This article synthesizes empirical studies of homework and various homework strategies on the academic achievement and attitudes of students. Findings are discussed. (Author/DF)

Anthropomorphism as a cue in word learning was investigated in relation to illustration and no-picture cue conditions in trials to criterion and word memory tasks with kindergarten children. Results are discussed. (Author/DF)

Take-home examinations were compared with in-class examinations to determine which was a more effective learning vehicle. Results suggest that in-class examinations produce a greater amount of study and learning by college students. (Author/DF)

Systematic main idea instruction was delivered to minority high school students while a control group received instruction in vocabulary development. Those students who received main idea instruction performed better at identifying explict and main ideas in paragraphs and at restating and summarizing. General comprehension performance was not…

Differences in interactions between two sets of fourth-grade teachers and their average reading groups immediately following the reading of a basal story were explored in this study. Results and hypotheses for further research are offered. (Author/DF)

This article traces the development of the concept and roles of literacy in Western civilization. Current concern about declining literacy in American students is discussed historically in terms of (1) rising literacy standards; (2) applying the standards and tastes of traditional elites to the larger population; and (3) the perennial…

This paper analyzes the teaching of reasoning and civility (citizenship) from the historical perspective of psychology. Three perspectives of human rationality--humans as rational, boundedly rational, and collectively rational--have differently defined the learner, the task, the teacher, and educational research. Unwillingness to address humans as…

Literacy, reasoning, and civility in education are discussed from the perspective of social organization and cultural patterning. Schools are part of the larger social environment and perpetuate social class and rank as well as teach the curriculum. Reforms should change the social relations between teachers and students as well as instructional…

Philosophical interest in reason is traced historically from its classical roots to its current context. While philosophic enquiry has had little discernable effect on what is happening in schools, educational philosophers should pose significant reflective questions to educators and help clarify the language of issues being discussed. (BS)

An economic viewpoint is applied to four educational issues in the acquisition of reasoning skills: (1) defining reasoning; (2) methods for producing and developing reasoning skills in the classroom; (3) how the economy allocates and values reasoning skills; and (4) future economic needs for reasoning skills. (BS)

Three research areas relevant to the relationship between writing and reasoning are reviewed: (1) cultural consequences of written language, including changes in reasoning ability; (2) individual consequences of particular writing experiences; and (3) the status of writing activities in American schools. Further research is needed to establish how…

The research and development of mental (standardized) testing and its relationship to educational practice is traced historically from its pre-World War I roots to its controversial national prominence in the 1970s. How standardized tests have been used in research and in schools is analyzed. (BS)

Although there is a renewed interest in having reasoning skills taught in schools, current methods of organizing, staffing, and governing classrooms retard the teaching of critical thought. The limited impact of progressive educational reforms, an earlier movement for critical thinking, is assessed. Needed policy and research directions to improve…

Major themes from the previous light articles on literacy, reasoning, and education are highlighted. Common inferences about the needs for organizational change, loosening of governmental rules and controls, and field-initiated research are described. The general exclusion of the affective domain from this discussions of higher order reasoning is…

The "understanding others" component of the Pennsylvania Educational Quality Assessment Inventory was analyzed for the academic years 1978-84. White students reported themselves as having more tolerance than black students in hypothetical school situations with regard to "differing others." Explanations based on historic patterns of discrimination…