The literature on school vandalism is reviewed, emphasizing strategies found successful in reducing school vandalism. It is interpreted in terms of three ideological orientations: conservative, liberal, and radical. Action research approach, which continually assesses strategy effects on a specific school system, is recommended for future…

A complex interactional model of classroom factors that contribute to the development of students' self-evaluations is presented. Factors described are: (1) task structure; (2) grouping practices; (3) feedback and evaluation procedures and information about ability; (4) motivational strategies; (5) locus of responsibility for learning; and (6) the…

A dozen schemes proposing to classify research questions are surveyed, analyzed, and applied to the understanding and practice of inquiry. The extent to which these schemes account for questions found in educational journals is estimated. Principles and issues are identified to stimulate work on the classification of research questions. (Author/BS)

Cognitive theories of problem solving and cognitive psychologists' suggestions for teaching problem solving are reviewed. Theories and suggestions from creativity research are also considered. How high proficiency levels in problem solving are acquired and how best to teach problem-solving skills (for both well- and ill-structured problems) are…

Results from a meta-analysis of 26 controlled studies on the effects of accelerated instruction on elementary and secondary school students are presented. The examination performance of accelerates surpassed the performance of equivalent age and intelligence nonaccelerates and equalled the performance of same-grade but older, talented…

Research focusing on the construct validation of self-concept (SC) within an educational framework is reviewed. Studies are categorized as within-network research and between-network research and further classified by methodological procedures. Although relationships among self-concept facets and academic achievement have been found, an overall SC…

The characteristics and educational needs of adult students, who now outnumber traditional college-age students, are described. Nontraditional baccalaureate degree programs, such as external degree programs, designed to accommodate adult needs, are discussed. Developments within the military and within academic institutions to promote programs for…

Experienced teachers (n=202) enrolled in graduate courses were characterized as externals or internals using Rotter's I-E Locus of Control Scale. Response choices of solutions employing intrinsic or extrinsic motivation for academic and conduct problem vignettes were analyzed. Results support a positive relation between externality and extrinsic…

The convergent and discriminant validity of common measures of three faculty competence attributes (teaching, research, and service) were investigated using multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) matrix analysis. Three different measures for each component were collected on 57 college professors. Results distinguished the three hypothesized components, but…

The institutional benefits or payoffs of teacher centers were investigated for accreditation agencies, parents/community, teacher organizations, school systems, state educational agencies, and colleges. Responses of 56 professional educators viewed benefits for all institutions in terms of immediate teacher needs rather than long-range benefits.…

Goodman's logit analysis (the simplest form of log-linear models) was used with hypothetical school survey data to analyze and predict teachers' attitudes toward proficiency tests. Logit analysis can estimate the "main effects" and "interaction effects" of categorical explanatory variables on dichotomous-dependent variables in evaluation studies.…

Differences in the mastery motivation levels and approval needs of children, ages four and eight, were investigated. Two groups of 32 children each worked on puzzle tasks in one of two conditions: (1) verbal reinforcement or (2) nonreinforcement. Younger children needed more reinforcement than older children. (Author/BS)

To increase student success in technical content area reading, the reading abilities of l,027 students and the readability levels of ll0 textbooks were evaluated at a California community college. Results indicated a significant portion of students were reading more than two years below the level of currently used texts. (Author/BS)

A group of elementary and secondary suburban school teachers were administered a Likert-type Teacher Attitude Survey to assess the sources and extent of satisfaction, stress, and burnout. Satisfaction resulted from experiences that made teachers feel sensitive to and involved with students and colleagues. Excessive paperwork and unsuccessful…

The necessity for developing computational estimation procedures has resulted from an increased availability of calculators and microcomputers in the classroom. This article reports on a study of middle school students who were given computational problems to estimate and explain how answers were obtained. Results are discussed. (Author/DF)