A study of 71 individuals with specific learning disabilities and moderate to high vocational success revealed commonalities in the ways they were able to achieve, including a strong desire for success, goal orientation, ability to interpret the disability experience, persistence, selection of an appropriate work environment, learned creativity,…

The effects of teaching with analogies on students' conceptual understanding and explanations of educational computing were examined with three groups of preservice teachers in a computer literacy course. Students who were taught using complete analogies were found to have a better grasp of computing concepts than those taught using undeveloped…

Compares the performance of education undergraduates with high or low spatial-skill scores who learned how to calculate surface area using hypertext, computer-assisted instruction, conventional paper materials, or program control. Results are reported for misconceptions, correct problems, time on lesson, enjoyment rating, screens viewed, and…

Synthesized speech was added to a word processor used by children in grades two and five. Each student wrote four stories on a microcomputer and received spoken feedback on two of them. It was found that students wrote longer stories, edited more, and enjoyed writing more with the spoken feedback. (24 references) (LAE)

Computer-assisted advising can be an effective support for conventional academic advising. A shell-based expert system allows computer-assisted advising without automated student records, because students maintain and input their own records into the system. The Expert System for Advising Undergraduates (ESAU) used in the management department of…

Studied correlations between self-reported alcohol and marijuana use by college students (n=557) and peer and parental alcohol use, family alcohol abuse, and legalization attitudes. Major predictors for alcohol use were maternal alcohol use followed by peer use. Major predictors for marijuana use were desire for legalization followed by peer use…

Surveyed 528 high school teachers to evaluate adolescent substance-abuse prevention/intervention program. Found that Project Impact was successful in achieving goals; findings suggest greater self-efficacy in trained teachers compared to non-Impact trained teachers. Trained teachers were significantly more likely to have provided drug education to…

Examined social effects of heavy drinking. In study 1, 44 participants disfavored heavy drinkers as dating and marriage prospects. In study 2, 29 persons who disfavored heavy drinkers gave reasons. In study 3, findings from 94 persons revealed that degree of endorsement of reasons from study 2 correlated with degree of preference for dating and…

Administered questionnaire on drinking attitudes and behaviors to Australian undergraduates (n=167). Compared to students in United States, Israel, and Singapore, Australian students expressed highest level of concern that they may have drinking problem. Australians reported mixing drinking and driving at relatively high level, although not to…

Examined rates of steroid use among Ontario adolescent students. Findings from 3,892 students revealed that 1.1 percent reported using steroids over past year. Steroid users were significantly more likely to use stimulants, caffeine, and relaxants than were nonsteroid users. Demographically, steroid users were significantly more likely to be male…

Categorized 179 college students as masculine, feminine, androgynous, or undifferentiated. Found gender orientations related to overall quantity-frequency index of alcohol consumption and beverage type. Androgynous respondents consumed less total alcohol than other groups; undifferentiated subjects drank more than feminine or androgynous subjects;…

Questioned 573 elementary students about alcohol/tobacco. Most said they would ask parents questions about alcohol and tobacco. Students were aware of reasons people used alcohol or tobacco but did not know harm involved in taking drugs. If offered beer or cigarettes, most said they would refuse. Noticeable increase in number who would accept…

Examined academic interventions provided for students considered at risk for academic failure and explored how drug and alcohol use increased these students' potential for failure. Findings from 348 tenth graders revealed that substance-misusing students were placed at greater academic risk than comparable group of nonusers despite receiving more…

Explored connotative meanings of alcohol, cocaine, hashish, and marijuana among 29 Indonesian and U.S. graduate students. Found significant differences between groups on six adjective pairs for alcohol, four for marijuana, and three each for hashish and cocaine. Groups also differed in identification of substances as strong/weak,…

Prospectively evaluated identification of alcohol abusers by family practice residents in 278 family medicine inpatients. Overall, residents correctly identified 38.8 percent of current or past alcohol abusers and 94.8 percent of nonalcoholics. Correct diagnosis was unrelated to demographic factors, alcohol-related admission diagnosis, or years of…