The Instructional and Performance Technology Department at Boise State University (Idaho) offers a master's degree program via distance education to prepare adult students for careers in the areas of instructional design, job performance improvement, human resources, organizational redesign, training, and training management. Most students attend…

Televised portrayals of variables that are related to educational and occupational aspirations and educational motivation have the potential to influence viewers' attitudes, expectations, and behaviors in these domains. In order to test this premise, a study assessed messages about these variables and about drug use in the prime-time television…

This report describes an evaluation study of the Houston Annenberg Challenge, which was a school reform initiative designed to improve the quality of Houston's diverse urban schools by promoting an academically rich and purposeful education for all students. The study examined academic achievement, comparing Annenberg schools with other schools in…

This study is an attempt to tell the story of a Mexican American bilingual education teacher whose professional and personal life spans the beginning of modern bilingual education to the present atmosphere of "accountability." Her voice connects the macro and micro aspects of being a minority educator in the contested context of…

This study sought to demonstrate that Michigan middle-grades schools can become more effective learning environments for young adolescents. A total of 224 Michigan schools participated in a teacher and administrator survey, 101 of which also conducted student surveys, reaching over 45,600 students in the fifth to ninth grades. Part 1, "Early…

This study examined factors that predict a general education teacher's efficacy beliefs for instructing students with learning and behavior problems and whether a teacher's perceived efficacy has a stronger direct effect on reported success than other variables. One hundred twenty-eight second grade teachers completed a survey instrument designed…

The book discusses in detail a variety of practical and theoretical issues in identifying and addressing second language learning problems. Intended primarily for classroom teachers working with late teenagers or adults, it focuses on learning styles, affective factors, and learning strategies. Real and composite case studies are presented…

This paper focuses on the Interactive and Distance Education Assessment (IDEA) laboratory, an assessment system developed by psychology students and faculty at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (New York) that incorporated learning styles, teaching styles, and other measures of individual difference into the evaluation of interactive and distance…

This document contains four papers from a symposium on assessing employee skills. "Bridging the Training Gap: Identifying Work Place Transferable Skills Needs in Manufacturing Organizations in East Central Minnesota" (K. Peter Kuchinke, James M. Brown, Howie Anderson, Joe Hobson) reports a study of a workplace education program in rural…

This document consists of a narrative final project report and the project product, a new edition of five booklets in the "Coping with Crisis" series. The report describes the process of redesigning and repackaging existing adult basic education materials; comments from three students are given. The five booklets are as follows: (1)…

For the twenty-sixth year, the Research and Theory Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the National AECT Convention in Anaheim, CA. The Proceedings of AECT's Convention are published in two volumes.…

A primary objective of graduate education, and often promoted by peer collaboration tasks, is the development of critical thinking skills. The present study compares how graduate students enrolled in a qualitative research design course in applied linguistics utilized asynchronous computer-mediated communication (ACMC) and face-to-face…

To determine the impact of the Summer Career Exploration Program (SCEP), a privately funded summer jobs program for low-income teens, P/PV examined the lives of over 1700 applicants. These youth were randomly assigned to participate or to not participate in SCEP in the summer of 1999, and their outcomes were compared at four and twelve months…

Discusses preservice and inservice beginning-teacher preparation, identifying areas of teaching that challenge the cultural deficit model by examining the role of teaching standards in addressing second-language learners' needs. Describes demographic changes within the classroom; reviews literature on effective teaching practices; and identifies a…

This collection of 20 essays by 21 authors presents teaching methods and resource material promoting productive school experiences for American Indian students. The chapters are organized into five sections. The opening chapter of section 1 emphasizes that teachers must understand and respect the cultures and backgrounds of their students, an…