Although the structure of modern society has both prolonged adolescence and exacerbated some of its tasks and challenges, the majority of adolescents successfully negotiate this period and mature in a relatively healthy manner. Nevertheless, significant numbers of adolescents find the challenges overwhelming, experience great conflict, and wind up…

This collection of papers includes: "Language Learning Motivation: The Student, the Teacher, and the Researcher" (Robert C. Gardner); "The Self-Reported Perspectives Regarding Academic Writing among Taiwanese Graduate Students Specializing in TEFL" (Robert Johanson); "Contradictions, Appropriation, and Transformation: An…

This document is intended to help communities plan and implement initiatives modeled after Making Academics Count, a campaign that was launched in 1997 by the Business Coalition for Education Reform (BCER) to encourage employers to ask job applicants for their school records and thereby help motivate students to achieve at higher levels. The guide…

Using 437 interviews with apprentices and trainees, teachers/trainers, and supervisors/managers, a study explored retention in apprenticeships and traineeships and factors that influence it. Apprentices and trainees were more likely to complete their contract of training (COT) if they developed an interest in the occupation and had medium- and…

Two studies at the Defense Language Institute (California) investigated the contribution of several variables to prediction of post-language-training proficiency: (1) scores on a general vocational aptitude battery and a language aptitude battery, both used to screen potential students; (2) scores on other cognitive measures not used in the…

This book is designed to help teachers become more knowledgeable, skilled, and effective in their work, explaining the importance of understanding students' interests, learning styles, and backgrounds in order to meet their unique needs and describing why having the ability to manage the learning environment, motivate students, and teach is itself…

This paper, written from the perspective of a classroom teacher who is also the child of immigrant parents, examines issues related to teaching reading to low-literate minority students for whom English is not their first language. The paper presents background issues, examines the process of language acquisition, and focuses on the following: the…

The creation of a quasi-market in England and Wales schooling has changed pupil, parent, and school behavior in a way that has reinforced the dominance of traditional, academic schooling. A study summarized results of research into this quasi-market behavior, with particular emphasis upon the upper secondary age group. The study found that while…

Active between 1993 and 1996, the Promoting Academic Student Success (PASS) Program was aimed at reducing the high percentage of failure experienced by academic probation students at Corning Community College (New York). These students typically came from non supportive environments, possessed academic deficiencies, and suffered from feelings of…

This collection of essays focuses on the role of psychological and cultural foundations in teacher education. Following an introduction by the editors, the 12 essays are as follows: "Reconnecting Foundations to the Substance of Teacher Education" (Lee S. Shulman); "A Reconceptualization of Educational Foundations" (Jonas F.…

The characteristics and experience of mature students at the National University of Ireland (NUI) Maynooth were examined in a study in which data were collected from the following: detailed questionnaire mailed to all 298 mature students registered at NUI Maynooth and returned by 164 (55%) of them; semistructured interviews with a sample of 20…

A study investigated influences on attrition in Japanese second language instruction in one U.S. university. Subjects were students enrolled in the fall semester of beginning (n=134 students) and intermediate (n=79) levels of Japanese courses. In the fifth week of classes, students were administered a series of questionnaires to gather data on…

This document contains 22 brief summaries of the progress made by Pennsylvania Adult Education Section 353 Special Demonstration projects in meeting their goals and objectives. For each project, the following information is included: project director and number; purpose; impact; outcomes; conclusions and recommendations; project continuation and…

This book reports research on the question, "Why do mature women return to education?" Chapter 1 describes 49 women/participants (all of whom were attending colleges or universities in northern England) and their interviews. Chapter 2 discusses reasons women gave at the start of the interview for returning to education and different…

To address the findings of the Kirby Review (that early school leaving is motivated by a desire for work and lack of interest in school), a new qualification, the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) was introduced on a trial basis in 2002. The Northern Metropolitan Institute of TAFE (NMIT) Youth Unit offers programs at three northern…