In this study, we investigated the effect of type of positive interdependence (roles, rewards, roles-plus-rewards, or no structure) and affiliation motives (high vs. low) in an asynchronous, collaborative learning environment. College reentry students worked together in small, fully online discussion groups that lasted for seven days. Results…

The Foxfire approach may be an example of how elementary and secondary students can be prepared by their education to live in a democracy. Core practices of the Foxfire approach include: work initiated by student interest and desire; active involvement in planning, implementing, and evaluating all learning activities; peer teaching and…

This activities-based handbook is designed to assist both mentors and mentees in colleges and universities in developing a relationship that is respectful, meaningful, and fulfilling. It defines the terms associated with the mentoring process and discusses how knowledge of self is critical to developing a successful mentor-mentee relationship. The…

Peer tutoring refers to the process of having learners help each other on a one-to-one basis. Two types of peer tutoring are found in adult literacy and basic education: "near peer" tutoring in which one learner is more advanced than the other and "co-peer" tutoring in which the learners are fairly well matched in skill level.…

Materials for running a student government program at the junior high school level are provided in three general sections. Section 1 is a description of student government operations. Topics covered include student government responsibilities and activities, student council meeting procedures, parliamentary rules, responsibilities of the…

The ultimate goal of a learning group is to help the learner achieve his goals and objectives and to help him learn to live in a rapidly changing and evolving society. The internal dynamics discussed in the article provide a basis for understanding learning group processes. (Author)

The function that a specific environment is said to fulfill depends critically on who is in control within the environment. The paper develops this argument and suggests how its implications might be tested empirically. (Author/AM)

Describes a peer counselor training program which fosters the development of skills relating to emotional growth and positive interpersonal relationships. (Author/HMV)

Advances in educational technology have brought about changes in the scope of learning facilitated by technology, the roles of teachers and learners, and the sophistication of the processes used in developing instruction which will be communicated by technology. This paper considers these issues from the viewpoint of the learner. The first section…

The university is a major intervention in the lives of its students as it seeks to socialize them into society's future needs. Organizational climate or culture has a major impact on the motivation of students as it designs their role experiences through it organizational requirements. Stress related problems arise from the individual's life space…

The Sun Coast Area Teacher Training (SCATT) Program at the University of South Florida is involved in an endeavor to attract and keep bright and talented teachers in the teaching profession. Its mission is to achieve academic excellence and to improve the quality of teacher candidates. SCATT was begun as a collaborative program of the University…

This paper describes the development and operation of a high school orientation program using peer facilitators. The activities of the administrative team (two school social workers, a guidance counselor, and an assistant principal) are described, as is training of upper classmen to be peer facilitators for freshmen orientation. A brief…

The paper is intended as a guide to the levels curriculum for teachers of emotionally handicapped secondary students. The levels curriculum is introduced as a motivational system for behavioral improvement based on a series of steps with increasing student priveleges and responsibilities. Students develop individual goals and learn communication,…

Recent research links intense (more than 20 hours per week) part-time employment of high school students with lower grade point averages. This study questions students' awareness of such findings. A sample of 446 college-oriented high school students who hold jobs in fast food restaurants were studied. The findings confirmed the negative…

Student congress is a speech activity in which students act as a legislative assembly, write and debate bills, and learn parliamentary procedure. It allows the teacher to make points about advocacy, ethics in persuasion, contemporary issues, and the workings of a democracy at the same time that students develop a feeling of control and mastery,…