Study of students (n=546) from two colleges found selective college students procrastinated more. Academic procrastination was motivated by task aversion at selective college, by fear of task failure at nonselective college. Nonselective college procrastinators more often used both legitimate and nonlegitimate excuses. Excuses were self-generated…

Ways in which specific pieces of scholarship can be useful to college and university administrators, planners, and policymakers are discussed. Five journal articles and portions of books on research universities, strategy-making for complex organizations, leadership, collegiality, and institutional research are examined in relation to how they…

Proposes a role for institutional research in changing institutional attitudes about priority placed on student retention efforts. Identifies organizational/attitudinal barriers to improving student retention efforts relative to theory on stages of grief (denial, hostility, bargaining, depression, acceptance); outlines tactics for moving the…

Research and teaching quality ratings have become established in the United Kingdom, influencing the level of government funding provided to higher education institutions. The correlation between the two indicators, and possible consequences of policies that reshape the higher education sector by concentrating research resources in a limited…

A study measured the financial, personnel, and academic dimensions of state regulation at 122 public universities, and examined how university and state characteristics affect regulatory climate and administrative flexibility. It also analyzed the dimensions of administrator satisfaction in 12 specific administrative positions in relation to…

A study of 334 colleges and universities found institutions with declining resources are as effective as institutions with abundant resources. However, institutions that develop certain attributes (centralization, crisis mentality, lowered innovation, resistance to change, decreasing morale, politicized interest groups, non-prioritized cutbacks,…

Simple comparisons of average salaries for junior and senior faculty can not indicate whether the differential is declining, because there is no standard for comparison. A simple five-step regression analysis procedure is proposed to investigate salary compression. Analysis of 1990-91 faculty salary data for the University of Minnesota indicates…

This issue describes how researchers are studying ways to reduce the overrepresentation of students from minority backgrounds in special education. It begins by discussing problems associated with inappropriate classification and placement of minority students, including being denied access to the general education curriculum, being placed in…

This newsletter issue reviews the research and literature on issues and best practices in programs to facilitate the transition of students with disabilities to adult life. First, the definition of transition services under the 1997 Reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is presented and explained. Next, a…

Asserts that assessment tools created by instructors or counselors can be effective in exploring students' individual needs and providing a foundation for appropriate interventions. Presents a Student Information Sheet, which elicits basic information, and two measures created to explore academic self-concept and students' self-concept related to…

Asserts that in order for students to succeed in college English and composition as well as in other classes, there must be a learning pathway between the two curriculums. Developmental Education is the perfect setting for such a bridge. Describes a research project conducted to link university composition teachers with high school composition,…

The British Labour Government's New Deal, a welfare-to-work initiative, has received widespread media attention. Content analysis of press releases illustrates how the government has tried to shape media messages and public perceptions of welfare reform in its presentation of this program. (SK)

Interviews with 14 working-class women reentering education in Britain revealed common experiences of intimidation and inferiority. Although access programs aim to empower, their location in institutions based on racist, sexist, and classist traditions position such nontraditional students as illegitimate and inferior. (Contains 37 references.)…

Compares approaches to occupational analysis and develops a framework that identifies the role, skill, and function of each of the following dimensions: focus, conception of rationality, view of knowledge, concept of intelligence, learning process, individual/expertise relationship, enabling factors, psychological theory, model of social…

Analyzes 10 innovative training cases that use methods based on strong links between education and work. Formulates recommendations for the training of low-skilled adults. (SK)