Describes a study of freshman science majors (n=50) that explores the role of higher-order cognitive skills examinations in identifying misconceptions in chemistry. Discusses the use of such examinations in remediation via appropriate modification of teaching strategies. Contains 37 references. (DDR)

Report of a cross-sectional study designed to establish conceptions of physical science held by registered nurses (n=162) in their clinical practice. Findings indicate that the conceptions held by the nurses were not adequate to allow them to fulfill their roles. Contains 27 references. (DDR)

Provides the results of a survey administered to high school students (n=379) in which they select the most and least preferred out of 6 learning situations. Results indicate that student preferences are largely influenced by their perceptions of the relevance and the psychological effects which such contexts would have. Contains 20 references.…

Reports on a study in which a teacher used the collaborative development of a format-free computer database to facilitate the construction of knowledge by a group of students (n=3) during a science project. Results indicate that knowledge construction is enhanced when children collaboratively develop a format-free database. Contains 27 references.…

A study compared states' approaches to pricing and discounting, via student aid, of undergraduate education. Results suggest that region, social and economic resources, and postsecondary governance arrangements each have distinctive connections to the nature of state tuition and aid policies. Of particular interest were results relating to…

A longitudinal study examined the impact of undergraduate study on 3,942 arts and sciences students, as measured by change in their freshman and senior ratings of four Clark-Trow "educational philosophies": vocational, academic, collegiate, and nonconformist. Results indicated significant increases in academic and nonconformist philosophies,…

A national study of university economics faculty (n=343) examined the relationship between self-reported research output and teaching evaluation scores. Findings indicated a very weak relationship between research productivity and classroom performance, but institutional and individual characteristics seemed to explain some differences. Faculty…

A study investigated the extent to which personality traits associated with teaching effectiveness changed with aging, mediating the relationship between age and teaching. Peer ratings of 29 personality traits and student evaluations of teaching for 33 full-time psychology faculty, ages 33-64, were examined. Teaching effectiveness was found to be…

A study compared the teaching behaviors of University of Tel Aviv (Israel) physics and chemistry faculty over two consecutive years, at mid- and end-semester. Findings indicate a high degree of stability in behaviors over time, with no clear-cut improvement during a semester except for faculty undertaking special instructional improvement…

Review of 19 case studies of gender inequity in faculty salaries found inappropriate application of statistical procedures. An alternative, seven-step procedure for salary modeling and testing allegations of salary discrimination is outlined and applied in a case study of 725 faculty. (MSE)

A study of 443 college faculty in English, biology, mathematics, and psychology in 163 institutions found gender, discipline, and some contextual variables to be the most significant predictors of faculty teaching paradigms. In addition, teaching paradigms were reflected in the frequencies of instructional behaviors reported by the faculty…

A study of 4,687 White, Black, Asian, and Hispanic students at four highly selective colleges found Blacks often entered with strong science interest but had the highest attrition from sciences; Asians had the lowest attrition rate, and Whites and Hispanics neared the average rate of 40%. Ability and achievement variables were also studied. (MSE)

A study of construct validity of the eight Quality of Effort scales resulting from the Community College Student Experiences Questionnaire in its 1990-94 administrations found the scales can be used to make valid and reliable inferences regarding students' efforts and involvement, and the validity is not conditional on vocational or transfer…

A study of 2,392 freshman in 23 diverse two- and four-year colleges in 16 states found a number of variables associated with students' internal attribution at the end of the first college year. Variables included college type (two- vs. four-year), exposure to postsecondary education, work responsibilities, course organization, instructional…

A study of adjustment of Latino college freshmen and sophomores used data from a longitudinal survey and a questionnaire on student adaptation to college. Results show that dimensions of the campus climate and common transitional experiences affect all forms of student adjustment in the first year. Implications are found for further college…