Reports on a case study of formative evaluation of the materials and procedures used in a distance-learning French-language course. Identifies and evaluates key teaching design features of the draft audiovisual and print packages. Discusses teaching design in relation to revisions made to the course materials. (CFR)

Addresses one of three major challenges facing distance education--its claimed overreliance on behaviorist approaches to teaching and learning. Maintains that distance learning encourages students to review their own learning approaches and to be more proactive about their study methods. (CFR)

Maintains that open and distance education represents contemporary education forms that respond to the shift to late-modernity, especially in educational technology and student-teacher relationships. Drawing on the work of Anthony Giddens, uncovers relationships among distance education, late-modernity, and the self. (CFR)

Examines the musical compositions of Australian children ages seven and nine years to discover the nature of their melodic and rhythmic representations. Finds that older children created more compositions of higher stages of complexity. Reports that girls produced a greater percentage of compositions assigned to the highest stages. (CFR)

Reports on a study of the effects of competency-based self- analysis of videotaped rehearsals by inservice music teachers. Examines the patterns of task presentation, student response, and immediate teacher feedback. Finds that research-based teaching techniques significantly increased teacher use of complete sequential patterns. (CFR)

Describes a study of the content of 180 stringed-instrument preservice teacher education programs. Reports statistically significant findings for different regions of the country, with North Central division institutions requiring the greatest number of separate string technique and methods courses. (CFR)

This paper traces the development of the Protestant day-school movement, examining its present day status as a rapidly growing phenomenon in American education and delineating some of the issues that must be addressed if such schools are to successfully negotiate the path toward excellence. (Author/SM)

This study surveyed 201 teachers in schools belonging to the American Association of Christian Schools to identify the greatest problems within the conservative Christian school movement. Teachers cited salaries as the most pressing problem, followed by difficulties in school administration/operation and concerns about spirituality. (SM)

Interviews with 10 adults who were home-educated as children explored their past and current lives to determine how much they may have been deprived or enabled by their experiences. Subjects reflected positively on their home education and present occupations. Many shared a sense of moral purpose and spirituality. (SM)

Essential aspects of a linkage model for rural development and extension are an umbrella organization representing subcommunities and having overall coordination responsibility and program development committees. Principles include the following: development is about self-help; degree of community participation determines effectiveness; and…

As Irish farm households face difficulty remaining viable, the state-funded agricultural advisory service is beginning to charge for services and is suffering from a hiring freeze. Other rural development extension services are emerging and the role of traditional extension is being reevaluated. (SK)

Case studies from Dutch horticulture projects are used to evaluate the concepts of projects, planning, participation, and platforms. The artificiality of project boundaries and shortcomings of planning models and participatory approaches are addressed. Suggestions include choosing intervention boundaries that reflect reality in terms of time,…

Global restructuring trends in geopolitical, economic, cultural, social, environmental, and communications domains necessitate reordered priorities for higher agricultural education. Changes are needed in terms of target audience, content, institutional management, professionalization, and strategic planning. (SK)

Adoption of a learning-to-learn perspective in secondary agricultural education is affected by school policy, inservice training, and teachers' professional orientation. School management and policy must reflect the perspective that fostering the quality of students' independent learning is the central mission. School organizations should become…

Post-baccalaureate student teachers (n=130) in an agricultural certificate program were tested on technical knowledge and evaluated by cooperating teachers. Animal science and agricultural education majors scored significantly lower on plant and soil science than did other majors. Cooperating teachers perceived differences between major and…