This paper on the state of general and liberal education in the United States discusses a project which sought to examine and improve general and liberal education programs at the higher education level. The first part of this paper delineates the undermining of liberal education in the nation's colleges and universities following World War II.…

This review of academic programming considers changes that have occurred as a reaction to real or perceived shifts in institutional and social conditions and values, program design, and program approval, review, and evaluation. Among the conditions influencing programming decisions in the late 1970s are open-access policies, affirmative-action…

A survey of the directors of admission at 12 public and 46 private four-year colleges in Illinois was conducted to determine: (1) whether college credit earned by a student during the senior year of high school was recognized; (2) the areas to which this credit was generally applied; and (3) the factors considered in a decision regarding the…

A STRATIFIED RANDOM SAMPLE OF PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS (GRADES 7-12) WAS SELECTED, BY SIZE AND TYPE OF SCHOOL, FROM ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE UNITED STATES, AND QUESTIONNAIRES WERE SENT TO 2,259 PRINCIPALS AND 3,040 TEACHERS IN THE FALL OF 1962. RESPONSES WERE RECEIVED FROM 95.1 PERCENT OF THE PRINCIPALS AND 93.7 PERCENT OF THE TEACHERS. THE STUDY…

The instructional reading levels of students enrolled at Charles Stewart Mott Community College, a large urban institution with an open door policy, were investigated for 1971-72 through 1977-78. The study was based on the hypothesis that mean average reading levels in reading improvement classes declined over those years. All students entering…

Fourteen program outlines of elective English curriculums, representing 13 school systems, are collected in one package to serve as a convenient resource for examples of elective programs in English--two junior high school programs and 12 senior high ones. For all of the programs, descriptions of the contents of individual courses, indicating…

These 40 elective courses, each phased according to one of five levels of difficulty and each comprising 12 weeks of study (a minimum of three courses being required of every student per academic year), offer an individualized program designed to realistically serve the immediate needs and future objectives of each student. Provided for each…

A study explored possible reasons why technical and further education (TAFE) students enrolling in vocational education and training (VET) courses in New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia do not complete those courses. Findings were based on these two kinds of evidence: evidence obtained from a statistical investigation of the outcomes…

A five-year longitudinal investigation was undertaken to identify factors influencing secondary school students in their choice of sixth-form courses and possible careers. The influence of intelligence, personality, aspirations, and family were studied. (Author/BW)

A study explored orientations to the study of statistics of 52 second-year psychology students (for whom statistics was required) and 59 arts students (for whom it was elective) at the University of Sydney (Australia). Students reported their reasons for studying statistics, course expectations, and usual approaches to studying mathematics.…

Reviews recent literature concerning subject choice and curriculum planning. Charts a centrist course between classical humanist ideology and radical reform that would place all power in the hands of students. Maintains that young people need a balanced mix of guidance and freedom. (MJP)

A study was conducted at the University of Southern Mississippi School of Library Science to quantitatively determine whether courses adequately addressed program goals and objectives. Results showed that service goals and librarianship were reasonably addressed, but research and management goals were addressed in few courses. The statement of…

Calls attention to the emphasis on the practical in the curricula of community colleges and its infusion into the liberal arts programs of many four-year schools. Even in the upper tiers of the academic system, the vocational vogue is encroaching on the traditional liberal education. (SLD)

In many countries there remain substantial sex differences in enrolments in elective science courses, despite concerted efforts in recent years to alleviate them. This paper explores the reasons for these differences by comparing models of male and female enrolment intentions in elective courses in biology, chemistry and physics. The models are…

This essay compares two curricular treatments of the Holocaust, one that resulted from a full-semester, 10th grade elective course taught at a public high school, the second constructed through a quarter-long, 8th grade unit taught at a charismatic, evangelical, fundamentalist Christian private school. In brief, the study examines the Holocaust's…