Analysis of data on 230 Master's in Business Administration students at Indiana University (controlling for type of undergraduate program, undergraduate grade point average, and score on the Graduate Management Admission Test) found that prior work experience accounted for only a small proportion of variance in first-semester grades and was…

Reports on a case study of the transition from preservice to inservice science teaching. Describes four sets of overlapping areas that provide vantage points for the study. Three sets describe participating teacher experiences, and the fourth set describes researchers' developments. Discusses the differences between a person who is good at science…

Correlates the kinds of strategies associated with a deep approach to learning science. Analyzes the interactions of two groups of grade 8 students while they were engaged in hands-on science activities during instruction in a chemistry unit. Focuses on two students who showed a deep approach to learning. (Contains 47 references.) (Author/YDS)

Introduces a new curriculum framework that was developed and mandated for implementation in Western Australia. Documents the process by which a mandated set of core shared values were incorporated into a statement describing the science curriculum. Provides a re-analysis of some school science issues. (Contains 24 references.) (Author/YDS)

Questions whether self-assessment helps teachers develop new conceptual structures in the context of integrated science. Examined 22 inservice teachers with concept maps, interviews, and questionnaires while they used teaching materials for eight integrated topics in the German PING Project. Discusses the importance of using self-assessment to…

Young pupils find collaborative learning hard to sustain, even though it is recommended by developmental psychology and classroom intervention theories. Investigates the effect of two role attribution strategies on communication in peer groups of different gender composition in 8th grade science classes. Confirms the effectiveness of social role…

Presents a study of design questions that children ask as they work technologically in school. Discusses school aged children's technological work on "cubby building". Supports the view that children's design questions and briefs arise at various points throughout the lesson sequence, demonstrating the iterative nature of design, make, and…

Little research exists on the assessment of administrators' performance in higher education. The authors offer an evaluation model for assessing and monitoring the effectiveness of academic deans and directors, using generalizability theory as a basis for developing more accurate assessment procedures. (JM)

This study focuses on the correlates of student preference for private institutions over public institutions in their senior year in high school. Results indicate that students' subjective responses to tuition costs and to financial aid availability are directly related to student preference for a certain type of postsecondary institution. (JM)

This study examines the effects of peer groups on community college students' perceptions of general educational gains. Results support the strong relationships between the efforts that students expend in taking advantage of the opportunities provided by their colleges and their perceived gains in learning. (JM)

This article examines to what degree the desire for promotion motivates faculty to do research. Findings indicate that faculty who value promotion publish articles; faculty who want to demonstrate mastery of their disciplines publish books; and faculty who value personal income are more likely to seek and receive the National Science Council…

The responses of 1,012 baccalaureate graduates to a questionnaire survey one month following graduation were analyzed to determine the effectiveness of supplementary career preparation experiences. Effectiveness was defined as securing baccalaureate level employment. Work experience related to career goals was the only experience of universal…

Examines structural features of grade point averages (GPAs) and offers examples showing that GPAs cannot consistently determine class rank since class rank is sometimes permuted with arbitrary change of scale. Notes relativistic efforts to resolve inconsistencies are insufficient. Discusses the function of GPAs as predictors of academic…

A three-year longitudinal study surveyed newly hired faculty (n=259) at five higher education institutions concerning adjustment factors and research productivity. Results suggest that perceived control, the milieu of research-oriented institutions, and age (but not gender) are important predictors of faculty research productivity. (DB)

Presents a merit pay allocation model based on the principle of awarding comparable percentage salary increases to college/university faculty members with similar merit ratings. The model enables users to calculate merit pay amounts for individual faculty members in a systematic and efficient manner and can incorporate various policy directives…