Based on data from 472 Norwegian teachers, this study concludes that beginning teachers do not seem to perceive their problems significantly differently from more experienced teachers. These results may raise questions about the validity of claims that beginning to teach is a traumatic experience. (Author/LMO)

Swedish reform in higher education during 1950-1980 is presented in a time-line perspective. Different stages are discussed in relation to a technical, bureaucratic and social model of educational planning. An evaluation approach with a life-line methodology is presented as well as some results. (Author/LMO)

A number of research reports and meta analyses on student evaluation of college teaching were reviewed. Student ratings were found to be multidimensional, reliable, valid, and relatively unbiased. Results were useful for feedback, course selection, and personnel decisions. Marsh's Students' Evaluations of Educational Quality (SEEQ) was also…

This paper discusses competing norms for justifying actions and decisions in teaching and their effects on the enacted curriculum and teacher learning. Excerpts from interviews with 20 elementary school teachers are analyzed to identify teacher orientations and justifications. Role orientation is discussed in relation to productivity and…

In a study of sex differences in young children's drawings, 18- month-old children scribbled on sheets of paper with a preprinted circle in the middle. A computer-based analysis of 100 randomly-selected drawings revealed: (1) boys developed an apparent stronger graphic activity; and (2) girls concentrated and adjusted their movements to the…

An overview is presented of the current psychological and educational research on inductive reasoning. It focuses on the processes and skills underlying the solutions to inductive reasoning tasks. A short review is also presented on the research paradigms. The existence and nature of learning skills and relevant educational implications are…

Five subskills in learning to read are identified, and their place in the methods of teaching reading and their relations to each other are discussed. It is concluded that phonemic segmentation must be the most important and the most difficult task in learning to read. (Author/LMO)

Developmental strategies used in developing countries are discussed with a focus on education. Formal and nonformal education systems are assessed indicating that a shift has occurred in secondary and higher education away from economically-oriented approaches toward an emphasis on personal fulfillment and cultural identity. (TJH)

Forty-eight Norwegian kindergarten children (aged 3-6 years) drew pictures, wrote their names, and captioned pictures three times during one school year. Results of analyses of their language writing abilities showed strong age-related developmental trends. Classroom language/print environment was also evaluated. (TJH)

Causes of the low numbers of women choosing science-related educational tracks and careers were investigated, using quantitative survey data from the Norwegian Second International Science Study. The importance of the images of science and the scientist and strategies for encouraging women to pursue science careers are discussed. (TJH)

The contextual determination of cognitive activities was investigated in a primary school naturalistic experiment. Performance at a group level on an elementary arithmetic task is influenced by the immediate context. Use of analogies as heuristic aids and the functional meaning of the task as a pedagogical praxis are assessed. (TJH)

Ten Finnish children (aged 7-15 years) suffering from hemophilia or von Willebrand's disease were compared with 20 healthy schoolmates with reference to scholastic achievement and school absences. It appears that despite a greater number of absences, the children affected by the disease were doing relatively well in school. (TJH)

Eight and two months before their final exam, 252 undergraduates in Norway stated their expectations and hopes for examination grades. Correlations between expected and obtained grades were low. A shift from optimism to pessimism occurred. Results confirm the time horizon's crucial role in the prediction of academic achievement. (TJH)

On the basis of two-phase research conducted in Swedish-speaking elementary schools in Finland (N=348 students), the significance of cultural conditions, such as gender images and social background, was assessed in relation to language learning. Analysis using the Lisrel method indicates that social background influences learning of Finnish. (TJH)

Nine papers on the interrelationship between emotion, motivation, and learning are presented. Articles focusing on motivation were presented at the Second Conference of the European Association of Learning and Instruction in Tubingin, West Germany. Three other papers focus on anxiety, optimism-pessimism, stress, coping, and social support. (TJH)