direct work with students, opportunities to earn teacher certification with the science major, and frequent…

An in-depth study of the experiences of Mexican American women at three Texas universities found that precollege factors such as early education and familial support had more impact on the students' experiences and success than did the ethnic or gender composition of the university. (Contains 20 references.) (Author/SV)

One of the most important experiences in a child's life begins when he starts formal school, most often at age 5. Going to kindergarten is thrilling and sometimes scary but always an adventure. At this time, children come together from all walks of life; all types of families; at all levels of development; and with a vast array of skills,…

Through examination of 613 students' narratives about self-selected important decisions, I investigated the student and situation characteristics related to provocation and use of self authored ways of knowing. The findings gesture toward both particular skills students may need to develop in order to self-author, as well as suggest that movement…

The purpose of this study was to examine persistence in school among students with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) from the perspectives of the students themselves and their parents. Tinto's (1975, 1997) Student Integration Model (SIM) provided the theoretical framework for this research. This model involves an interplay between (1)…

This study documented how individual differences in personal experiences, cultures, learning styles, and interests affect the demonstrated abilities of children who are gifted, based on qualitative case study research with five children from early childhood classes at the University of Denver's Ricks Center for Gifted Children. Information was…

This report provides a picture of students who entered a university engineering program and then persisted or left the program. It examines students' mathematical-mechanical abilities, psychological-motivational aspects, support services, and perceptions of the world of engineering work. It also identifies problems that women and blacks…

This report presents supplementary findings for research on reading achievement differences among minority and white students in a desegregating school district, Cleveland, Ohio. The report focuses on elementary school students, and the findings parallel those of a previous report on secondary school students. Information presented includes: (1)…