The correlation between three conceptions of social presence (seen as 1. a subjective quality of a medium that determines the quality of the communication and perception of others, 2. self-projection onto the group, and 3. identification with the group) and different aspects of perceived learning in online discussion groups were tested. Six…

Several studies indicate that students who are involved in extracurricular activities during college are more academically successful than are those who are not; however, most studies do not distinguish between different types of activities nor do they adequately consider the unique experiences of under-represented college students. Drawing on…

Numerous stereotypes exist regarding race and gender, and while all are difficult to eradicate, one still regnant throughout society is the notion that females are not as capable as males within the fields of math and science. In order to expose this belief as faulty, an in depth literature review was initiated, with special attention being placed…

The present research provides evidence that attribution theory can serve as an explanatory framework not only to explain achievers' reactions to their achievement based on their self generated understandings of what brought these achievements about but also when such information is provided by others. Thus, when we succeed at school, others may…

This study set out to examine children's notions of the malleability of their academic competencies and the relations of these notions to the child's grade-level and gender and the parent's educational level. In interviews of a total of 103 boys and girls of the third and the sixth grade, children of academically and vocationally educated parents…

The present study experimentally examined how counselor perceptions of hypothetical students are affected by student gender and socioeconomic status (SES). Results showed that counselors perceive students from low SES backgrounds as having less promising futures and lower math abilities. Counselors also rated female students as lower in math…

We examined the impact of disability status on disciplinary sanctioning of a student committing a minor versus severe behavioral infraction. We used the status liability hypothesis as a framework. This hypothesis suggests that individuals with a higher personal status receive sanctioning differentially based on the severity of offense.…

We examined the effects of professor reputation versus first impressions on student evaluations of instruction. Students in 19 Psychology courses completed course evaluation surveys either before meeting the instructor or 2 weeks into the semester. Both groups then completed the course evaluation again at the end of the semester. Unlike…

We review the debate over behavior, gender and classroom placement in ability groups for kindergartners. Using vignettes we vary children's gender in three ways; male, female, or unspecified gender and also describe them as behaving well, average, or misbehaving. Our aim is to probe how much gender and behavior matter with respect to mock reading…

Racial asymmetry, the circumstance of having a teacher's race differ from that of his or her student's race, is often considered important because most Black students are taught by White teachers. This paper analyzes data from a nationally representative sample of students and teachers to ascertain the extent to which Black and White teachers…

Conventional wisdom in much of the educational and psychological literatures states that the ethnic and racial identity of African American students is related to their academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine whether ethnic identity and anti-white attitudes predicted the academic achievement of African American students at…

Discusses current technology standards for teacher preparation programs. Describes the standards, performance profile, and statement of basic principles/actions developed by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE). Addresses the program standards developed by…

Focuses on how teacher educators can promote information literacy in social studies methods courses. Discusses topics searching and researching as a key to information literacy, antidotes for plagiarism, the use of databases, spreadsheets, and word processing, and transferring files over the Internet. (CMK)

Highlights online resources to promote civic action. Provides annotations for each web site in six categories: (1) health and human services; (2) professional organizations; (3) human rights resources; (4) child advocacy education; (5) Internet safety for children; and (6) child advocacy networks. (CMK)

Explores the use of collaborative education that is defined as "teachers and students in remote locations using technology to interact and learn from one another." Reports on the experience of using collaborative education technologies between two social studies preservice classes, focusing on the information students found in answering seven core…