College students' responses to a survey that was part of the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 are compared; specifically, South Carolina students' responses are compared with those of students in North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. The findings show that the South Carolina group differed in a number of ways: a…

This article reports on the results of a study which investigated advanced Cantonese English as a Second Language (ESL) learners' use of a monolingual dictionary for determining the meanings of familiar English words used in less familiar contexts. Thirty-two university English majors in Hong Kong participated in a dictionary consultation task,…

Teacher knowledge of science content is an important but under-studied construct. A curricular and professional development intervention consisting of a fifth grade science curriculum, teacher workshops, and school site support was studied to determine its effect on teachers' science content knowledge as measured by a science knowledge test,…

Describes a multiple-choice story-writing technique that students use to create a character and that provides insight into an author's problem of character development. (MKM)

A study designed to assess the academic performance of native and transfer students in the upper division of the University of Florida was launched to analyze and compare grade point averages, attrition rates, and progress towards graduation of various groups admitted to the program and to determine whether previous academic performance is related…

Suggests lecturing on subject matter as a still legitimate and viable means of teaching. (MKM)

Composition instruction in Japan's two-year colleges must build on the English learned in earlier education and undo the problems created by the grammar-translation method. In addition, it must often develop creativity and critical-thinking skills not commonly taught in the Japanese educational system. One teacher's approach is to stress…

Describes an exercise using gravestone rubbings that help students organize data and think inductively. (AEA)

Suggests an approach to writing introductory paragraphs that is really a tool for revision. Describes how students can discover their own truths concerning why they are writing a particular essay. Notes that, once these truths are found, meaningful revision (and introductory paragraph writing) can occur. (RS)

Discusses how teachers can identify those students at risk of suicide and suggests ways of offering sources of hope to students. (MG)

Describes a step-by-step procedure for helping students analyze poems. (MKM)

Advocates fostering student writers' best efforts by creating ungraded, high word volume writing courses. (CRH)

Suggests teaching remedial composition students to use visual clues--markings and locational indicators--to analyze sentences and eliminate recurring grammatical errors. (AEA)

Describes several diagnostic tools used to determine specific problems of students referred to a writing lab, including structured interviews, protocols (asking a student to compose aloud for 15 to 20 minutes on a short topic), and back-pedaling (questioning what a student already knows about a given topic). (AEA)