Two different groups of sixth graders were studied as one discussed Roald Dahl's "James and the Giant Peach" and the other discussed Mark Twain's "Tom Sawyer." In interviews, students from the two groups offered very different assessments of their experiences, despite the fact that the teacher was the same. The Dahl students,…

Six papers from the 1990 CAUSE Conference Track VIII: Managing Distributed Computing are presented. Authors discuss the challenges and opportunities involved in providing user managers with direct access to institutional databases to support their decision making and planning activities. Papers and their authors are as follows: "Rendering an…

This program guide assists in discussions of critical social and political issues by providing a framework for considering which conditions warrant a use of military force. The guide examines the question from two different but related angles: military force and those reasons for war most commonly offered. The document includes the following…

The discussion guide explores the policy debate over immigration to the United States with regard to economic and quality of life concerns, environmental issues, and ethical considerations. The first article discusses the growing sentiments against immigration while using an historical account of U.S. immigration history and laws. While a…

An organizational needs assessment (ONA) process was developed to gather information about the basic skills upgrading needs and issues in the Division of Residence Operations of a state university. Forty-four participants from management, union leadership, and all job levels in the university's custodial and maintenance departments participated in…

This paper offers a small group discussion model as a viable alternative for facilitating critical thinking. The paper first review literature discussing what critical thinking is and whether it can be taught. After defining critical thinking as an active process which involves constructing arguments, the paper concludes that an optimally…

Both a self-management approach, teaching the principles of behavior modification and self-control (n=36), and a group-discussion technique, involving discussion of study habits and problems (n=41), led to improvements in grade point averages compared with a no-treatment control group (n=36) for low-achieving junior high school students. (Author)

Reported are findings on the effectiveness of the Family Education Program (FEP) of the Early Childhood Intervention Project, a program of the Social and School Adjustment Research Group of the University of Quebec in Montreal. In general, the findings suggest that, under certain conditions, it is possible to get parents to participate in an…

In June 1989, a study group was organized at Nassau Community College to encourage faculty to introduce the works of William Shakespeare in introductory literature courses. When the prospect of teaching Shakespeare to community college students was first considered, faculty expressed concern that their understanding of the issues surrounding…

Seventeen papers from the University of South Africa's Conference on Distance Education are presented. They include: "Establishing a Formal Student Support System--Time Is of the Essence" (Karen Hinrichs); "A Student Services Unit in a Distance Education Institution" (Hendrik Gous); "Distance Education and the Community:…

Abstracts of papers presented during discussion and display sessions, symposia, and training sessions at the Mid-South Educational Research Association (MSERA) Annual Meeting in 1988 are presented. Papers presented during the display sessions discuss the following topics: the use of data maps for displaying/analyzing statistical data; programs for…

The humanities professors of Northern Kentucky University conducted a series of four forums to bring together representative senior citizens, community leaders, political leaders, and educators of the Northern Kentucky area for a series of discussions focusing on the question of whether public agencies fairly serve senior citizens or merely offer…

Cooperative learning is a generic classroom technique that requires students to work and talk together about academic material while learning effective interpersonal skills. This packet, prepared in conjunction with the Minnesota School Effectiveness Program, describes the benefits of cooperative learning and defines its critical attributes,…

Three exercises have been developed to help participants experience and analyze the effects of seating arrangements on interpersonal communication. The exercises have been used in classes for college students and for federal and municipal employees. This paper discusses the objectives of the exercises and provides detailed instructions for…

A comprehensive case study is presented of the Antigonish Movement in eastern Nova Scotia. Originally founded to combat poverty and exploitation, it has functioned since 1929 under the extension department of St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish. The Movement brought education into the lives of ordinary working people and introduced group…