The primary purpose of this study was to find the content and form of movies which conform to the taste of the majority of Thai audiences and, at the same time, are universal enough to attract international audiences. Because film is an extension of other art forms, this required extensive research into the roots of Thai performing arts.

The debates among historians regarding the "crisis in history" have been directed to various problems. The fragmentation of historical scholarship and writing embodied in the "new history," the alleged overspecialization of historical scholarship, and recent challenges to the objectivity of historical fact and interpretation receive attention. Successive chapters attend to a general background study and description of postmodernism, the association between postmodernistic trends and historical scholarship as seen in poststructuralism and deconstruction, and the implications of postmodernistic criticism for post-secondary history instruction. Deconstruction, or the hermeneutical challenge of poetics, is a criticism of historical epistemological presuppositions and practices. Deconstruction yields insights that are useful to judge historical knowing. However, deconstruction does not present a compelling alternative to accepted standards of historical scholarship and practice

This study determined the number of self-directed learning projects undertaken by older adults and examined the motivational factors and anticipated benefits related to the learning activities. In addition, obstacles to conducting self-directed learning were identified by the respondents. A list of 20,032 names of adults, aged 50 or more years and residing in Tom Green County, Texas, was obtained from voter registration rolls and the residential rolls of four retirement complexes. Four hundred names were randomly selected to serve as the sample of the study. Of the 400 potential subjects, 120 persons agreed to be interviewed. Indepth interviews were conducted using the questions from Tough's Interview Schedule for Studying Some Basic Characteristics of Learning Projects and a probe sheet to identify obstacles to conducting self-directed learning projects. The interviews focused on the learning activities of older adults during the previous year. The 120 subjects of this study conducted a total of 239 learning projects in the previous year, an average of 1.99 self-directed learning projects per person. Ninety-five (95%) percent of the persons interviewed reported to have conducted at least one learning project in the past year. The majority of the learning projects were self-planned for the purpose of self-enjoyment …

This study explored the professional contributions of Ruth I. Anderson, retired professor of Business Administration, The University of North Texas, Denton, Texas. The data for this study were gained through questionnaire responses, a telephone interview, and personal interviews with faculty, staff, students, and business people who have worked closely with Anderson and an interview with Anderson herself. During a literature review, many of the journal articles written by Anderson were read in order to obtain insight into the thoughts and ideas Anderson had toward business education. The dissertation, divided into six chapters, begins with an introduction to the study. Chapter 1 includes the statement of the problem, purposes of the study, research questions, significance of the study, rationale for the study, and design of the study. Chapter 2 contains a biographical sketch of Ruth Anderson and offers a chronology of her career in business education. Anderson's educational philosophy is the focus of Chapter 3. Chapter 4 addresses her major accomplishments and contributions to business education. Anderson's impact on business education is the topic of Chapter 5. A summary is provided in Chapter 6. This study recognized Ruth Anderson as a significant person in the field of business education. Anderson, who …

This case study examined three listservs as follow-up activities for STARLINK® (State of Texas Academic Resources Link) satellite teleconferences for community college faculty development during the 1993-94 season. Purposes included determining through self report and other data: (a) appropriateness of listservs as follow-up activities for teleconferences, (b) if combining video satellite teleconferences with a listserv satisfied perceived needs, (c) purposes of accessing a listserv and if listservs facilitated changes in the performance of work, were supportive of teaching, and provided resources beyond teleconferences' content, (d) what aspects of listservs are helpful or not helpful to participants.

The National Technological University (NTU), a consortium of more than twenty American engineering schools, broadcasts courses produced at member institutions to professional engineers at corporate sites across the country. It is a nonprofit institution.begun in fall 1984 with headquarters in Fort Collins, Colorado, which offers only course work leading to the Master of Science degree in various branches of technology, or applied science. Students must be sponsored by their corporate employers who pay their tuition. This is the first systematic examination of the instructional process at an educational institution created in response to the demands of the governmental and corporate sectors' technological needs. This study includes an attempt to explore the effectiveness of that instructional process and the use of computers in distance education at NTU and implications for institutions of the future. This study focuses on distance education, corporate education, national universities and nontraditional institutions and the extent to which NTO exemplifies each of these concepts. It covers the organizational structure and methods of operation of NTU, and offers opinions of students, faculty, and other personnel associated with the institution as reflected by surveys, interviews, and the media.