How people see the world, even how they research it, is influenced by beliefs. Some beliefs are conscious and the result of research, or at least amenable to research. Others are largely invisible. They may feel like "common knowledge" (though myth, not knowledge), unrecognized premises that are part of the surrounding culture. As we…

The goal of this practice guide is to offer educators specific, evidence-based recommendations for teaching foundational reading skills to students in kindergarten through 3rd grade. This guide is a companion to the existing practice guide, "Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade", and as a set, these guides…

This brief is directed to researchers and adds to the research base about instructional practices that are related to student achievement. Additional evidence on these relationships can suggest specific hypotheses for the future study of such instructional practices, which, in turn, will provide research evidence that could inform professional…

In this Appendix, we provide details about the data used for the current study, the curricula used in the classrooms from which data were collected, and the current study's methodological approach. (Contains 14 tables and 5 footnotes.)[For full report, see ED544189.]

This study: (1) documented the spontaneous derived facts strategies (DGSs) that second-grade children (N=23) used; (2) investigated how training in use of DFSs influenced the solution strategies children used to solve addition and subtraction problems; and (3) examined the role of DFSs in the transition to recall of number facts. (JN)

Teaching sequences designed to develop strategies for comparing numerals in grade two (in France) were analyzed. Children's strategies were noted, and an experiment confirmed underlying misconceptions concerning number. (MNS)

Investigated what effects two instructional strategies (related to student use of manipulative materials) would have on second-grade students' (N=96) development of logical structures. Also examined the effects of sex on logical development. Results indicate that supplying manipulative materials alone is not adequate in promoting development of…

This study investigated the effectiveness of LOGO's turtle graphics in both providing a model of systematic thought and in teaching simple geometry to young children in the second grade. The treatment given to 25 second grade students in the experimental group consisted of programming with LOGO's turtle graphics using four Apple II+…

This study documented the spontaneously derived strategies that children use which may play a key role in the transition from counting to recall of number facts. For these strategies, the child uses a small set of known number facts to derive the solution to unknown number facts. How training in the use of derived strategies influences the…

Describes a study conducted at a Texas elementary school which examined the types of questions second-grade children ask as they are taught to use microcomputers. A classification of questions into eight categories indicates children asked most about keyboard, data entry, and meaning of program instructions. (MBR)

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether homework affects second grade mathematics achievement. The study involved two classes of on-grade-level students and involved a unit on place value. The results indicated that the achievement of the experimental group, which was given homework, was better than the achievement of the control…

A total of 42 language-deficient second- through fourth-grade children participated in an experiment investigating the effects on children's skills and self-efficacy of strategy self-verbalization during listening comprehension instruction. An equal number of boys and girls who had been placed in remedial classes received didactic instruction in…

This study explored the effects of a left-hemispheric, right-hemispheric, or integrated teaching approach on students' achievement and attitudes. One hundred eighteen second-grade pupils were randomly assigned to four groups to receive two weeks of instruction on geometry and measurement with: (1) a formalized, structured-textbook approach; (2) a…

Presents study results on the effects of students working in pairs on spelling in three different grades. Explains that students working individually were compared to students working in pairs. Reports less off-task behavior for the younger students working in pairs. Concludes that effort increases in pair work, but achievement increased only at…

As part of a larger evaluation of the Individually Guided Education (IGE) system in Wisconsin elementary schools, a comparative study was conducted of the effectiveness of reading instruction and the Wisconsin Design for Reading Skill Development (WDRSD) program in IGE and non-IGE settings. Data on students in grades five and two in 11 different…