Search

In MOOCs for programming, Automated Testing and Feedback (ATF) systems are frequently integrated, providing learners with immediate feedback on code assignments. The analysis of the large amounts of trace data collected by these systems may provide insights into learners' patterns of utilizing the automated feedback, which is crucial for the design of effective tools and maximizing their potential to promote learning. However, data-driven research on the impact of ATF on learning is scarce, especially in the context of MOOCs. In the current study, we combine a theoretical framework of feedback with educational data mining methods to investigate the effect of feedback characteristics on learning behavior in a MOOC. Sequence pattern analysis is implemented to explore and visualize the actions taken by learners in response to feedback which composed of cognitive, meta-cognitive, and motivational elements. We applied our research approach in an empirical design which consists of five cohorts (total over 2200 learners) utilizing different versions of ATF. The findings suggest that learners tend to adopt learning strategies in response to feedback and exhibit a preference for utilizing example solutions, while still coping with the challenge of solving the assignments independently. The impact of feedback function, content and structure is discussed in light of a detailed view of the differences as well as common trends in learning paths. Allowing for fine-grained insights, we found our research approach contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the effect of automated feedback characteristics in MOOCs for programming. [For the complete proceedings, see ED630829.]

The challenge of learning programming in a MOOC is twofold: acquiring programming skills and learning online, independently. Automated testing and feedback systems, often offered in programming courses, may scaffold MOOC learners by providing immediate feedback and unlimited re-submissions of code assignments. However, research still lacks empirical evidence of their effect on learning behavior of MOOC learners, with diverse backgrounds and goals. Addressing this gap, we investigated the connections between the use of automated feedback system and learning behavior measures, relevant for MOOCs: engagement, persistence and performance. Further, two subjective measures of success are examined: sense of learning and intention fulfilment. In an experimental design, we analyzed data of active learners in a Python programming MOOC (N=4652), comparing an experimental group provided with automated feedback with a control group that did not. In examining the effect of automated feedback, prior knowledge of programming and Python was considered. Empirical evidence was found for the relation between automated feedback usage and a higher engagement and better performance, as well as higher attendance in "active watchers" and "high-performed completers" clusters, obtained by cluster analysis. Learners reports on their experience with the automated feedback system supported these findings. Regarding the subjective measures of success, however, no difference was found between groups. Our study and the offered future research may contribute to the considerations regarding the integration of automated feedback in MOOCs for programming. [For the full proceedings, see ED623995.]

PISA test is a comparative international large-scale test which was founded and edited by OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development). This test measures the achievements of pupils aged 15 in approximately 80 countries worldwide. This study examined the perceptions of teachers in Israel towards PISA. The study have found that many teachers are ignorant of the nature and objectives of PISA. It is evident that the teachers are outside the circle of action associated with PISA. Hence, the main conclusion of the study is that all interested parties, academics, teachers and administrators alike, must operate in reciprocity in order to shape the future character of the education system's graduate. This will not only change the Israeli education system's achievements but also may improve the face of future society. [For "NORDSCI International Conference Proceedings (Online, October 12-14, 2020). Book 1. Volume 3," see ED616185.]

The purpose of this study was to investigate a new methodology for detection of differences in middle grades students' math anxiety. A mixture partial credit model analysis revealed two distinct latent classes based on homogeneities in response patterns within each latent class. Students in Class 1 had less anxiety about apprehension of math lessons and use of mathematics in daily life, and more self-efficacy for mathematics than students in Class 2. Moreover, students in Class 1 were found to be more successful in mathematics, mostly like mathematics and mathematics teachers, and have better educated mothers in comparison to students in Class 2. However, gender, attending private or public schools, and education levels of fathers did not appear to differ between the classes. Capturing such fine-grained information extends recent advances in measuring math anxiety. [For complete proceedings, see ED581294.]

The past several decades have seen a substantial amount of time, resources, and expertise focused on producing sustainable improvement in schools at scale. Research on these efforts have highlighted how complex this challenge is, as it needs to attend to building teacher support and participation, aligning with the organizational context, and building capacity among stakeholders across organizational levels. In this paper, the authors describe their research across four phases. Their model of improvement relies on three core principles. First, a prototype is built to reflect the core elements of programs or practices that have been shown to be effective locally. Second, rapid-cycle testing is used to allow the prototype to be revised in ways that adapt it to a school or grade-level context. Third, the work occurs within a research-practice partnership (RPP) that strives to take advantage of local expertise, build local ownership to scale,and sustain effective practice (Cohen-Vogel et al., in press). By outlining the organizational structures established to enact the partnership and roles of the various partners, the authors provide an in-depth look at how one RPP operates. The authors begin by describing the concept of an improvement community as one type of RPP, identify several types of improvement communities currently operating in educational systems, and define the key features of improvement communities. Then, the authors outline the specific improvement communities that are central to the Center's work, highlighting how these structures help us enact their RPP. The authors end with their reflections about how the partnership created new roles for both researchers and practitioners as well as the challenges and opportunities that accompanied those new roles.

The objective of the present study was to compare principals' perceptions of their leadership roles in regular (Dovno, 1999) versus special education (Zaretzky, Faircloth & Moreau, 2005) schools, and how these perceptions affect feelings of job stress (Friedman, 2001; Margalit, 1999). We predicted that regular school principals would differ in their perceived roles and job stress from their counterparts. Using data obtained from samples of principals in regular education (n = 104) and principals in special education (n = 60), hypotheses were examined and partially supported. Implications for school principals' training will be discussed further. [For complete volume, see ED567040.]

In the core of computational thinking (CT) practices is problem-solving. However, there is little research on connecting CT with problem solving processes. We developed a computer-based assessment on CT that can log students' problem-solving processes and administered it to a group of fifth graders as a pre- and post- measure of a robotics curriculum. In light of our CT framework, we identified certain measures from collected problem-solving process data for each question analyzed and applied basic statistic analysis, clustering algorithms, and visualization techniques to find patterns. We found that students took different patterns in solving a problem even if their total scores were similar. These patterns prove promising in obtaining a better understanding of a student's CT.

This publication follows the tradition of publishing selected papers from PIALA annual conferences, however, for the first time, two PIALA conferences (PIALA 2004 and PIALA 2005) are published in one volume, containing papers from both events. Both conferences featured papers by local Micronesian and Pacific Islands experts, as well as presenters from throughout the world. The volume begins with the preface, a chronology of PIALA conferences, and acknowledgments. The proceedings of the PIALA 2004 Conference follow, beginning with the Welcoming Remarks of Wilfred I. Kendall, Republic of the Marshall Islands Minister of Education, and then Dealing with Disaster, the Keynote Speech by Karen Peacock. Waan Aelon in Majel (WAM) Building the Marshallese Canoe by Alson Kelen is the next paper and the volume continues with The Information Literacy Program at the University of the South Pacific Library by Ane Teilauea; An Overview of the National Library of Medicine AIDS Community Information Outreach Project by Franda Liu; Marshall Islands Health Information Partnership (HIP) Institute by Sonja Evensen, Franda Liu and Marie Maddison; Republic of the Marshall Islands Historic Preservation Activities by Josepha Maddison-Hill, Frederick Langmoir, Clary Makroro and Frank R. Thomas; Birth of the Pohnpei Public Library by Carmina Lihpai and Lester Ezekias; Empowering Library Staff through Library/Information Studies at the University of the South Pacific by Liviana Tabalala; South Pacific Periodicals Index by Sin Joan Yee; Localizing Digital Electronic Resources at the University of the South Pacific by Sin Joan Yee; Preserving and Managing Traditional Knowledge of the Pacific: What We Know and What We Can Do? by Vilimaina Vakaciwa; Need to Do Research? Accessing EBSCO via PREL by Franda Liu; and Finding Consumer Health Information on the WWW by Arlene Cohen. The volume then continues with the PIALA 2005 Conference Proceedings beginning with Three A's for PIALA, the Keynote Speech by Jean Thoulag. The Overview of U.S. Government, United Nations and FAO Documents on the WWW by Atarino Heileisar is the next paper and the volume continues with Pohnpei Public Library Bookmobile Program by Carmina Lihpai and Lester Ezekias; Library of Congress Subject Heading for the Pacific Islands by Nancy Sack; Exploring HIV/AIDS Prevention Resources via PREL by Harvey Lee; Implementing a Win-Win Model in Library Technical Services: A Case Study by Rosalind Meno Ram; Doing the Best with What You Have--The Harold B. Lee Library: A Case Study by Valerie Buck and ends with a list of contributors.

This proceedings combines presentations from the jointly held 10th Annual PIALA 2000 Conference and the 13th Annual Regional Language Arts Conference. The volume begins with the welcoming remarks of Mary L. Silk, Christine Ku Scott-Smith, Antonio R. Umpingco, Delia Munoz Rosal, Lawrence Kasperbauer, Rosie Tainatongo, Richard S. Tom, Mary L. Spencer, John C. Salas and Paul J. Steere, followed by the joint keynote speech, Elected Officials and Education: The Meaning of Being a Political Priority by the Honorable Robert A. Underwood. The PIALA keynote speech, Library Associations in Developing Countries: The Caribbean Islands as a Point of Comparison with Micronesia by Norma Amenu-Kpodo is the next paper and the following selected papers are included: Enhancing Library Services Through Information and Communication Technology by Felina D. Ferro; Folklore in the Classroom by Judy Flores; Micronesian Bibliography Update by Roger Goodwill; Library Prescriptions for Health Information by Claire Hamasu; Reading Instruction for Students Learning English as a Second Language by Yukiko Inoue; Why Can't Johnny Read or Write? The Psychology of the Behavior by George Kallingal; A Digital Classroom for a Foreign Language Course: A Case Study of Japanese Language Courses by Poong-Ja Toyoko Kang; Strategies for Teaching Critical Thinking by Lawrence Kodiyanplakkal; Moving Ahead in the Solomon Islands: Information Access and Dissemination in the Forum Fisheries Agency Library by Nancy D. Kwalea; Libraries Lead to Lifelong Learning by Steve Lin; Powerful Searching for Web Resources by Franda F. Lui; The Pacific Manuscripts Bureau and Other Preservation Microfilm Projects in the Pacific Islands by Ewan Maidment; Providing Library Services to Support the Curriculum for the Northern Marianas College School of Education and College Lab School by Christine B. Matson; Development of the Yap State Archives by Richard Ovary; Give Your Students a Break! Spelling, Irregular Word Forms and the Story of English by Clarisa G. Quan; Storytelling in the Pacific by Marilyn C. Salas and Agnes Rose Indelacio; The Role of School Libraries in Promoting Literacy by Dilgit Singh; IMLS: What It Funds and Its Relation to the Pacific by Trish Skaptason; Natural Learning and Acquisition of Literacy in the Classroom by Catherine Stoicovy, Nancy Diaz, Jasmin Advani, Olympia Ancheta, and Valerie Quinata; What Makes Our Special Libraries "Special"? The Guam Law Library by Margaret Tarnate; the "Florence Nalezny Warpeha Book Award" Bibliography; and ends with a list of contributors. (Individual papers contain references.)

This proceedings contains papers from the 1998 annual conference of the Pacific Islands Association of Libraries and Archives (PIALA). After welcoming remarks from Henry Robert and Isabel Rungrad, the following papers are included: "Sharing Our Successes, Discussing Our Future: A Survey of Pacific Collections Activities--Report from the University of Hawaii's Conference" (Karen M. Peacock); "Curriculum Development and the Preservation of Kosraean Language and Culture" (Alister Tolenoa); "Peace Corps Micronesia: 'The Library Development & Reading Education Project'" (Jeff Henry, Lee Allison, Rose Rojas, and Kani Le); "The Hawaii Library Association and PIALA: A Pacific Partnership" (Ruth Horie); "How Can Tourism Support and Archive Conservation in Kosrae?" (Justus Alokoa); "Status of Conservation in Kosrae" (Simson Abraham); "'Strengthening Academic Programs': The College of Micronesia-FSM Title III Project" (Jean Thoulag); "Daniel Peacock and the Foundation for Micronesia's Libraries" (Nicholas J. Goetzfriedt). Statements from the presentation of the 'PIALA Lifetime Achievement Award' to Daniel J. Peacock are presented, as well as farewell remarks by Aaron F. Sigrah. Reproductions of three PIALA resolutions and a "Florence Nalezny Warpha Book Award' bibliography on peoples and cultures of the world are also included. (AEF)

This PIALA 1997 Proceedings follows the tradition of publishing papers from each annual conference of the Pacific Islands Association of Libraries and Archives (PIALA). After welcoming remarks from Sue Moses, Kapily Capelle, and Isabel Rungrad, the following papers are included: "Places of Enlightenment, Places of Dreams" (Maradel Gale); "Pohnpeian History: The Challenge of Understanding, Using and Preserving Pohnpeian History" (Rufino Mauricio); "Reference and Information Service with Limited Resources" (Jackson Yang); "Grant Writing: A Panel Discussion Summary" (Judy Caldwell, Dan Perin, Bob Spegal, Jimmy Hicks, Fran Hezel, Marcus Samo, Dana Russo); "The Library: A Place of Enlightenment--Experiences of Some Librarians in Papua New Guinea" (Margaret Obi); "Information and Development in Papua New Guinea: Some Thoughts" (Margaret Obi); "Pacific Literature for Children and Young Adults" (Marilyn Salas); A Strategy for the Control of National, State and Territorial Archives in Micronesia" (Peter Orlovich); and "Collecting English Language Pacific Fiction of the Colonial Period, with Comments on Some Titles" (Carol Mills). (AEF)

In November 1997, Washington University and the Parents as Teachers National Center hosted a forum on how to apply neuroscience research to the field of education. The forum focused primarily on language acquisition in young children, which is fundamental to early learning and development and to later school success. The 110 participants included educators, scientists, educational psychologists, legislators and policy makers, education and neuroscience researchers, foundation representatives, superintendents of public instruction, leaders of various education organizations, and representatives of the media. The forum included presentations by leading researchers in the fields of brain research and language development, case studies by leaders of two states and one community that are using innovative approaches to meet the needs of young children and their families, and dialogue among participants on areas of consensus, strategies for action, and topics for further research. This report summarizes the forum's presentations and participants' recommendations. Articles and summaries are grouped in the following areas: (1) "What Do We Know about How the Brain Develops and How Children Learn Language?"; (2) "How Can This Information Best Inform Policy and Practice?"; (3) "Case Studies: Statewide and Communitywide Collaborative Efforts"; (4) "Rob Reiner's 'I Am Your Child Campaign'"; (5) "Points of Commonality and Controversy"; and (6) "Putting It All Together: Challenges and Mandates." (EV)

This 1996 PIALA conference explores ways to identify and make available local resources on the Marshall Islands. The traditional Marshallese word, "Alele," which means "the basket which holds the tools, treasures and resources needed for everyday life," is also the name of Majuro's public library, museum and Marshall Islands Depository and is synonymous with Library and Archive in Marshallese. The theme of the conference, "Jaketo Jaketak Kobban Alele Eo," translated from the Marshallese, means "Take out of the 'alele,' and use it and share it." The proceedings include a welcoming speech, preface and acknowledgements, and a keynote address by Karen M. Peacock, as well as 11 papers: (1) "Library Development in the Marshall Islands" (Honorable Christopher J. Loeak, Minister of Education); (2) "Ennaanin Etto News from the Past: Telling Our Stories by Using Folklore in Storytelling" (Margaret B. Edmundson); (3) "Health Education through Music: Marshall Islands 'Youth to Youth in Health'" (Marita Edwin); (4) "The PIALA Project: Search, Find and Other (Part II)" (Elsa Veloso, Judy Caldwell, Dakio Syne, Iris Falcam and Helen Danosos); (5) "Reading is Learning Who You Are and About Your Health" (Justina Langidrik); (6) "More than Meets the Ear: A Marshallese Example of Folklore Method and Study for Pacific Collections" (Phillip H. McArthur); (7) "'Jitdam Kabeel' Using PREL Resources" (Hilda C. Heine and Franda Fang Liu); (8) "Accessing Western Medical Information" (Claire Hamasu); (9) "Bountiful Harvest: Aquaculture and Agriculture Information Services for the Pacific" (Eileen Herring); (10) 'Waan Aelon Kein: Jodrikdrik Nan Jodrikdrik Ilo Ejmour' The 'Canoes of These Islands' Project and Marshall Islands 'Youth to Youth in Health'" (Alson J. Kelen and Dennis Alessio); and "Picture This! The Use of Graphics in Libraries" (Margo Vitarelli). The PIALA Resolution on Internet Access and a list of contributors is also included. (AEF)

The annual conference of the Pacific Islands Association of Libraries and Archives addressed various topics of interest to librarians, archivists, and educators in the Pacific Islands. The proceedings include welcoming remarks by 2 Yap state government officials and PIALA President Herbert Del Rosario; a keynote address by Dr. Marcia J. Bates--"Learning About Your Users' Information Needs: A Key to Effective Service"; and 10 papers: (1) "Preserving Yapese Traditional Knowledge" (Jesse Regalmar-Subolmar and John Tharngan with panelists Carmen Chigiy, Al Fanechigiy, Andrew Ruepong, and Anthony Tawerlimeng); (2) "Problems and Benefits of Running a Small Natural Science and Archives Institute" (Marjorie Cushing Falanruw); (3) "Local Micronesian Publications and Publications on Micronesia: Search, Find and Order" (Francis Hezel, Elsa Veloso, and Helen Danosos); (4) "Dances, Chants and Songs as Yapese Art Forms" (Petrus Tun); (5) "Cultural Development and Keeping Places: Issues for Archives and Libraries" (Elizabeth Ho); (6) "Regional Resource Sharing and Networking: A Union List of Serials for Pacific Islands" (Joanne Tarpley Crotts); (7) "The Relationship of the Education System to Libraries, Archives and Museums in Yap" (Callistus Legdesog); (8) "Let's Make Books! The Benefits of Student Publishing in Promoting Literacy" (Margo Vitarelli); (9) "PEACESAT Access to the Internet in the Micronesian Region" (Arlene Cohen); and (10) "Planning for a Library Profession: The Development of the University of the South Pacific Training Programme" (Jayshree Mamtora). A list of contributors is included. (SWC)

This paper addresses the advocacy movement for the inclusion of children with disabilities in general education classrooms, especially the meaning of this movement for children who are deaf. First the ideology of the militant push for full mandatory inclusion is considered. This ideology is seen as having been fueled by two events. The first event was the 1975 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act which focused on providing all children with a "free and appropriate public education" in the "least restrictive environment." The ideology of mandatory inclusion is seen as actually contradicting the law and defying the logic of how individual needs can best be met. Second, the civil rights rationale underlying the U.S. Supreme Court decision 40 years ago that banned racially segregated schools has been applied to educational placements for children with disabilities. Instead of safeguarding the rights of children, inclusionists are seen as denying children the right to attend school in alternative settings. The reality of inclusion for many deaf children is considered, and research is cited showing that the social communication between hearing and deaf children in inclusive settings is predominantly negative and does not promote social assimilation. Difficulties with using an educational interpreter are identified, including the denial of normal peer interaction to the deaf child and serious pedagogical limitations to an interpreted education. The paper urges educators not to abandon the continuum of alternative educational placements for deaf children in favor of mandatory full inclusion. (Contains 11 references.) (DB)

Over 100 participants from Micronesia, Australia, Japan, Hawaii, and other United States convened to hear presenters speaking on various topics of interest to librarians, archivists, and educators in the Pacific islands. The proceedings include a welcoming speech, remarks acknowledging conference exhibitors, and a keynote address by Dr. John Salas, as well as 11 papers: (1) "Bibliographic Control in the South Pacific Region: The Activities of the Pacific Information Centre" (Jayshree Mantora); (2) "Finding Materials on Micronesia--Simplifying Search and Order for Periodical Literature: A Proposal for PIALA" (Francis X. Hezel); (3) "How to Start Automating Your Library: Factors to Consider" (Louise C. Lewisson); (4) "Getting the Most Out of your PC: Doing More with Less" (Mark Andres); (5) "Impact of E-mail on Literacy" (Yu-mei Wang); (6) "The Pacific Neighborhood Consortium and Resource Sharing in the Pacific" (Hui-Lan Huang); (7) "Jean Charlot: the Man, the Artist" (Nancy J. Morris); (8) "Here's to Your Health: Consumer Health Information Resources" (Irene Lovas); (9) "Why Bother? The Case for Reading Aloud and Using Culturally Relevant Reading Material" (Marilyn N. Jackson); (10) "Fun With Literacy: A Hands-on Workshop" (Katherine Alvarado & Marilyn N. Jackson); and (11) "The Complex Information Choices for Libraries" (Paul A. Tucci). (BEW)

Lincoln Accelerated School has participated in Missouri's Accelerated Schools Project since 1990. Grounded on a school-based management model, it seeks to modify the educational experiences of at-risk elementary students by enriching the curricular offerings and instructional strategies provided them. The school underwent a major stressor when the principal who had led the school through the first year of restructuring resigned. This paper examines the impact of the resignation on the school's restructuring process and describes the efforts of Lincoln's new principal to keep the focus on the long-term goal of change. Data were obtained through document analysis, field notes, and interviews with 12 faculty on staff during the transition, 2 newcomers, and 1 teacher who transferred to another school. Teachers believe that new faculty and staff must be introduced early to the concepts of acceleration; and new principals must quickly learn and build on faculty strengths. Principals in such situations should (1) respect shared decision making and the mechanics of the alternative governance structure; (2) become an integral part of the process, including keeping the vision; and (3) respect and use well empowerment, unity of purpose, and faculty strengths. Other critical factors include the quality of the principal-teacher relationship, the principal's commitment to the instructional process, and the principal's concern for teacher and student development. Contains 17 references. (LMI)

This document begins by presenting highlights of a seminar held in June of 1993 to describe innovative training programs that focus on interprofessional and family-centered forms of service delivery in the public sector and to discuss some of the issues, barriers, and challenges. Following these highlights is a background briefing report on training and technical assistance to support family-centered, integrated services reform. In the first sections of this briefing report, current trends, selected activities, and issues and questions in four major areas are discussed. The four areas include professional university-based training; inservice, on-the-job training; training for new careers; and technical assistance. Each section draws upon and briefly describes the related activities of a number of current initiatives that promise to have a sustained impact. Identifying information about the organizations sponsoring these initiatives is listed in the back of the report. Nine ambitious inservice training efforts, statewide in scope, are described; these nine training efforts are an integral part of ongoing reform efforts and several of them are linked with federal program reforms. Some recent trends in federal training programs are reviewed and suggestions are made for a number of ways in which the federal government could play a constructive leadership role in enhancing these new directions in training the human services workforce. The report ends with a list of 54 organizational resources and approximately 70 key references. (NB)

This briefing report on program evaluation notes that the new wave of family-centered, integrated services is forcing the field to rethink its methodology, and that the move towards outcome-driven reforms requires carefully defined outcomes and ways to measure them. Highlights of a seminar meeting held to explore these issues are included. The background briefing report itself begins with an introduction that stresses the need to reform patterns of delivering services to children and families. It asserts that creative approaches to evaluation must be developed and tested, and that improved and integrated data systems must be an integral part of improving service delivery. This report presents a broad framework for understanding the challenges involved with this reform. Its purpose is to share some preliminary thinking about what issues are, and about the kinds of data systems and evaluation studies needed to implement and assess new initiatives. Part I centers on program evaluation and the search for a new paradigm. It describes different evaluation approaches (microsimulation, experimentation and quasi-experimentation, qualitative evaluation) and their relevance to the new paradigm, and considers the additional approach of case studies. Part II discusses outcomes definition and measurement. Part III looks at information systems and data integration. Part IV considers the role of the federal government in data integration and evaluation. Part V presents examples of current research, data integration, and evaluation initiatives. Lists of guides and references are included. (NB)

In 1991, a study was conducted of the liberal arts education in American community colleges, comparing 1991 curriculum and enrollment data with information compiled in previous years (i.e., 1975, 1977, 1983, and 1986). Data were obtained by requesting catalogues and class schedules from every fifth college listed in the directory of the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges. Course sections listed in the catalogues were categorized according to 13 pre-determined disciplines and 60 subfields, and additional enrollment data were obtained from the individual colleges for randomly selected courses. Courses were classified as remedial, introductory, or advanced. Study findings, focusing particularly on the humanities curricula, included the following: (1) of the 119,884 course sections offered for credit in 162 community colleges, 57,970 were in the liberal arts; (2) 23% of the liberal arts classes were in the humanities, up from 17% in 1986; (3) about 90% of the colleges offered courses in the traditional disciplines of history, literature, and political science, while religious studies, and social and ethnic studies were offered by the smallest number of colleges; (4) in recent years, more colleges were offering courses in jurisprudence, business law, African-American and Hispanic literature, English as a Second Language (ESL), and jazz appreciation; (5) while in 1977, foreign languages accounted for 21% of all humanities class sections, by 1991, this figure had increased to 36%, due in large part to ESL offerings; and (6) class size remained relatively stable over the years. Detailed data tables are included. (PAA)

In 1989, the Center for the Study of Community Colleges began a project to define and promote student transfer from community colleges to four-year colleges and universities. The project had four purposes: establish a definition of transfer; gather and analyze transfer data from a broad sample of colleges; assist the colleges in establishing continuing procedures for assessing transfer rates; and disseminate information so that all colleges could begin using consistent definitions and collecting uniform data on transfer. The first year of the project was dedicated primarily to establishing a definition and a set of procedures so that the data on transfer could be collected uniformly and so that the colleges would be encouraged to participate. During the second year of the project the definition of transfer rate was stabilized in its most valid, readily understood form. To collect data for the study, the presidents of the 240 colleges in the nation whose student population included at least 20% ethnic minorities were invited to participate in the study. In the first year of the study, 47 colleges participated; and 114 supplied data for the second year of the project. Participating colleges were asked to indicate the number of students entering in the fall of a given year with no prior college experience, the number of those entrants who obtained at least 12 college credit units within 4 years, and the number of the 12-unit attainers who had matriculated at a university within 4 years of leaving the community college. Data were further subdivided by ethnic categories. The data provided indicated that approximately one-half of the entrants with no prior college experience completed at least 12 semester units at the college, and of those, approximately one-fourth transferred. The data also revealed a difference in transfer rates between ethnic minorities. (JMC)

In 1989, the Center for the Study of Community Colleges received a grant from the Ford Foundation to assist community colleges in defining their transfer rates and collecting data to support those definitions. The Center invited 240 community colleges with at least a 20% minority enrollment to participate in a Transfer Assembly. Interested institutions were asked to provide information on the number of their students (disaggregated by ethnicity) who had entered the college in fall 1984 with no prior college experience; the number of these students who had stayed at the institution long enough to attain at least 12 college credit units; and the number of that group who entered a senior institution within the ensuing 4 to 5 years. To assist the institutions, the Center staff established a definition of transfer rate which would be valid, readily understandable to the layperson, and calculable with data that would be accessible to the college staff at a reasonable cost. At the 47 colleges providing usable data in 1989, 50% of the students entering in 1984 with no prior college experience had completed 12 units, and 23% of these students had transferred to a four-year institutions by spring 1989. Data gathered in 1990 from 40 colleges revealed that among students entering in 1985, 46% had completed at least 12 units and 24% had transferred by spring 1990. The paper concludes with suggested strategies for measuring community college success in their other, non-transfer purposes. (PAA)

The effects of specific guidelines in the taking and rating of tests of language summarizing ability were investigated, as well as interrater agreement regarding the rating of specific ideas within the summaries. The tests involved respondents reading source texts and providing written summaries as a measure of their reading comprehension and writing abilities. The subjects of the study were 63 native-Hebrew-speaking students from the Seminar Hakibbuttzim Teacher Training College in Tel Aviv. Twenty-six subjects were from two high-proficiency English-foreign-language (EFL) classes and 37 were from 2 intermediate EFL classes. Five texts were used in the study: two texts in Hebrew and three in English. Two sets of instructions were developed: one "guided" version with specific instructions on how to read the texts and how to write the summaries, and the other with the typical "minimal" instructions. Scoring keys for the texts were based on the summaries of nine Hebrew-speaking and nine English-speaking experts. The study demonstrated that whereas the guided instructions had a mixed effect on the summarizing of native-language texts, they had a somewhat positive effect on summarizing of foreign-language texts. In some cases, the guided instructions helped respondents find key elements to summarize, but in other cases they apparently dissuaded the respondent from including important details. Certain ideas seemed to be susceptible to rater disagreement more than others. The guidelines and English texts are appended. Contains 23 references. (Author/LB)

A longitudinal study was made of two groups, traditional college-age students when certified to teach and those who at certification were classified as nontraditional or returning students. Follow-up data 5 to 6 years after certification revealed that in the traditional group only 46 percent remained in the teaching force, and of the nontraditional group 85 percent were teaching. This paper focuses on the data from the traditional group to examine those factors which may be responsible for retention in or attrition from the teaching profession. Participants completed the Teacher Concerns Checklist--Form B (Fuller 1978) and a career development survey. Data analyses revealed that: (1) familial factors of marriage and parenthood do not explain why nonteachers are not using their certificates; (2) no statistical differences exist on academic and environmental impact concerns, but some difference exists in discipline concerns; and (3) developmental patterns, such as focus on career goals and personal security, do explain in part why certificate holders are not teaching. Of those remaining in teaching, only 18 percent intend to stay. This finding, in conjunction with the data from the surveys, suggests the need during preservice training for earlier classroom experiences and for early efforts at career awareness and exploration. (JD)

This paper offers a synopsis of the findings of a full-length ethnographic study which dealt with the phenomenon of the strong, veteran teacher who has succeeded in remaining enthusiastic over the course of a 30-year career. Subjects were five secondary school teachers of varied ethnic backgrounds representing a range of disciplines and teaching in widely divergent settings. Through open-ended interviews and participant observations, the study explored those factors in the home lives, career histories, and personalities of these teachers that have contributed to their resiliency and success over time. The study also explored the extent to which the beliefs and attitudes of these five subjects corresponded to the ones attributed to veteran experts in other literature in the area. Although the teachers varied widely in their teaching styles and personalities, key similarities were found among them. These included: retention of the novice perspective on teaching and an urgency and vitality in their approach to teaching; their emphasis on teacher control and consistent pursuit of self-actualization, with much less emphasis on student enablement; and low esteem for their own teacher preparation. These five teachers applauded recent attempts to reduce required classroom hours in education and refocus attention on academic coursework. What they described as lacking in their own education comes close to what has been called pedagogical content knowledge, i.e., subject knowledge presented ass it might be taught, with sensitivity to the structure of specific disciplines and the way learners assimilate those structures. (JD)

Science education has often struggled to determine effective teaching methodologies and learning strategies. One promising field of research has been that of alternative frameworks. The research described in this paper describes how immersion in an unfamiliar environment and culture affected teacher learning, some of the significant experiences which affected teachers functioning in the dual role of learner and teacher, and how the combination of these elements changed the teachers' images of themselves and their values. Included are: a description of the project entitled "Tropical Rainforest Experience" involving a trip to Costa Rica for teachers (as novice learners), six sections which discuss various learning experiences, and a discussion of the implications of these learning experiences. (CW)

We examined the role of refutation texts in learning to replace science misconceptions. Calling a misconception to the foreground may help people overcome the misconception (Broughton & Sinatra, 2010). To test this claim, we had students who expressed a common misconception in physics read one of three passages about the issue. The passages differed in whether the misconception was explicitly stated, implied, or not mentioned at all. We found that students who had been exposed to the misconception, either explicitly or implicitly, were less likely to express that misconception when they had been questioned about the topic shortly after reading the passage or one week later. These findings have important implications for practices in science education.

Early childhood music programs should be based on two interacting goals: (1) to teach those skills most appropriate to a particular level and (2) to nurture musical creativity and self-expression. Early childhood is seen as the optimum time for acquiring certain musical skills, of which the ability to sing in tune is considered primary. The vocal productions of young children are grouped into two broad categories: the group chant and the private song. Children are to be encouraged to sing freely (not only at scheduled times), to share their songs with others and to listen to certain types of contemporary and primitive music which have musical characteristics similar to their own songs. The Kodaly method for sequential vocal development is described, and the importance of developing aural perceptiveness is stressed. The focus of the music program should be to nurture music as a creative, self-expressive medium with technical help in skill development secondary. Development of a classroom music center with a variety of instruments is described. Group activities suggested include: experimentation with varying instrumental tone colors; "aural walks" in field, street and schoolyard; experiments with materials such as paper or water; rhythmic improvisations based on ordinary physical activities; and imitation of compositional devices heard on records. (BF)

This experiment examined developmental changes in the ability of infants to learn conceptual categories regarding the human face. A total of 108 infants, aged 18, 24, and 30 weeks, were habituated to (1) the same face in the same orientation, (2) the same face in differing orientations, or (3) different faces in different orientations. All subjects were then tested for generalization of habituation with a familiar face in a novel orientation and a novel face in a novel orientation. Results for both fixation times during post-habituation trials and dishabituation to the test stimuli indicated little conceptual categorization at 18 weeks, possibly the beginnings of such categorization at 24 weeks, and evidence for responding at two different categorical levels (both that of a"specific face regardless of orientation" and "faces in general") at 30 weeks of age. These results suggest that concept acquisition ability may be present at a much younger age than had previously been believed. (Author/MS)

This study sought to develop and validate a programed instructional system to improve question-generating behavior in elementary school children in order to enhance reading comprehension. Materials were tested with individuals, groups, and entire classrooms; each tryout was followed by program revisions. Both criterion-referenced and standardized reading-comprehension tests were used to evaluate program effectiveness. Results indicated that the program did produce a question-asking set in children and that it improved reading comprehension as measured by scores on the standardized test. (Author/AA)

Suggestions for improving the state of the humanities in two-year colleges are presented, based on the findings of a nationwide study of humanities faculty. Among the policy recommendations are: (1) administrators/faculty leaders should organize lay committees as advisors to humanities programs and should involve humanities instructors with such committees; (2) more flexibility in workload and fiscal formulas is needed to accomodate instructors teaching short humanities segments in technical courses; (3) released time should be made available for instructors who organize extra-curricular humanities activities; (4) incentives should be offered to departments which recommend selection of faculty candidates from minority groups; (5) administrators/faculty leaders should facilitate articulation committees representing secondary schools and the two-year college; (6) resources should be made available to encourage faculty development of curricular materials; (7) special forms of in-service training should be provided for both full- and part-time faculty; (8) increments paid to faculty upon receipt of the doctorate should be eliminated and the extra funds spent on support of curricular improvement; (9) disciplinary associations should vigorously organize and recruit in two-year colleges; and (10) interdisciplinary graduate training is needed. (JDS)

The biennial WICHE Legislative Work Conference sought to determine how State legislators and officials conceived the major needs and issues of postsecondary education in the West and to reach some consensus as to the relative importance of those issues and needs vis-a-vis each other. The final results of this approach, using the Delphi technique, are presented in the first section of this publication. It is hoped that they will prove helpful to the participants in their consideration of educational problems in their own States. The three papers that were presented at the conference are printed in this document. They dealt with the need for future planning, the pros and cons of tenure, and summaries of the National Commission on the Financing of Postsecondary Education. Forecasts of changes in postsecondary education and WICHE's future role are also included. This publication is to be distributed to all legislators and college and university presidents in the West. Its purpose is to call attention to some of the future needs of postsecondary education in the next decade. (Author/PG)

The stimulus properties of the letters b, d, p, and q were investigated in an attempt to demonstrate that the common reversal of these letters by beginning readers is in part determined by the vertical aspect of the stimulus figure. One hundred eighty kindergarteners were randomly selected from a racially mixed population and randomly assigned to one of four visual matching of letters tasks. All tasks presented letters of uniform size, shape, density, and presentation except for certain variations relevant to each of the four experimental treatments. All four treatments required subjects to match lower case letters to one lower case stimulus letter printed in the center of the page two inches from the top. Subjects were instructed to draw a cross on each letter on the rest of the page that was exactly the same as the stimulus letter at the top. The letters presented on the rest of the page were designated response letters. The response letters included those identical to the stimulus letter and three foils. The results indicated that the vertical properties of b, d, p, and q influence the letter reversal behavior of kindergarteners. In addition, reducing the dominance of the vertical aspects of these letters resulted in marked reduction of reversal errors. (WR)

Procedures for analyzing common item effects on interscale structure were reviewed and a study using smallest space analysis of the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) reported. Solutions of three matrices--intercorrelation matrix of the original CPI scales, of reduced scales (with common items removed), and of the number of common items--were compared visually, and by interpoint distance correlations and configurational similarity analyses. Marked similarity among the original structure, the item-overlap-free structure, and the built-in structure was observed. It was concluded that common items magnify an intrinsic structure already existing among scales, and that the common-item problem is not a serious one in such personality assessment. (Author)

The Gary, Indiana, public schools, under the supervision of William A. Wirt (1907-1938), were the most written about, analyzed, and praised of any "progressive" school system in the 1920's. Although the system was criticized in a survey made by the Rockefeller Foundation in 1918, Gary, Indiana, schools continued in their progressive mold during the 1920's. Wirt always tried new schemes to broaden the schools' influence in and control over the community. The basic structure of the Gary system included a design to mold the individual's character as well as provide training in cognitive and manual skills. Innovations in the system included elaborate school facilities; extensive playground space; diverse curricular and extracurricular activities; vocational and recreational equipment; Saturday, summer, and night activities; vocational education; "individualized" instruction; ability grouping; and letter grading. Yet the concept of educational opportunities for all was not a reality even in the progressive Gary system. The majority of black students were in separate, physically inferior schools and were channeled into vocational careers. Even with the many innovations, the economically disadvantaged or culturally different usually came out at the bottom. (Author/DE)

In this individualized reading program, informal diagnosis through instructor-student conferences leads to an individual prescription, which is based on standardized test scores. Additional program components include an informal reading inventory, student's statements of goals, student's interests, student's other courses, amount of time available considering work and family demands, and visual screening. A prescription sheet is filed for each student. A student selects reading materials and/or reading machines and vocabulary words and then works through the individual prescription at his or her own pace. Class sessions for group interaction are conducted. In combining self-pacing with other approaches in a writing program, it is important to use the student's own writing as the basis of the learning module, the module being designed to help the student revise his or her own papers, line by line, and process by process. A student continues on through the pattern of writing, conferring, and revising via the learning packets until the desired grade level has been achieved on the required number of performance sheets. (LL)

This paper describes two attempts to utilize a conflict resolution approach in academic settings. The approach includes: (1) the significance of the structure of communication between parties in conflict; (2) the understanding of face-to-face interaction processes; (3) problems of perceptual distortion; and (4) political socializations. The participants in the workshop were citizens from nations in conflict. The first workshop was designed to study the Egyptian-Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while the second focused on the Bangladesh-Pakistan-India conflict. The uses of the workshop are discussed, followed by an explanation of the design, the pre-planning stage, and the recruitment process. Further sections of the paper include discussions of: (1) leadership style, (2) conflict fractionation exercises, (3) role reversal, and (4) communication exercises. An analysis of workshop content is presented, centering around the prioritizing of identity issues. Conflict may be a resultant, among other things, of the attempt to satisfy all elements of identity rather than assigning them priorities and dealing only with those high on the list. (Author/BW)

One hundred twenty-eight observers randomly assigned to 16 treatment conditions in a modified Latin square design, viewed three videotapes of simulated classrooms in which teacher behavior was controlled (paralleling psychophysical procedures) to fit unambiguously into specific categories on ratings of frequency and variety of social reinforcement. True behavior deimension scores, person and performance consistency, and inferential level of coding forms were manipulated to determine their effects on frequency and variety ratings and six semantic differential items. Results of multivariate analyses of variance indicated that stimulus variables and observation system characteristics significanlty affected the mean, variance, and accuracy of observers' judgments. (Author)

Study of college faculty has been hampered by the variation in types of institutions, the difficulty of obtaining an accurate faculty sample, and poor response rates to large-scale surveys. This document examines various approaches to conducting large-scale faculty surveys, and describes a suggested procedure to mitigate methodological problems. In developing the recommended procedure, six pilot tests were conducted to determine the feasibility of the methodology, the types of letters that should be sent, the person to whom these letters should be addressed, and the anticipated response rate. The pilot tests indicated that the college president is the best initial contact point, and that a high individual response rate could be achieved through the use of an on-campus facilitator. The procedures for sample selection and questionnaire administration are described, as is the application of the procedure to a nationwide survey of two-year college humanities instructors. The procedure described allows for cross-tabulations among respondents in various types of institutions while maintaining an accurate representation of the universe of institutions. (Author/NHM)

Discussed are problems to consider and possible techniques to use in assessing the English speaking skills of bilingual children. Reviewed is literature on the reasons for differences in ease of acquisition of English speaking skills among bilingual children (such as personality variables) and on inadequacies of existing language assessment instruments. Six means of assessing English speaking skills among nonnatives (such as the Bilingual Syntax Measure) are described briefly, and four suggestions for assessment (such as use of an eclectic approach) are offered. (LS)

Based on a literature review and a recently-conducted nationwide survey of the community college humanities faculty, this paper reviews the demand for doctoral degrees and recommends ways of structuring doctoral programs for community college instructors. Since the demand for new community college faculty is dropping off, and since many persons already holding two-year college teaching positions desire further preparation, universities should design their doctoral programs for the latter group. Greater success will be enjoyed if the program allows its students to retain their positions by studying in their home area and at their own pace. It is also important that doctoral programs for community college instructors attempt to straddle disciplines wherever possible. It is further recommended that such programs: (1) offer classes, workshops, modules, and lectures on the community college campus itself, (2) involve community college faculty members as clinical professors, (3) appoint a program head to take responsibility for all aspects of the program, (4) provide a component to assist two-year college division and department chairpersons to be supervisors and coordinators of curriculum and instruction, and (5) provide courses for those faculty interested in professional upgrading but not in the degree. (DC)

An experiment was conducted in which the relationships of basic television and film codes to particular literacy mental skills were examined. Different versions of the same film, each focusing on a different code, were produced and shown to fifth graders. It was found that children with initially better mastery of the relevant skills extract more knowledge and meaning from the presentation. Where filmic codes supplant a critical skill, rather than call upon it, those with initially poor mastery benefit as much as those with better mastery. (CH)

This publication contains six papers presented at the 1975 Texas Conference on Infancy. The papers present discussions of (1) intervention studies and programs for infants and families, (2) the interaction between infants and their caregivers, (3) mutual adaptation of mother and child, (4) discontinuous mothering, and (5) the emergence of self-concept. Also included is an abstract bibliography of recent infant research. "Intervention and Infant Education" traces the evolution of government programs for infants and families through the past ten years. "Competent Infants and Their Caregivers: The Feeling Is Mutual" discusses the development of competence through interaction with self, others, and inanimate objects. Ideas about ways infants learn, and descriptions of real life behaviors are presented to help caregivers understand the dynamics of developmental changes. "Reciprocal Interactions Between Infants and Mothers" explores the mutual adaptation of mother and child. It is proposed that the quality of feedback from the infant's actions influences the quality of his motivation for subsequent interaction and his competence in getting what he needs or wants. "Discontinuous Mothering - Expanding the Alternatives" reviews statistics associated with discontinuous mothering, describes its effects on children, and presents some alternatives. The need for quality caregiving is identified as a national problem, involving comprehensive economic, political and social factors. "Roots in Infancy for Later Development" points out the importance of self-concept in the development of a competent, healthy adult. (Author/SB)

Community college instructors have, of their own volition, isolated themselves from the academic disciplines in which they were trained, from the universities and the secondary schools, and from the broad currents of the two-year colleges. This reclusive complex stems from three phenomena, one relating to the teacher as human being and academician, another to recent developments in the community college field, and the third to teaching itself. As an academician, the community college instructor prides himself on privacy and teaching self-sufficiency. Because of this, instructors are reluctant to consider ideas posed by anyone outside of their own teaching environments. Furthermore, community college instructors are often divorced from contact with others in their own disciplines, read few scholarly or professional journals, and are unlikely to join professional associations. Regarding trends in the community college field, community college instructors tend to ignore part-time faculty in their own fields, and, because of the growing average size of institutions, see themselves as isolated from other groups in the college community. Because teaching innovations have gone largely unrewarded in the past, faculty tend to be static in their methods, and to ignore or reassign innovators to instructional coordinator classifications. (Author/NHM)

A study involving 18 hyperkinetic children (from 3- to 12-years old) was conducted to test the hypothesis that hyperactive children manifest the same type of hypermotility in their eyes as in the rest of their body. Ss were observed under a series of test conditions (including manual problem solving) which elicit short and long periods of fixation, pursuit movements, small and large saccadic movements (rapid, involuntary jumping of the eyes from one fixed point to another); and optokinetic nystagmus (rapid involuntary oscillation of the eyeballs); and eye movements were measured by electrooculography. In comparison to controls, hyperkinetic Ss were generally unable to hold their eyes steady either in direct forward or in lateral gaze; Ss tended to continue to use combined head and eye movements at a later age when problem-solving; and Ss tended to have more saccadic movements to non-target areas during pursuit. (Graphs are provided.) (SB)

The humanities are not emphasized in two-year colleges, although junior/community colleges enroll over 30% of all students in post-secondary education. The Center for the Study of Community Colleges is engaged in a multi-phased research project designed to provide information for the National Endowment for the Humanities, which wishes to strengthen the humanities in two-year colleges. Two project phases, including a literature review and a national survey of humanities faculty, have been completed. The survey yielded a great deal of information about humanities faculty. About one-fourth had been students in two-year colleges. Fourteen percent now hold the Ph.D. or the Ed.D. The male/female ratio is 2:1 with affirmative action slowly taking hold. This group has broken almost completely with the secondary schools. It is believed that humanities faculty are becoming very insular while being relatively well satisfied with their present job situations. Recommendations for strengthening the humanities in two-year colleges have developed as a result of seminars held to discuss the survey data. These include: in-service training of faculty, dissemination of information through numerous media, advisory task forces, and conferences. Educators do not yet realize the dire situation of the humanities but must take action to insure the humanities' survival without repeating past mistakes. (JDS)

In the year 2000, there will be approximately 1,400 community colleges in the United States. This estimate is based on extrapolation of the "saturated" models evident in such states as Florida, Washington, California, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, and New York, where a campus is within commuting distance of 90-95% of the state's population. Major changes in organizational form are not anticipated, although the most prominent form will be the local institution founded and organized by a local governing board and receiving some state assistance. Employee bargaining units and professionalization of management will remove the last vestiges of paternalism. Although the economy controls the job market, the community college will continue in the field of adult education and will attempt to effect firmer liaisons with proprietary schools. In terms of curricula, short-term, non-sequential, modular courses will gain ground while credit for experience practices will diminish. The current practice of institutions offering similar programs or duplicating services will persist and become an even greater problem. The job of instruction will depart from the present model and more part-timers, para-professionals, and 40-hour-a-week-do-it-all instructors will have their efforts supplemented by a very few full-time faculty. (JDS)

The Learning Skills Center (LSC) at Los Angeles City College is an individualized learning laboratory which offers assistance to students in communication skills and quantitative skills, and provides tutoring in all college-level courses. ISC's programs are diagnostic and prescriptive, and services are available to students on both voluntary and referral bases. This document describes the establishment of an evaluation and management control system for LSC, and presents the results of the first evaluation. Basically, the evaluation involved a comparison of dropout rates between those LSC students who were enrolled in basic English or mathematics classes, and Los Angeles City College students who had been involved in a baseline dropout study. The baseline persistence study showed a dropout rate of 42.8 percent for students in basic English. The dropout rates for the LSC program participants enrolled in basic English, on the other hand, were 16 percent for the fall semester and 6.6 percent for the spring semester of 1974-75. The baseline study showed a 45 percent dropout rate for basic mathematics, as compared to 22.1 percent for the LSC participants during the fall semester and 10 percent for the spring semester. Data are organized into tables, and a bibliography of references for educational program evaluation and audit is appended. (Author/NHM)