Previous critical thinking studies dealt primarily with results of programs presented ancillary to academic subjects. Notable educators in the field have advocated for assessing efforts to infuse, through direct instruction, critical thinking skills and processes across the content areas. This study constitutes such an evaluation and demonstrates that infusion warrants further investigation. An extensive review of the literature pointed to agreement among educators as well as business leaders that improving the quality of student thinking is a fundamental objective as we prepare our students for the workplace of the twenty-first century. Students must be prepared to gather, evaluate and apply information for effective problem-solving. Two similar communities in a North Carolina school district were compared. One taught critical thinking via infusion; the other did not teach critical thinking. The researcher interviewed three teachers whose classes served as the experimental group. A post test survey was administered to teachers of the experimental group. Teachers' anecdotal comments suggested that learning was observed in the thinking skills taught and that the infused instruction strategy would be the one of choice for further instruction. An assessment instrument was developed in two forms, a pre and a post test format, and administered to students in experimental and control groups. Open-ended prompts were utilized for data collection and analysis. Direct instruction in decision-making and comparing and contrasting was presented to students in the experimental group. Rubrics were constructed so that raters could measure prompts holistically. A "t" test was performed and results were analyzed for gains. The difference between pre and post test decision-making scores was statistically significant at the.001 level. However, the difference between pre and post test compare and contrast scores was not statistically significant. Given the discrepancy between teacher testimony and experimental and control group achievement data, possible explanations were offered. Further study could include address additional variables, different modes of assessment, number and type of practice sessions between pre and post testing, comparison between results utilizing the direct infusion strategy versus add-on programming, expansion to other thinking skills, depth of internalization of learning, and teacher preparation and professional development opportunities.

This study examines the issue of educator power in the classroom and suggests a practical mechanism by which educators can reflect on their power use and develop a deeper consciousness of it in their teaching. A review of the literature conducted for this study revealed a gap in the discussion of educator power between the theoretical and practice-oriented literature bases. This study considers whether a comparable gap exists in actual practice and through phenomenological interviews investigates the perceptions of classroom power use for ten faculty in higher education. Through classroom observations, these perceptions are compared to classroom practices for all participants and gaps are seen for all ten participants. The theoretical frame of analysis for this study is drawn from the review of the educational literature including critical and feminist pedagogy, multicultural, social justice, humanistic, and teacher education, as well as faculty development and self awareness literatures. The examination of this literature highlights the areas of educator power presently underinvestigated in both theory and practice. Specifically, this review lead to the development of two models for understanding educator power: the Spheres of Educator Power and the Sites of Educator Power. The Spheres model is an organizational schema that groups educator power into three primary ‘spheres’, Public, Private and Intimate, with the bulk of the literature addressing the Public and the Private leaving the Intimate significantly underinvestigated. The Sites model further explores the Intimate Sphere and identifies seven fundamental sites of educator power in the classroom—social identity, teacher education programs, educational biography, personal history, content mastery, student abdication, and institutional conferrence. These two frames for understanding educator power, combined with the interview and observational results, are the foundation of an action—reflection model, the Power Praxis model, designed to assist educators in becoming more conscious of their use of power in the classroom. Rooted in the aforementioned literatures, it is believed that a deeper awareness of the use of educator power in the classroom as a result of this model will lead to a more empowering educational experience for both students and educators.

One fundamental purpose of American education is to provide an equal and quality education for all children. Unfortunately, evidence that schools are failing to meet this important challenge is abundant. One barrier to equal educational opportunity is the practice of ability grouping, which is widespread despite research showing that it does not consistently benefit any group of students and may be detrimental to students in lower-ability groups. Teachers favor ability grouping, but little is known about why. Two major research questions guide the present study: (1) How do Coalition elementary schools group students for instruction? (2) What do Coalition elementary school teachers perceive are the effects of existing grouping practices on student learning? The study employs qualitative research methods to describe the practices and perceptions of a particular group of principals and teachers in relation to school and classroom grouping. Data are drawn from 47 interviews with principals and teachers representing Grades K-6 in 12 elementary schools associated with the Coalition for School Improvement. Data show that principals in all 12 schools attempt to create heterogeneous classes. However, teachers create groups within classes to reduce the heterogeneity of student abilities in some subjects. Usually, reading is taught in ongoing, similar-ability groups. Most other lessons are introduced to entire classes and are followed by ad hoc similar-ability groups for a specific skill lesson or mixed-ability groups for peer tutoring or cooperative learning. Teachers defend similar-ability groups on instructional grounds, usually to maintain appropriate content and pace in reading and math. They defend mixed-ability groups because of social benefits to children, usually in science and social studies. Teachers' perceptions of groupings' effects on students' personal development are mixed. The study concludes that within-class ability groups operate with different learning conditions for different groups. Teachers hold unexamined assumptions and are remote from research linking grouping and student learning. Grouping decisions also are influenced by forces outside of teachers' control, including mandates, norms, and requirements

This was an exploratory study concerned with the identification of similarities and differences between 38 associate degree and 46 baccalaureate degree graduating nursing students in the application of the nursing process to a case study situation. Nursing competencies were identified from a review of the literature and served as the basis for the design of the Nursing Process Application Test. Eleven competencies were identified. Each competency had criteria to distinguish basic and advanced levels of competency. The test data were analyzed to determine whether there were any differences between the two groups of subjects regarding nursing process competencies. The similarities and differences between the two groups were also compared with the findings derived from the literature to determine whether the participants applied the steps of the nursing process in ways that were congruent with the competencies expected of graduates of associate degree and baccalaureate degree nursing education programs. Results of the study showed the following: (1) There were no significant differences between associate degree nurses and baccalaureate degree nurses for 16 of the 22 competencies tested. (2) Significant differences were identified for 6 of the basic and advanced competencies: the baccalaureate degree nurses scored significantly higher in five competencies--basic assessment, advanced nursing diagnosis, basic teaching, basic discharge planning, and basic identification of psychosocial needs; the associate degree nurses scored significantly higher in the advanced planning competency. (3) The associate degree nurses and baccalaureate degree nurses participating in the study did not apply three of the four steps of the nursing process in ways that were congruent with the competencies expected in the literature. Conclusions drawn from this investigation, although they cannot be generalized beyond the scope of this study, are the following: (1) Associate degree nurses and baccalaureate degree nurses have many of the same competencies in regard to the application of the nursing process. (2) The Nursing Process Application Test has demonstrated its potential value in gathering this kind of data.

There is a paucity of data on the resources, organization and management of secondary school libraries in Anglophone Cameroon. The few data available are based principally on casual observations and personal impressions, and in general, describe the collections as shocking and disgracefully meagre. The main objective of this study was to examine the current status of school library resources in selected secondary schools in Anglophone Cameroon. To this effect, attention was focused on book stock, periodical holdings, audiovisual materials, physical facilities and equipment, finance, management and use. In doing so, the principal method used was survey research method. This was supplemented with interview and observation, document analysis and participant observation techniques. The survey research instrument contained 59 item questions centered on the current status of secondary school libraries in Anglophone Cameroon. During visits to schools, the researcher interviewed relevant school authorities and also observed first-hand the state of the libraries. Information so obtained was cross-checked against responses to the mail questionnaire and also data gained from documentary sources. In all the schools studied there was acute shortage of such library resources as books, reference materials, periodicals, and audiovisual collections. Most schools also lacked adequate work space, seating accommodations for the pupils and basic working equipment for the libraries. In the issue of personnel, evidence showed that all the schools lacked qualified manpower. A few schools have full-time librarians who are neither qualified academically nor professionally. Some schools try, once in a while, to set aside some money for the needs of the library. But on the whole, the amount usually budgeted is grossly inadequate for even the basic needs of the library. Specific and policy oriented recommendations in the form of guidelines for the improvement of secondary school library services in Anglophone Cameroon were proposed.

This descriptive study identified the perceived influences that prompt teachers to initiate changes in curriculum and instruction. The study also examined teachers' perceptions of the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) in relation to curricular and instructional change. Three major research questions guided the study: (1) What are the perceived influences that prompt teachers to initiate changes in curriculum and instruction? (2) How has the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) been helpful to teachers in prompting them to initiate changes in curriculum and instruction? (3) How has the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) fallen short in in prompting teachers to initiate changes in curriculum and instruction. Data are drawn from 52 teachers in 13 schools representing five different Kinds of Communities in Massachusetts; Urbanized, Economically Developed Suburbs, Growth Communities, Residential Suburbs, and Economic Rural Centers. Selection was based on reading scores from the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program. Collection of data were accomplished through a free response interviews about educational change, written surveys of possible influences which might prompt change, and teacher interviews concerning the benefits and drawbacks of the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program as a prompt in initiating changes in curriculum and instruction. Findings indicate teachers are most influenced by students' needs and a desire to make learning enjoyable, as well as by workshops, conferences, and courses. Testing was one of the lowest areas of influence for teachers. However, in several schools teachers were prompted by administration to initiate changes in curriculum and instruction because of the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program. Teachers indicated the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program helped them to evaluate and update their present curriculum and their instructional style. Many teachers were not influenced by the MEAP because they were not familiar with the test, did not understand the test results, were given no training, materials, or guidance by their own school system or by the State Department of Education.

This study describes the theory and design of a pedagogy that attempts to help men to develop new ways of being male that are less oppressive to women and more fulfilling to men. The goals of this pedagogy are summarized with the terms: autonomy, androgyny, awareness, and activism. These goals are based on an integration of three alternative models of masculinity: the "liberated man," the "androgynous man," and the "anti-sexist man." The need for the study is established through a description of the current societal transition in male role norms, an exploration of the critique of traditional masculinity, and a review of existing approaches for educating men about sex roles and sexism. The study demonstrates that these approaches are inadequate because they have limited objectives and/or do not take into account both key facets of men's identity in regard to this issue: the limitations imposed on men by traditional sex roles, and men's role in the oppression of women. A theoretical model for a more adequate pedagogy for "raising men's consciousness" about sexism is developed through a review, critique, and synthesis of four relevant educational approaches: human relations training groups (T-groups), Paolo Freire's education for critical consciousness, feminist consciousness raising groups, and anti-oppression education. The implications of a developmental perspective on men's identity for how the pedagogy should be implemented are then explored through a review of several theories of sex role identity development and male identity development, leading to the articulation of a more differentiated model that can explain developmental patterns experienced by men. A college course, "Men and Masculinity," which was designed on the basis of the pedagogical model, is described in detail. An informal evaluation of the course's effectiveness in meeting its objectives is reported. Based on an analysis of students' written materials and of pre and post scores on the Personal Attributes Questionnaire, the Women's Liberation Scale, and a questionnaire on "Men and Sexism," there were significant increases in androgyny and activism, with smaller but still significant increases in androgyny and activism.

This study was a phenomenological inquiry into the concrete and lived experiences of educators in a holistic school in Ecuador and from the founder of a creativity methodology program in Vietnam. These educators embarked on the remarkable journey from realizing the importance of holistic worldview to bringing about holistic education. The purpose of the study was to explore the significance of holistic worldview for education through investigating life-world stories. Using in-depth phenomenological interviews, the study explored these educators' past experiences, their present experiences and the integration of their past experiences with their present experiences. From a cross-case synthesis the salient themes and patterns evolved and unfolded into an interwoven web of knowing, doing, being and becoming. When this web is displayed in a two dimensional form it depicts the four most important dimensions of holistic educators: (1) the integrated knowing of the self, the subject, the students and the world; (2) the harmonious doing to create nurturing learning environments; (3) the genuine being to serve as authentic modeling; and (4) the ever-evolving becoming that seeks deeper meaning and larger purpose of life. When transform this web to a three-dimensional spiral, it portrays the dynamic, evolving, uplifting and transcending nature of the journey of holistic educators, where the four elements merge into an ultimate oneness that represents the essence of holistic educators. As Mario Solís suggests in my interview with him, “in a deep sense, my capacity as an educator comes from my choice to allow life to unfold through me and to demonstrate from my entire being.” The study manifests that when educators' entire being lives through their knowing and strives for becoming, namely, a higher purpose and deeper meaning of life, their vision and mission are not empty words on paper but rather a reality of life that they have created as the result of drawing from energy and resources from the creative, implicate order of life. The major insight of the journeys of these holistic educators is about touching the higher values of themselves, allowing themselves to manifest the excellence from within, and in turn, allowing others to manifest their inner resources, creativity and excellence. The study demonstrates how the holistic educators have successfully created a caring, nurturing, and nourishing learning environment where loving for life, appreciating relationship, learning to live and to create, living to transcend, and educating for peace are modeled and fostered.

The classroom environment has a powerful influence on learning, and children's perceptions of that environment influence their behavior. This study examines the perceptions of sixth grade students who are the most and least academically successful regarding how they perceive their classroom environment and those factors within it that enhance or inhibit learning. Data gathered in this research indicate that there are significant disparities in how the most and least successful students perceive their classroom learning environment. The most successful students perceived the classroom environment as more affiliative and task focused, perceived their teachers to be more trusting, caring, and supportive, and perceived that they had more choice in how they learned. In contrast, the least successful students perceived the class to be more teacher controlled and competitive. In spite of the differences in friendship and support perceived by study participants, both groups of students were able to provide clear examples of teaching approaches and classroom conditions that they perceived increased or inhibited their learning. This study also includes students' suggestions for changes that would increase their learning. The findings in this study are consistent with the research and literature reviewed from the fields of education, psychology, and business regarding conditions that are likely to enhance learning. The major implications of this study are that teachers need to: (a) be able to form caring, supportive relationships with all students, (b) create safe, non-threatening environments where learning is less competitive and students are encouraged to form supportive relationships with one another, (c) provide students with interesting, challenging work that engages them, while supporting and encouraging students' efforts, (d) develop a large repertoire of effective instructional approaches to meet the diverse learning needs of students, (e) keep current with the knowledge base, (f) ask, and listen to students to understand how they learn best, and (g) seek professional experiences that will help them reflect on how they can improve their practice. Finally, a number of recommendations are proposed for use by teachers, administrators, organizations that provide pre-service and in-service opportunities, educational policy makers, and other parties interested in assisting teachers and schools increase student learning.

The great variety of authoring activities involved in the development of Web-based learning environments requires a more comprehensive integration of principles and strategies not only from instructional design, but also from other disciplines such as human-computer interaction and software engineering. The present dissertation addresses this issue by proposing an object-oriented instructional design (OOID) model based on Tennyson's fourth generation instructional systems development (ISD4) model. It incorporates object-oriented analysis and design methods from human-computer interaction (HCI) and software engineering into a single framework for Internet use in education. Introducing object orientation into the instructional design of distributed hypermedia learning environments allows for an enhanced utilization of so-called learning objects that can be used, re-used or referenced during technology-mediated instruction. In addition, by applying the Unified Modeling Language (UML), a modeling notation tool is available to instructional designers that helps them to visually communicate design specifications using a widely established standard. This developmental research study is based on an extensive document analysis of resources from a variety of disciplines involved in the instructional Web site development process. The author identifies a set of authoring activities from ISD as well as HCI and software engineering that play a major role in instructional Web sites development. These authoring activities have been specified based on the object-oriented paradigm and visualized using UML. The author provides an example from a higher education setting about how the OOID model can be implemented in the design of Web-based instruction. This study contributes to the ongoing research into the design of Web-based instruction. The results will be of interest to educators, instructional designers, and other e-learning specialists who want to implement learning objects and improve their development of Web-based instruction by incorporating object orientation as the primary development paradigm and UML as the principle modeling notation tool. This research also provides suggestions on how to develop instructional Web sites for international use.