In the first edition of this book, Tim Stewart provided an easy-to-follow guide to conducting classroom research, from getting started to publishing your findings. The second edition of "Classroom Research for Language Teachers" further explores different approaches to conducting classroom research in the English language classroom,…

Presents a teacher's reflection on his teaching using two different perspectives. The first perspective uses the cognitive apprenticeship metaphor as a tool for analyzing and understanding teaching. The second, a methodological perspective, uses conversational analysis to arrive at microanalytic descriptions and conceptualizations of teaching. (PR)

Suggests lessons and ideas about teaching and research that can be drawn from a teacher's experiences in two research projects. Considers developmental and situational dynamics in teaching. Describes how researchers' intentions and expectations frame and focus research findings. Explains how the description of teaching can become an intervention…

This paper examines aspects related to the validity of process-product research involving classroom observation and teacher effectiveness. Differences in categories, terminology, and definitions of five classroom observation instruments are delineated and discussed in relation to their various effects on the validity of process-product research…

Organizational characteristics of two universities and two public school systems, as these characteristics related to student teaching, were compared at two levels: (1) the formal, documented guidelines, or "what's supposed to happen"; and (2) the informal, working practices, or "what's really going on" in the settings. This paper reports on…

Attempts to determine the type of rehearsal organizational structure used by successful Ohio high school mixed chorus directors. Examines relationships between rehearsal structure and either teaching style or student attitudes. Results imply that music methods courses should offer a variety of rehearsal organizational strategies. (Author/LS)

The Large Class Analysis Project was undertaken to provide instructors, administrators, and researchers with an in-depth look at the teaching techniques used in a variety of large (defined as having over 100 or more students) classes taught at The University of Texas at Austin. Data were collected concerning student attitudes toward such large…

Teachers should familiarize themselves with the practical advantages of single-subject methodology in attempting to meet the various learning needs of hearing-impaired students. Two examples are provided to illustrate how these designs can act as tools for deciding which of several teaching methods are most beneficial to particular students.…

Presents study results of the effects of different teaching methods on the ability of nonmusician, college students to distinguish meter. Explains that one group heard meter defined with examples, another emphasized meter with large muscle movements, and a third heard examples with reinforcing clicks. Reports that all groups differed from the…

Studies of elementary school social studies since the late 1970s, largely from an objective-quantitative perspective, have painted a dire picture but have paid little attention to what teachers are actually doing in the classroom. Researchers have found that little instructional time is spent on social studies, that the textbooks on this subject…

Reports results of a study of the ways in which undergraduate and graduate music majors evaluated the teaching methods of graduate associate music instructors. Reports that evaluators gave instructors high marks for characteristics including enthusiasm, interest in the student, and patience. Concludes that untrained evaluators can reliably analyze…

Describes the Iowa science-technology-society (STS) models and goals. Characterizes and gives examples of using the STS approach in classrooms. Reports the results of four studies that have assessed the outcomes of learning with STS instruction. Identifies some problems concerning the future use of STS in schools. (PR)

This paper provides a detailed empirical account of the performances of 8- to 9-year-olds and 11- to 12-year-olds on a chore-scheduling task developed to assess the dynamics of planning processes. In developing the planning task for revealing different levels of planning proficiency, five critical aspects of planning were taken into account: the…

Reports on a comparative study of two fifth-grade classes (Louisville, Kentucky) whose members learned economic principles through the establishment of a classroom grocery store. Provides a review of the literature relating to economic education and simulations, discusses the actual classroom instruction, and describes the instrument used to…

This paper dealt with the use of classroom observation data for formative evaluation purposes, and with a research project in which scores based on observed performance of teachers in secondary school algebra and English classes were compared with efficiency scores based on an input-output model. The model, using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)…