Notes that the ecological perspective on observation of learning focuses on the processes of interaction while attempting to unravel them from the inside out. Concludes that this approach requires a new look at basic assumptions about its role in the construction of theory and practice, i.e., evidence of learning will require new ways to document…

A category system was developed to describe content development in chemistry classes. The instrument had three broad dimensions: the Semantic dimension for coding the intent of the teacher in developing content; the Syntactic dimension for coding the actual meaning of the communication; and the Initiate-Supply dimension for coding the participants…

Reported is a study designed to determine whether changes in verbal interaction patterns would be demonstrated in classrooms of teachers who received observation training and used it, using a structured checklist of classroom interaction. Twenty-six teachers, from different grade levels, were divided evenly into Experimental (E) and Control (C)…

The reliability of coding problems associated with observation studies is discussed. The purpose is two-fold: a) to examine coding reliability by applying the profile method to two coding occasions separated by a lengthy time interval with the object of determining both within-occasion reliability (agreement) and between-occasion reliability…

This study found that data from previous research can be used to validate a new observational category system and that subscripting of the original ten categories of the Flanders Interaction Analysis System is useful in identifying more specific behaviors which correlate with student achievement. The new category system was the Expanded…

A method providing objective analysis of teacher and student interaction is described in this article. Feedback derived from a matrix of the teacher's classroom behavior (prepared by a professional observer) provides objective information in 10 separate categories. The categories, characteristic of any teacher's classroom behavior and teaching…

A classroom observation system was used in 1) a nontraditional, open-classroom setting with primarily middleclass students, 2) a Follow Through class in a public school with low income students, and 3) a traditional class in a public school with low-income students. (JY)

The relative heuristic usefulness of three data sources for investigating the relationship between parent attitudes and practices and children's characteristics are evaluated: behavior counts, based on naturalistic home observation; interview and a 24-hour diary; and measures based on an experimental playroom situation. (CS)

Students' evaluations of instructors are indicators of good or bad instruction, but often fail to accurately identify the characteristics of the instruction. An observational system is described which yields relevant information concerning the nature of the instruction. (JP)

An observational system for classroom interaction based on the nature of science is reported. Author reasons that structure of the discipline must be considered while evolving an interaction analysis system. (PS)

Explains flow-chart system and describes its use in a research study which confirmed a negative correlation between self-concept and amount of teacher talk. (RT)

Presents the procedures, results, and conclusions of a study designed to determine which of several varying patterns of teaching was best for the achievement of the slow learner in a high school biology course (LC)

This paper outlines a classroom technique that conveys to students some of the complexities of naturalistic and systematic observation. Most research methods textbooks devote only a single chapter to all of the descriptive techniques of research. This activity involves students in the observation and recording of "fidgets" during a five-minute…

The observation manual provides a system for the naturalistic observation of interactions between the preschool child and the caregiver. It can be used in research with the preschool aged child and the parent or teacher in home, laboratory, or school settings. The behavior categories included are applicable for collecting frequency data or…

Describes a study using two types of macroanalytic analyses of observed teacher behaviors in the classroom. The findings of the study showed one of the macroanalytic techniques to be more effective as it identified broader behavior patterns occurring over longer periods of time. (MLH)