The West Virginia School Building Authority has arbitrarily emphasized economies of scale as a requirement for statewide facilities funding. This requirement has forced consolidation in sparsely populated areas with resultant "diseconomies of scale" related to transportation costs, increased dropout rates, and decreased parental and community…

Focuses on common issues of program access, quality, relevance, and sustainability in providing education to rural women, particularly in India. Addresses familial, sociocultural, individual, and institutional factors that constrain female educational attainment. A study in Madhya Pradesh, India, provides insight on form, content, and operation of…

Researchers from four projects with a problem-solving approach to teaching and learning multidigit number concepts and operations describe a common framework of conceptual structures children construct for multidigit numbers, and categories of methods children devise for multidigit addition and subtraction. Conceptions include unitary, decade and…

Presents longitudinal analyses of the mathematical achievement and beliefs of three groups of elementary pupils. The groups were designated according to those students who had received two years of problem-centered mathematics instruction, those who had received one year, and those who had received textbook instruction. Results indicate that the…

Studies the developmental process of how the concepts of ratio and proportion do not develop in isolation, but rather are part of the individual's multiplicative conceptual field, which includes other concepts such as multiplication, division, and rational numbers. Follows one fifth-grade student as he attempts to schematize his…

Describes a study that explores the perceptions that children (N=36) have about what it means to engage in mathematics. The study, which took place in reform-minded classrooms, concludes that children have a variety of perceptions and most do not feel that success is determined by speed and accuracy. Contains 20 references. (DDR)

Describes a study designed to assess the magnitude of the relationship between attitude toward mathematics and achievement in mathematics. The study employs a meta-analysis to integrate and summarize the findings from primary studies (N=113). Contains 81 references. (DDR)

Describes a study of preservice teachers (N=30) that provides confirming evidence that students usually use two rational number operator constructs. Discusses the cognitive models of the students' strategies and the notational system used as an analytical tool. Contains 22 references. (DDR)

Describes a study of third-grade students (N=38) that investigates the development of linear measurement concepts. Three levels of strategies were identified: visual guessing, hash marks, and no physical partitioning. Students who connected numeric and spatial representations proved to be the better problem solvers. Contains 22 reference. (DDR)

Describes a study that investigated probabilistic intuitions held by students (N=98) from grade 7 through college through the use of a questionnaire. Of the misconceptions that were investigated, availability was the only one that was stable across age groups. Contains 20 references. (DDR)

Surveys of and interviews with year-12 students in Northern Ireland over 10 years examined the impact of government science education policy by noting student participation in advanced science courses. Overall, the number of boys taking advanced courses decreased and the number of girls increased. Students retained certain stereotyped views of…

Discusses the boycott of meetings in California by the College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA) of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) because of the passage of Proposition 187. Uses the decision for the boycott as a means to explore the notions of democracy, citizenship, and citizenship education. (CMK)

Examines the professional development opportunities that accompanied the New York State social studies draft framework to explore: (1) the range of opportunities teachers had to learn about the framework; (2) the content and instruction of these opportunities; and (3) teachers' responses to the framework and professional development opportunities.…

Addresses why Charles Beard's reputation as a historian deteriorated, provides information on his life, and discusses his conceptions of history. Considers Beard's notions of social studies education, focusing on his ten social goals, the 12 characteristics of the "individual side" of social studies, and his proposed curricular plan. (CMK)

Argues that because democracy, education, and discussion are interrelated and seek to promote human growth, ways must be found to involve children and adults in frequent discussions. Focuses on democratic education, including the barriers, functions of discussion, and dispositional ideals for classroom members. Concludes that discussion is an…