Inference, or decision making, is seen in curriculum documents as the final step in a statistical investigation. For a formal statistical enquiry this may be associated with sophisticated tests involving probability distributions. For young students without the mathematical background to perform such tests, it is still possible to draw informal inferences based on data of various sorts, for example by comparing two graphical representations. In doing so it is important to be able to state the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Inferences, Probability, Prediction, Decision Making, Statistical Analysis,...
This exploratory study investigated the perceptions of technology and academic decision-makers about open source benefits and risks versus commercial software applications. The study also explored reactions to a concept for outsourcing campus-wide deployment and maintenance of open source. Data collected from telephone interviews were analyzed, emergent themes identified, and a model of differentiators of open source versus commercial software was created, which was then used to evaluate...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Research Opportunities, Educational Technology, Risk, Computer Software, Decision...
Given the financial constraints facing U.S. schools and the expense of cutting-edge technology, partnerships between schools and corporations that specialize in technology are becoming more vital in the quest to remain competitive in today's educational market. Schools can benefit from these partnerships by receiving the latest hardware and software, and corporations benefit from increased profits. To find out exactly what (besides money) matters when principals engage in technology...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Computer Software, Guidelines, Educational Technology, Corporations, Principals,...
Most parents of gifted children are aware of the benefit of having books and other hands-on learning materials available to their children. However, there is more involved in creating a thoughtful and intellectual learning environment at home than just books and science kits. The way a group communicates, what it communicates, and what it values are all components of a culture of thinking. In "The Thinking Classroom: Learning and Teaching in a Culture of Thinking," Tishman, Perkins,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Academically Gifted, Parent School Relationship, Parent Participation, Creative...
Hurricane Katrina took more than 1,500 lives. Most of those people died in their homes because they could not escape, or they died trying to escape the flood waters. The hurricane submerged 80 percent of the parish, a land mass seven times the size of Manhattan. The flood lasted for fifty-seven days and destroyed over 160,000 homes and apartments. Katrina caused the largest metropolitan diaspora in the history of the United States, displacing more than 80 percent of the population. In this...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Natural Disasters, Universities, Decision Making, Institutional Survival, Educational...
Data from the Evidence-based Treatment Survey were used to compare providers serving families in American Indian and Alaska Native communities to their counterparts in non-American Indian/Alaska Native communities on provider characteristics and factors that influence their decision to use evidence-based practices (N = 467). The findings suggest that providers affiliated with American Indian/Alaska Native communities are similar to their non-AI/AN community-affiliated counterparts in terms of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Surveys, Familiarity, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Comparative Analysis, Medical...
The University of Maryland's Intergroup Dialogue and Leadership Program (IDLP) is coordinated by the Office of Human Relations Programs (OHRP), an arm of the Office of the President. Because of this organizational location, OHRP has campus-wide scope which has been foundational to its ability to adapt the Intergroup Dialogue Program (IDP) component of its IDLP from a student-focused initiative toward meeting the needs that staff at all levels on campus have expressed for intergroup dialogue. In...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Employment, Human Relations, Governance, Human Relations Programs, Intergroup...
The study uses individual data from the Canadian Labour Force Survey to consider economic factors in university participation decisions by persons aged 17-24 from 1976 to 2003. The level of real tuition is one economic factor that may affect the university participation decision. There is also regional variation in the opportunity cost of university attendance; in the reduction in the probability of unemployment after obtaining a university degree; and in the proportion of university budgets...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Foreign Countries, Decision Making, Probability, Paying for College, Economic...
Chapter 5 of DETYA's volume "The Impact of Educational Research" (Selby-Smith 2000) begins with an examination of the peculiarity of decision making in the VET sector, followed by an examination of the idiosyncratic consequences for the function of research in the sector. Having established the distinctiveness of VET in relation to these two key factors (decision making and research), the chapter then proceeds to explore the linkages between them. The study on which the chapter is...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Educational Research, Vocational Education, Theory Practice Relationship, Decision...
This paper draws on an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded research project on men (aged 18-54) participating in pre-university access and foundation programs in four London further and higher education colleges. Men's educational choices and decisions are analysed and discussed within current policy debates about widening participation and lifelong learning. These choices are placed within a framework which focuses on masculinity in terms of classed and racialised...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Working Class, Middle Class, Foundation Programs, Lifelong Learning, Minority Groups,...
Responsiveness to intervention (RTI) is being proposed as an alternative model for making decisions about the presence or absence of specific learning disability. We argue that many questions about RTI remain unanswered, and that radical changes in the proposed regulations are not warranted at this time. Since many fundamental issues related to RTI have not been resolved, a better strategy may be to more rigorously implement existing identification criteria (e.g., discrepancy and psychological...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Intervention, Learning Disabilities, Identification, Psychometrics, Identification...
The question of where special education students should be educated is not new. In this article, the author reviews research studies and research reviews that address this question. She argues that research evidence on the relative efficacy of one special education placement over another is scarce, methodologically flawed, and inconclusive. She also states that "Where should students with disabilities be educated?" is the wrong question to ask, that it is antithetical to the kind of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Attitudes toward Disabilities, Disabilities, Special Education, Educational Research,...
The "anticipatory" model of crisis management draws the attention of crisis practitioners and researchers to the precrisis phase of crisis management. The model views institutions' position as a condition that has implications for peoples' perceptions regarding the lack of control over factors such as policies, human resources, machineries or technologies, infrastructure, and relationship structure. The concept of "control" is germane in crisis management and must be...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Crisis Management, Models, Prevention, Natural Disasters, Weather, Decision Making,...
Throughout the country and through the years, several colleges and universities have been the focal point of violence and tragedy. These tragedies include the brutal beating and murder of a gay student; a campus bonfire that killed 12 students and alumni; a residence hall fire that claimed the lives of three students; terrorist activities in two of America's urban centers; racial riots that effectively shut down a large city; and shootings of students and professors by college classmates. When...
Topics: ERIC Archive, College Choice, Crisis Management, Dormitories, Urban Areas, Violence, College...
Many colleges and universities receive thousands of applications for freshman admission every year. To facilitate the process of evaluating each and every applicant in a relatively short amount of time, schools often devise quantitative ratings scales to summarize student characteristics. The ratings give readers a shorthand way to communicate the qualities of each student, and sometimes play a critical role in determining whether or not a student is offered admission. Given the significance of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Generalizability Theory, Reliability, College Admission, College Applicants, Rating...
In rural Oklahoma, the role of the superintendent is often vastly different than that of superintendents in large cities. The superintendent is the leader of the school district, which is typically the community's largest employer. There are a few examples of superintendents who embrace this sometimes overwhelming responsibility and who are often seen as pillars of ethics, leadership and morality in the community. Dale Carter is one example of this type of superintendent. Mr. Carter has been...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Rural Schools, Superintendents, School Districts, Values, Ethics, Professional...
First-generation and rural college students are considered by many retention theorists and practitioners to be an at-risk population. This study examined the details of the first semester in postsecondary education from the perspective of a group of students who met the demographic criteria of being first-generation to go to college, from rural geographical areas, and from agricultural backgrounds. It focused on the first semester experience, during its occurrence, and how six students of this...
Topics: ERIC Archive, First Generation College Students, At Risk Persons, Rural Education, Agricultural...
Schools in 47 high-poverty school districts located mostly along the Atlantic Coast of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia may have a head start on new requirements of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, thanks to a $6 million grant from the National Science Foundation. Begun in April 2000, the five-year Coastal Rural Systemic Initiative (CRSI) is striving to stimulate sustainable systemic improvements in science and mathematics education in school districts with a long...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Rural Schools, Poverty, Federal Legislation, Disadvantaged Youth, School Districts,...
Statistics from a number of surveys indicate there is a high rate of economic and financial illiteracy in the United States. Several other studies have pointed out that problems related to the widespread lack of economic and financial understanding have serious consequences on the future economic well-being of many citizens. Financial and economic illiteracy may be traced to a lack of schooling in basic economic and financial principles. This article discusses an evaluation of achievement...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Decision Making, Money Management, Illiteracy, Surveys, Well Being, Achievement...
The effects of reinforcement pairing and fading on preschoolers' snack selections were evaluated in a multiple baseline design. Baseline preferences for snack options were assessed via repeated paired-item preference assessments. Edible, social, and activity-based reinforcers were then exclusively paired with a less preferred snack option. Once the snack paired with reinforcement was selected most frequently, the three types of reinforcement were systematically faded. Frequent selections of the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Reinforcement, Decision Making, Attitude Change, Preschool Children, Food, Social...
Understanding how people learn is the foundation of informed teaching, yet it is difficult for teachers to articulate and effectively use. This study investigated how two preservice teachers' conceptions of learning theories transferred to their decisionmaking during student teaching. This paired-sample case study examined Research-Based Framework papers, oral defenses, student teaching practices, and reflection on-action. Findings indicate that knowledge from a video case analysis assignment...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Learning Theories, Preservice Teachers, Student Teaching, Case Studies, Decision...
This study investigated the ways in which family members of students in a Hawaiian language immersion program were involved in their children's education and identified the effects of and barriers to involvement. A sociocultural theoretical approach and Epstein's framework of different types of involvement were applied. Participants included 35 families whose children were enrolled in Papahana Kaiapuni, a K-12 public school program in Hawai'i. The program uses the Hawaiian language as the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Immersion Programs, Elementary Secondary Education, Family Involvement, Malayo...
An ABA'B design was used to evaluate the effects of choice on task engagement for 3 adults who had been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury. A yoked-control condition, in which tasks that were selected by each participant were assigned subsequently to that participant by a trainer, was implemented to help distinguish between the effects of task preference and choice. The results for all 3 participants indicated that permitting individuals to choose from a list of tasks increased on-task...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Neurological Impairments, Injuries, Brain, Time on Task, Adults, Participation,...
The reforms call for elementary science that engages students in meaningful and relevant learning opportunities for all students. While science lab facilities are common to middle and high school, in elementary schools, science is typically taught in the regular classroom. Elementary schools across the nation, however, have devoted financial and other resources to establishing separate laboratory facilities for science. How do these facilities support the delivery models for elementary science...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Elementary School Science, Elementary Schools, Science Laboratories, Science...
The purpose of this paper is to outline a judgement-based model of adult learning. This approach is set out as a Perceptual-Judgemental-Reinforcement approach to social learning under conditions of complexity and where there is no single, clearly identified correct response. The model builds upon the Hager-Halliday thesis of workplace learning and incorporates elements of the image theory of decision-making as the engine for judgements. A power curve is used as a description of cognitive...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Socialization, Adult Learning, Learning Processes, Learning Theories, Evaluative...
In this study we examined whether and how youth learned life skills through their involvement on a high school soccer team. We collected data from fieldwork and interviews with 12 male student-athletes and the head coach from one team. Results showed that the coach's philosophy involved building relationships and involving student-athletes in decision making. Issues relating to three life skills (initiative, respect, and teamwork/leadership) were identified. Although we observed little direct...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Athletes, High School Students, Athletics, Team Sports, Males, Athletic Coaches,...
Our study investigated patterns of female participation as secondary principals that have varied across contexts and changed slowly. Researchers interviewed decision makers from a purposive sample of 10 urban and rural school districts in Ontario, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia, gathering data from structured telephone interviews, policy documents, and statistical information. The needs of a system took precedence over those of individuals. Many participants denied that gender...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Rural Schools, Females, Leadership Styles, Foreign Countries, Gender Differences,...
Science notebooks can be a formative assessment tool for both teachers and students to determine: (1) prior knowledge and existing science ideas; (2) how conceptual understanding is being built; (3) procedural understanding; (4) mastery of curriculum goals; and (5) the ability to apply/transfer ideas to new context (Volkmann & Abell, 2003). Using science notebooks with preservice teachers accomplishes two goals: (1) It introduces preservice teachers to a beneficial assessment tool; and (2)...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Preservice Teachers, Methods Courses, Formative Evaluation, Prior Learning,...
Developing enough quality credentialed teachers to meet the needs of America's children is the paramount goal of teacher education programs and school districts across the country and, since 2001, required by the federal mandate, No Child Left Behind (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2002). However, according to a 2002 report, "Rather than getting closer to a qualified teacher in every classroom, the data indicate that we are drifting farther from...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Preservice Teacher Education, Elementary Secondary Education, Federal Legislation,...
In this article the authors examine characterizations of faculty-administrator relationships, in particular as related to shared governance. Two primary perspectives guided the study. The first perspective focused on the fragile nature of shared governance, characterized by a lack of harmony and mistrust. The second perspective focused on the root of faculty-administrator tension as both cultural and structural in nature. The study illuminates problems associated with shared governance,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Governance, College Faculty, Administrators, Teacher Administrator Relationship,...
The National Policy Board of Educational Administration reflects the belief that principals should be taught processes for experimenting and learning from real world data to meet the challenges of the work environment. This study of practicing principals yielded a content analysis of 482 responses, which reflect the need for principals to effectively use data available on their campuses. This study more clearly defined the content and strategies that should be used in the training of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Administrator Education, Educational Administration, Content Analysis, Instructional...
In this article, the authors present a philosophical exploration of the import of a democratic ethic in making decisions concerning curricula. Specifically, the authors offer a guide for ethical decision making that is concerned with promoting fairness and acting on social justice principles. The ethical responsibilities of educators are explored, focusing on an examination of how various contexts play a role in informing educators about curricula. (Contains 8 notes.)
Topics: ERIC Archive, Ethics, Social Justice, Participative Decision Making, Educational Philosophy,...
In this article, the author provides a prefacing narrative that examines the work of Simpson et al. (2004, this issue), situating the reader as the importance of a framework for curriculum design. Importantly, the author illuminates a set a democratic values that animate the framework, and which work to instruct a democratic ethic of curriculum design.
Topics: ERIC Archive, Curriculum Development, Curriculum Design, Educational Change, Democratic Values,...
To provide an array of perspectives on the future direction of foster care, five experts across various disciplines and backgrounds were asked to respond to this question: "How can the child welfare system be improved to better support families and promote the healthy development of children in foster care?" This article presents their responses to the above question. Susan H. Badeau argues that a conversation about improving the system should begin with a discussion of guiding...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Child Welfare, Foster Care, Adoption, Family Relationship, Adolescents, Children,...
Tactical approaches to teaching are, arguably, still under-utilized in physical education settings, and this may be due to the lack of pertinent assessment materials. The purpose of this article is to present a generic invasion-game unit and to link it to a variety of assessment materials using three tactical components from the Game Performance Assessment Instrument (GPAI), namely decision making, skill execution, and support. The invasion-game unit presented focuses on teaching nonspecific...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Physical Education, Performance Based Assessment, Teaching Methods, Educational...
This article examines social justice as a vehicle for equity for all children. It focuses on the training of school leaders who can promote democratic schools and address inequality in K-12 schools. It outlines the needs assessment, consensus building, curriculum, and faculty voice in establishing a doctorate in educational justice. (Contains 1 table.)
Topics: ERIC Archive, Elementary Secondary Education, Needs Assessment, Educational Change, Social Justice,...
The findings in this article will be presented in relation to developing and implementing processes of school, family, and community partnership programs in two primary and two secondary schools in Quebec from 2001 to 2005. The action research project was based on Epstein's (2001) comprehensive framework of six types of involvement: parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with community. In keeping with Epstein's recommendations, an Action...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Action Research, Partnerships in Education, Cooperation, Foreign Countries, School...
The purpose of this article is to identify the perceptual skills of expert teachers and offer suggestions for teachers to learn to see like an expert. Being able to perceptively read the critical cues in a learning environment allows teachers to recognize present problems, anticipate potential problems, link immediate problems with previously successful solutions, and make exceptional in-class decisions. Four features distinguish what expert teachers see: (1) focusing on events relevant to...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Cues, Inferences, Thinking Skills, Decision Making Skills, Experience, Knowledge...
The original goals of youth sport were based on virtues of sportsmanship, fun, and friendship. In order to re-establish these principles and develop generations of youth devoted to the benefits of sport, we must revolutionize the way we administer and manage youth sports. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the usefulness of the Justplay program as a tool that empowers youth sport administrators to make data-driven decisions regarding the development, monitoring, and support of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Athletics, Sportsmanship, Youth Programs, Management Information Systems, Decision...
Patterns of Internet-based menu item selection can occur for a number of reasons, many of which may not be based on interest in topic. It then becomes important to ensure menu order is devised in a way that ensures the greatest accuracy in matching user need with selection. This study examined the impact of menu rotation on the selection of Internet-based parent-child feeding behavior education and behavior change modules by participants in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program across...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Health Promotion, Program Effectiveness, Behavior Change, Internet, Nutrition,...
In education, the term "metacognition" describes thinking about thinking. Within mathematics, the term "metacomputation" describes thinking about computational methods and tools. This article shows how Dr. Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats can be used to demonstrate metacognition and metacomputation in the primary classroom. The article suggests teaching and learning sequences for developing these concepts, using Dr. de Bono's hats as graphic organisers. (Contains 4...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Mathematics Education, Metacognition, Computation, Teaching Methods, Foreign...
At some point in their career, most teachers wonder whether administration might be right for them. Some quickly reject the idea; they like what they do and don't want to be too far removed from the children. Some teachers decide not to enter administration because they don't want what they perceive as the additional stress or responsibility that comes with it. Instead, they may seek teacher leader positions that allow them to participate in decision-making within their school or district....
Topics: ERIC Archive, School Administration, Teacher Leadership, Department Heads, Participative Decision...
National statistics estimate that 1.2 million newborn males are circumcised annually in the United States (70% to 80%). Such values as sanctity, equity, fraternity, paternity and liberty affect circumcision rates in America. The value of sanctity allows freedom of religious beliefs and traditions that often overcome medical impetus in decision-making with regard to circumcision. A lack in the value of equity allows socioeconomic status and cost to impact whether or not babies are circumcised....
Topics: ERIC Archive, Surgery, Males, Social Values, Civil Rights, Religious Factors, Decision Making,...
One of the greatest challenges for a student today is how to live as a responsible citizen in a globalizing world. Today's interconnected world cannot afford bystanders or passive participants. It demands confident, skilled citizens who will make responsible choices that take into consideration how educators allocate resources and what impact their decisions will have on future generations. It is important to have citizens who make decisions marked by these characteristics: (1) intercultural...
Topics: ERIC Archive, International Education, Citizenship, Language Skills, Second Language Learning,...
This paper offers an insight into the development, use and governance of e-repositories for learning and teaching, illustrated by Eric Raymond's bazaar and cathedral analogies and by a comparison of collection strategies that focus on content coverage or on the needs of users. It addresses in particular the processes that encourage and achieve community engagement. This insight is illustrated by one particular e-repository, the Education Media On-Line (EMOL) service. This paper draws analogies...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Educational Resources, Information Management, Participative Decision Making,...
In this article, I argue that emancipatory possibilities for Maori, the Indigenous people of New Zealand, rely on structural changes that enable them to have control over resources, decision making, and meaning, and that emancipation is a journey traveled by oppressed groups as they exercise their collective agency. The 1990s development of "Pangarau", the national mathematics curriculum policy in the medium of Maori, provides the context for this discussion. Recent developments...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Mathematics Curriculum, Curriculum Development, Indigenous Populations, Foreign...
The connection between drama and moral education in young adolescence has not been widely researched. This study examines the role of process drama. In this study process drama is defined as educational drama for awareness and conflict resolution through the creation of a dramatic collective exploring the moral values of junior high school age students. Students examined their values through themes of family, friendship, and other issues of personal importance. When dramatic cognitive...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Moral Values, Theater Arts, Ethical Instruction, Early Adolescents, Junior High...
Interdisciplinary teaming in middle schools has increased dramatically over the past few decades (McEwin, Dickinson & Jensen, 2003); nevertheless, students have rarely been consulted as important sources of insight into this practice (Dickinson & Erb, 1997) of two or more teachers sharing the responsibility for instruction, curriculum, and assessment of a common group of students (NMSA, 1995). The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze young adolescents' perceptions of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Middle Schools, Student Attitudes, Early Adolescents, Teaching Methods,...
This review of research generates principles for the design of instructional programs that foster critical-thinking dispositions. The dispositional aspect of critical thinking may be considered part of attitudinal memory, readily activated if sufficiently strong. We describe evidence suggesting that ill-structured problem-solving can provide middle schoolers with motivating activities that strengthen critical-thinking dispositions, thus fostering sensitivity to occasions for thinking critically...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Mathematics Education, Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Sensory Experience,...
Collaborative ventures between families and schools can result in children being successful both academically and in life (Henderson & Berla, 1994; Jackson & Davis, 2000; Mapp, 1997). The most successful predictor of student achievement is an encouraging home environment, high expectations from parents, and parental involvement (Epstein, 2001; Zellmann & Waterman, 1998). Furthermore, Epstein's (2001) Framework for a Comprehensive Program of Partnership lists six types of linkages...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Parent Participation, Academic Achievement, Parent School Relationship, Family School...