The present study sought to examine the perceptions of giftedness and identification procedures held by experienced teachers of gifted minority students. Twenty-seven 4th-grade teachers of gifted students in an urban school system with a high representation of minority and economically disadvantaged students were surveyed. Results indicated that experienced teachers still held a narrow conception of giftedness and were not aware of how culture and environmental factors may influence the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Economically Disadvantaged, Minority Group Children, Family Problems, Urban Schools,...
This study investigated differential effects of learning styles and learning orientation on sense of community and cognitive achievement in Web-based and lab-based university course formats. Students in the Web-based sections achieved higher scores at the "remember" and "understand" levels, but not at the "apply" or "analyze" levels. In terms of learning style, extrovert students outperformed introvert students in the lab-based sections, whereas...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Student Characteristics, Cognitive Style, Academic Achievement, Web Based...
This review provides a comprehensive examination of the literature surrounding the current state of K-12 distance education. The growth in K-12 distance education follows in the footsteps of expanded learning opportunities at all levels of public education and training in corporate environments. Implementation has been accomplished with a limited research base, often drawing from studies in adult distance education and policies adapted from traditional learning environments. This review of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Elementary Secondary Education, Public Education, Distance Education, Literature...
One of ACTE's goals is to improve the image of career and technical education (CTE) through outreach to the media. As media relations manager, the author receives calls from reporters asking questions about the types of students who participate in CTE. Reporters often have a misconception that CTE students are troubled or "at the bottom of the rung." Today's CTE students are smart, technologically savvy and successful. ACTE is working to improve the media's perception of them and the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Technical Education, Career Education, Public Relations, Mass Media, Press Opinion,...
This paper explores key gender differences in motivation from a quantitative perspective and presents findings from a qualitative study into boys' perceptions of motivating teachers and motivating pedagogy. Data collected from 3773 high school students suggest that girls score significantly higher than boys in their belief in the value of school, learning focus, planning, study management, and persistence while boys rate significantly higher in self-sabotage/self-handicapping. However, girls...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Student Motivation, Program Development, Academic Failure, Gender Differences, Males,...
Using Susanmarie Harrington's investigation of the presence and absence of basic writing students in articles in the "Journal of Basic Writing" as a starting point, this article investigates the visibility or invisibility of race in student-present articles from 1995 to 2005. The investigation reveals that the discursive practice of colorblindness still governs the representation of race in basic writing scholarship, particularly where teacher race is concerned. (Contains 1 note.)
Topics: ERIC Archive, Basic Writing, Stereotypes, Authors, Racial Factors, Race, Student Characteristics,...
Both the current school reform and standards movements call for enhanced quality of instruction for all learners. Recent emphases on heterogeneity, special education inclusion, and reduction in out-of-class services for gifted learners, combined with escalations in cultural diversity in classrooms, make the challenge of serving academically diverse learners in regular classrooms seem an inevitable part of a teacher's role. Nonetheless, indications are that most teachers make few proactive...
Topics: ERIC Archive, School Restructuring, Inclusive Schools, Gifted, Cultural Pluralism, Profiles,...
I am honored by the articulate comments of the respondents to the questions raised in the lead paper, "Two Wrongs Do Not Make a Right: Sacrificing the Needs of Gifted Students Does Not Solve Society's Unsolved Problems." These five colleagues have proved themselves to be sensitive to the multiple issues and constituencies involved and highly constructive in their suggestions of steps to be taken to right the wrongs to which I referred. While we may not agree on some of the details...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Academically Gifted, Public Schools, Student Needs, Disproportionate Representation,...
The human capital emphasis in recent economic planning is leading to new pressures on the post-compulsory education sector where work-readiness is emerging as a major focus. With concerns about the impact of demographic change as the population ages, there is a renewed emphasis on greater productivity from and less wastage of human capital. Hence retention of young people in the education and training system to at least Year 12 and the development of explicit vocational pathways has become an...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Human Capital, Vocational Education, Education Work Relationship, Labor Force...
As colleges and universities adopt marketing orientations to an ever-increasing extent, the relative merits of mass marketing and target marketing must also be explored. Researchers identify buyer types as potential students focused on quality, value or economy. On the other axis, learner types are described as those who focus on career, socio-improvement and leisure, or those who are ambivalent learners. This conceptual model of market segments presents an innovative and useful way to examine...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Higher Education, Marketing, Student Recruitment, Student Characteristics, College...
This article presents two stories that represent a common paradigm shift at the community college level. The life journeys of Tony and Mary Ann are very different. Tony, a traditional-aged student, reluctantly entered his local community college because he was unable to prove, scholastically, that he was capable of handling the coursework at his choice flagship institution in the state. After spending four semesters at the community college, he not only proved he was able to compete...
Topics: ERIC Archive, College Students, Community Colleges, Adult Education, College Transfer Students,...
High school and independent counselors often encounter college-bound students who are Christians or who wish to study in a Christian environment. The intent of this article is to help familiarize counselors with Christian colleges. By being familiar with these colleges, counselors can help their students of faith better facilitate a successful college search. Christian colleges are "all together different." They hold many things in common with each other, while still maintaining...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Higher Education, School Choice, Liberal Arts, College Bound Students, Religious...
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...
Although the field of gifted education generally recognizes the foundational work of Lewis Terman, rarely does one stop to examine the details of his longitudinal study and their connection to present-day gifted education. This article reexamines the beginnings of Terman's longitudinal study with a focus on elementary-school-aged children. Although the longitudinal study of gifted children was a defining feature of Terman's career, so too, was his work with intelligence tests. However, a strict...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Elementary School Students, Intelligence Quotient, Academically Gifted, Intelligence...
The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of learner characteristics and preservice teachers' views of nature of science (NOS) prior to formal instruction. Learner characteristics investigated included metacognitive awareness, self-efficacy, attitudes toward science teaching, Perry's intellectual and ethical developmental levels, concerns for teaching NOS, and cultural values. Findings indicated interesting relationships between NOS views and cultural values, self-efficacy,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Preservice Teacher Education, Preservice Teachers, Self Efficacy, Scientific...
Middle school students are naturally curious about their expanding possibilities. This stage of their lives is a time of transition, of figuring out who they are and where they belong in the world. Many students also think that the world they look at through the classroom window is distant and unconnected to the world of chalkboards and pop quizzes they inhabit between the hours of eight and three. Models of middle school education have often included teacher and community expectations...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Middle School Students, Middle Schools, Adolescents, Interdisciplinary Approach,...
As the number of adult students enrolled within higher education programs increases, educational institutions must respond by addressing their needs on a continual basis. Adult learners possess a wide variety of characteristics which are not common to a traditional student, including personal life barriers, financial responsibilities and different learning styles. This article identifies some of these characteristics, and discusses ways for administrators and educators within higher education...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Higher Education, Adult Learning, Adult Students, Learning Experience, Student Needs,...
Adult learners are being attracted to university programs based on the granting of either academic credit or the recognition of prior learning (RPL). Typically, this attraction is being aligned to fast-tracking degree attainment or student cost effectiveness. It appears from the literature that there are varied interpretations and application of RPL within Australian universities. This can be problematic for adult learners with diverse experiences and expectations. Given the uniqueness of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Foreign Countries, Prior Learning, Higher Education, Adult Education, Adult Students,...
Reducing disparities in education outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is one of the main ways in which the relative disadvantage Indigenous Australians face will be overcome. Relative and absolute participation rates in all forms of education have improved, however they are still unacceptably low. Those Indigenous Australians who do undertake post-school education do so for the most part at a later age than the non-Indigenous population. This paper gives a descriptive...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Indigenous Populations, Foreign Countries, Outcomes of Education, Age Differences,...
Mature-age students are a significant group within the Australian sub-degree and undergraduate commencing cohort. Nevertheless, little is known about mature-age student backgrounds or factors that affect their participation at university. This paper draws on a case study that examined the nature and outcomes of Australian alternative entry programs for mature-age students. Specifically, the paper explores the demographic characteristics of mature-age students who participate in these programs....
Topics: ERIC Archive, Student Participation, Student Characteristics, Foreign Countries, Case Studies,...
This article reviews current literature and discussion about the policies and sites of Australian adult education and training and their potential impact on the development of social capital in a regional context. The review stems from a current research project examining the impact of participation in adult education by people from diverse cultural backgrounds in a regional town in northern Victoria. There is evidence that adult education can transform individuals via access to new knowledge...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Adult Education, Foreign Countries, Public Education, Student Diversity, Educational...
The Leventis Foundation (Nigeria) Agricultural Schools (LFNAS) are schools established to train youths to develop their state and their nation in the area of food production. This study sought to assess the trainability of enrollees in the three operating LFNAS. Five research questions were posed. The CIPP evaluation model was adopted. The population and sample for the study consisted of a total of 247 enrollees. Questionnaires, structured interviews and observational techniques were used to...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Foreign Countries, Career Development, Economic Development, Developing Nations,...
The article presents a comparative analysis of educational policy and provision in Sweden and Australia, with particular emphasis on the relative investment in continuing and further education in both countries. The authors investigate the extent to which further education opportunities provide a "second chance" at learning for adults and contribute to social and economic capital. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)
Topics: ERIC Archive, Adult Education, Foreign Countries, Comparative Analysis, Educational Opportunities,...
In examining recruitment and retention of teachers in rural areas, David Monk begins by noting the numerous possible characteristics of rural communities--small size, sparse settlement, distance from population concentrations, and an economic reliance on agricultural industries that are increasingly using seasonal and immigrant workers to minimize labor costs. Many, though not all, rural areas, he says, are seriously impoverished. Classes in rural schools are relatively small, and teachers tend...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Teacher Recruitment, Teacher Competencies, Teaching Skills, Geographic Location,...
Eric Hanushek and Steven Rivkin examine how salary and working conditions affect the quality of instruction in the classroom. The wages of teachers relative to those of other college graduates have fallen steadily since 1940. Today, average wages differ little, however, between urban and suburban districts. In some metropolitan areas urban districts pay more, while in others, suburban districts pay more. But working conditions in urban and suburban districts differ substantially, with urban...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Teacher Qualifications, Teaching Conditions, Teacher Salaries, Student Problems,...
This article examines several questions related to the faculty shortage in special education. Using California as a case, the authors address these questions: (1) What were the personal and professional characteristics of current special education faculty preparing special education credential and doctoral candidates?; (2) What were the anticipated needs for special education faculty, statewide, over the next five years?; (3) How many special education doctoral candidates were being prepared in...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Doctoral Programs, Special Education, State Surveys, Teacher Shortage, Special...
Nothing more than rote knowledge can be expected when methods of assessment tend to encourage students to memorize and discourage students from achieving deep understanding. A challenge in teacher education is to develop instructional practices that integrate theories of learning and instruction with practical pedagogical skills. In this article, the authors present a study which measured the extent to which students from an educational psychology course learned from activities that required...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Preservice Teacher Education, Constructivism (Learning), Teacher Characteristics,...
This article links student and family characteristics, along with perceived purposes for doing homework, to homework emotion management as reported by 205 high school students in grades 9-10. The results revealed that adolescents' management of their emotions was not related to grade level and amount of parental education. However, girls and students who received family help reported more frequently monitoring and controlling their emotions. In addition, intrinsic reasons and extrinsic reasons...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Homework, Emotional Response, Family Characteristics, Grade 9, Grade 10, High School...
One of the most serious problems plaguing in the field of gifted education is the need for the development of appropriate programs and identification procedures for gifted and talented students from different culturally and diverse backgrounds. Therefore, there has been increased attention and efforts devoted to the academic needs of gifted and talented children from different culturally and diverse backgrounds. One impediment to good teacher judgment about gifted and talented but culturally...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Social Class, Stereotypes, Academically Gifted, Teacher Attitudes, Referral, Special...
The purpose of this study was to describe the ambulatory physical activity of a sample of college students. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in which students (N = 441; males: n = 204, age = 20.20 plus or minus 1.99, BMI = 25.19 plus or minus 4 kg/m[superscript 2]; females: n = 237, age = 19.92 [plus or minus] 1.64, BMI = 22.91 plus or minus 3.2 kg/m[superscript 2]) wore an accelerometer, with cycle mode enabled, during all waking hours for 7 consecutive days. The independent...
Topics: ERIC Archive, College Students, Physical Activities, Physical Activity Level, Life Style, Health...
The purpose of this study was to assess physical activity levels and the relationships between activity and personal characteristics among a cohort of college students and to determine personal characteristics that predict activity. A sample of 1,700 undergraduates was mailed a survey that requested demographic information and assessed health behaviors including self-reported physical activity. Of the 1,575 successfully mailed, a total of 903 completed questionnaires were received--a response...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Undergraduate Students, Physical Activities, Physical Activity Level, Health...
By better understanding differences in health-risk behaviors among youth in rural, suburban and urban communities, health educators and other public health practitioners can more appropriately focus prevention and health care programs. In this study, we examined data from the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) to determine whether alcohol-related risk behaviors among students are associated with population density. We found that in 2003, only driving after drinking alcohol varied by...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Urban Areas, Suburbs, Place of Residence, Public Health, Health Behavior, At Risk...
Back in 1978 when the author was a young lobbyist in Washington, D.C., she recalls a presentation about the demographic change that would reshape the United States over the following 25 years. Whites would no longer make up the majority of the population, and the speaker talked of a "minority majority." The changes that were forecast were dramatic but not imminent, so the talk received very little attention. Now, 25 years later, demographic projections still don't draw much attention....
Topics: ERIC Archive, Out of State Students, Higher Education, Demography, High School Graduates, College...
The author relates that she was an introvert child. It has always taken her time and energy to find her place in a group. As a grown-up, she still needed quiet time to regroup during a busy day. In this article, the author presents an interview with Marti Olsen Laney, author of "The Hidden Gifts of the Introverted Child." During the interview, Olsen talked about how temperament plays out in the classroom, why everyone needs a quiet corner, and what the quietest kids on a class roster...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Personality Traits, Interpersonal Relationship, Classroom Environment, Teacher Role,...
This article is part of a yearlong series that will more closely examine the recommendations made in ACTE's postsecondary reform position statement and highlight best practices for implementing each of the recommendations. The sixth recommendation in ACTE's postsecondary reform position statement is to increase financial support for low-income students. Cost barriers and the absence of strategies to increase financial aid often result in fewer opportunities for all students to access...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Postsecondary Education, Student Financial Aid, Vocational Education, Grants, Low...
This paper presents the findings of a qualitative research project, part of a doctoral thesis, which examines the impact of university study on a group of 20 female and male mature-age students at the University of Newcastle, Australia, who have entered university via a non-traditional pathway. These students are in the second to final years of their undergraduate degree programs and have all faced significant hurdles in gaining university entrance and continuing with their studies. The...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Higher Education, Foreign Countries, Student Experience, Genealogy, Nontraditional...
This study describes the characteristics, enrollment, and completion rates of students with disabilities and the support services they received over a three-year period. Between 1998 and 2001 a total of 604 students with disabilities enrolled in undergraduate courses at Athabasca University, which represents 1.5% of the student population. More than half (52%) had a physical disability, 20% had a learning disability, 20% had a psychological disability, 4% had some form of visual impairment, and...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Distance Education, Student Characteristics, Enrollment Rate, Graduation Rate,...
This paper examines the progress of one state in implementing the middle school concept. Results of a survey distributed in 1990 were compared to results of a similar survey distributed in the spring of 2004. Progress or the lack thereof has been noted. Implications from this survey can serve to heighten awareness and continue to improve the quality of middle level education. (Contains 1 figure and 10 tables.)
Topics: ERIC Archive, Middle Schools, Comparative Analysis, Educational Quality, Educational Improvement,...
In this manuscript, the author explores the question, What does research suggest for middle level readers? To answer it, she conducts a synthesis of empirical studies published between 1990 and 2001 that appeared in journals linked to the author's professional membership (i.e., "Research in Middle Level Education" ("RMLE"), "Reading Research Quarterly" ("RRQ"), "Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy" ("JAAL"), "American...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Reading Research, Reading Instruction, Middle School Students, Early Adolescents,...
With the mandate of "No Child Left Behind," high-stakes achievement testing is firmly in place in every state. The few studies that have explored the effectiveness of high-stakes testing using NAEP scores have yielded mixed results. This study considered state demographic characteristics for each NAEP testing period in reading, writing, mathematics, and science from 1992 through 2002, in an effort to examine the relation of high-stakes testing policies to achievement and changes in...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Federal Legislation, Academic Achievement, High Stakes Tests, Standardized Tests,...
This study investigated the kinds of dialogic behavior engaged in by students while studying a difficult physics course at the Open University, UK. Research objectives were twofold: (1) to document what dialogue types, mediated through which resources, were utilized by students to overcome conceptual difficulties that emerged while reading the course materials and while solving difficult Tutor Marked Assignments and (2) to correlate dialogic behaviors with several student attributes (age,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Physics, Open Universities, Distance Education, Educational Technology, College...
As students increasingly opt for online classes, it becomes more important for administrators to predict levels of potential academic success. This study examined the intrinsic factors of emotional intelligence (EI) and personality to determine the extent to which they predict grade point average (GPA), a measure of academic success, among students attending community college. Stepwise multiple regression revealed that EI emerged as the most significant direct predictor of GPA. The addition of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Emotional Intelligence, Predictor Variables, Academic Achievement, Online Courses,...
Using a qualitative study of distance education (DE) learners whose parents have not accessed post-secondary education (PSE), this paper proposes themes for further research in the study of first-generation students (FGS). This survey asked a number of open-ended questions about parental influences on university enrollment, and respondents' reasons for choosing university in general and DE in particular. Findings were consistent with current research in many areas focusing on debt aversion,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Qualitative Research, Distance Education, First Generation College Students, Higher...
Courses that interfere with undergraduate students' persistence are barriers that appear all along the undergraduate continuum. Supplemental Instruction (SI) may contribute to students' achievement in a barrier course and, therefore, to their persistence in their academic program. The purpose of this single-case descriptive study was to explore student and instructor perceptions of SI in an upper-level chemistry course with a reputation for being a barrier to academic success. The case study...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Undergraduate Students, Academic Persistence, Barriers, Supplementary Education,...
A model for an inclusive approach to the identification of challenges to blended learning as a means to identify educational accessibility issues is presented. By focusing on both the learner and teacher perspectives, the model encompasses a broad range of factors, including learner characteristics, learning and teaching environments, interactions and activities. The proposed model provides a starting point for the identification of challenges to learning from a socio-cultural perspective...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Teaching Methods, Models, Student Characteristics, Student Attitudes, Teacher...
This paper is concerned with the pathways students take through their studies at university. A critique of current research demands a fresh approach to explaining student progression, in particular within Australian higher education. To date, theories of student progression commonly consider the fit of the person to the university environment within one rather homogeneous socio-cultural milieu. Socio-ecological approaches provide a new, more appropriate framework for investigating the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Undergraduate Students, Higher Education, Student Characteristics, Foreign Countries,...
The purposes of this study were to investigate female juvenile delinquents and at-risk girls' perceptions of their new school experience at a residential alternative education program in Singapore. Participants' views about the three key components of the alternative school are presented. Student characteristics and services offered at the school are also included. Implications and suggestions are made for the planning and implementation of effective programs and services for girls engaged in...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Nontraditional Education, Delinquency, Females, Early Adolescents, Foreign Countries,...
Effective schools should be superior in both enhancing students' achievement levels and reducing the gap between high- and low-achieving students in the school. However, the focus has been placed mainly on schools' achievement levels in most school effect studies. In this article, we focused our attention upon the school-specific achievement dispersion as well as achievement level in determining effective schools. The achievement dispersion in a particular school can be captured by...
Topics: ERIC Archive, High Achievement, Achievement Gap, School Effectiveness, Outcomes of Education,...
The discrepancies between test-based and teacher-based criteria of high achievement are well-documented for students of all ages. This study seeks to determine whether certain high school students who score high on tests of academic achievement are more likely than others to be nominated for advanced academic programs by their teachers. Using Gagne's Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent as a guide, this study focused on three categories of correlates: social perceptions, individual...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Self Efficacy, High Achievement, Academic Achievement, Student Motivation,...
This qualitative case study looks at a former art student from a working-class suburban family who had been identified as gifted and talented in the visual arts at a very young age. This case study follows the Hurwitz and Day (1991) descriptive criteria for identifying gifted children and the characteristics for their artwork by gathering data from listening to the responsive memories of an adult artist prompted by the criteria outlined in "Children and Their Art: Methods for the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Art Teachers, Visual Arts, Academically Gifted, Ability Identification, Art...