This paper describes the second year of a 5-year study of the needs of individuals with disabilities as they relate to consumer products. The study employed focus group research techniques in which group members responded to issues and raised their own concerns regarding general products and equipment specially designed for persons with…

A study was conducted to determine the perspectives of two-year college faculty and students regarding the teaching and learning of literacy. Specifically, the study examined participants' definitions, personal values, and experiences related to literacy instruction/acquisition. Data were gathered from interviews with 12 faculty members and 12…

This paper reviews literature on teaching, learning, and change, focusing on change as a system for self-renewal and examining change in terms of long-term purposes, the risk of failure, self understanding, productive relationships, habits of thinking, and curiosity. The paper presents results from a synthesis of two qualitative case studies of…

The study described in this report examined the ways in which teachers prepare to teach using microcomputers. The participants in the study were four teachers who used computers in instruction, and who had been identified as outstanding by an educational foundation. They represented elementary special education, high school gifted education,…

A 4-year program of naturalistic research on science teaching and learning was conducted in Australia. This program comprised a project entitled Teaching and Learning Science in Schools (TLSS), which ran from 1987-89, and a year of follow-up studies in which some of the major findings from the project were explored further. Participants included 5…

One aspect of the development of a performance assessment is addressed--the field testing of the tasks. In a performance-based assessment, the tasks must allow each examinee a fair and equal opportunity to give the best possible demonstration of his or her ability, and must elicit a performance sample that enables scorers to evaluate each examinee…

A qualitative study investigated the impact on students of participation in Literacy Volunteers of New York City (LVNYC). Change in three major areas was examined: literacy skills; self-concept, attitudes, and beliefs related to literacy development; and involvement in literacy tasks outside the program. Data were collected through open-ended…

A study explored the impact on students on participation in Literacy Volunteers of New York City (LVNYC). Change in three major areas was examined: literacy skills; self-concept, attitudes, and beliefs related to literacy development; and involvement in literacy practices outside the program. The study was primarily qualitative but included a…

Social class and ethnic group differences in college students' career maturity were investigated. Participants were 401 undergraduates (250 females, 151 males) attending California State Univesity, Long Beach. Quantitative measurements included: (1) the Duncan Index of social class; (2) Career Maturity Inventory-Attitude Scale; (3) the Vocational…

Using a technology adoption model, the Learning/Adoption Trajectory model, and this study aimed to identify the technology adoption level of a faculty member, Mary. In addition, I examined how Mary arrived at her technology adoption level. Finally, using Mary's path to technology leadership as a guide, I offered several recommendations about how…

In this article, we present a novel way to integrate psychological theories and research methods in an applied social psychology course as a means to foster engagement in a university-community partnership. We taught an advanced course on the application of social psychological theories and research methods to junior and senior undergraduates. Our…

One of a series of six portraits of high school literature classrooms, this paper gives a detailed, evocative characterization of how one "master teacher" introduced, undertook, and guided the study of literature, focusing in particular on how the teacher interacted with students in the context of discussion of a literary work in class.…

A study investigated how second-grade learners, identified as less proficient, continued their literacy learning in a whole language classroom. Subjects, six second-grade Chapter 1 students, were observed during independent reading time twice per week over a period of 8 months. Additional data collection procedures included participant…

Tabular procedures for analyzing open-ended responses were used to study a school district's educational reform program. Responses of a rural Arizona Career Ladder (CL) school district's teachers and administrators to three pairs of open-ended questions contained in the 1989 Perception Assessment Scale survey comprised the data base for the…

A study examined low-socioeconomic status (SES) urban children's ways of interpreting traditional skills-based literacy instruction in kindergarten and first grade. Subjects, 35 randomly selected children from three inner-city schools, were tested for entering and end-of-first-grade knowledge of six domains of written language. Subjects' scores on…