The purpose of this study was to examine the use of flexible seating in southwest Missouri classrooms. Four research questions guided the study based on the conceptual framework of Eric Jensen. The work of Jensen (2005) was selected as the conceptual framework due to his focus on the use of movement and how it impacts the brain. The research…

A visual activity schedule (VAS) was used with a 7-year-old African-American (Non-Hispanic) male at-risk for school failure. An ABAB withdrawal design was used to assess the effectiveness of a VAS on decreasing latency during transitions. Results indicated that a VAS decreased transition latency between activities and reduced teacher prompting…

Seating that allows movement is commonly suggested to enhance postural activation, attention, and behavior. The study examined the effects of ball chair seating on legibility, student behavior, and classroom productivity. In two consecutive years, in an ABAB design, first grade students alternated by weeks between standard seating (A phases) and…

Elementary students spend an average of five and a quarter hours per day seated on a hard surface which provides little sensory input and possibly contributes to discomfort. Sensory integration was found to improve executive functioning skills in elementary students by helping their comfort level at being seated. This quasi-experimental study…

Through observation of teacher language responses, this study examined interaction practices that inhibited, ended, or sustained children's classroom participation. Thirty early childhood educators were observed during 105 30-minute language art classes; 998 female and 1,188 male K-4th grade students were observed. Interactions were coded into one…

Reported on is an analysis of rule systems established in successful elementary school classrooms. The report's first chapter provides an introduction to this verification inquiry, part of a larger study, Ecological Perspectives for Successful Schooling Practice. In chapter 2, the sample, methodology, and data analysis procedures used in the rules…

This document reports on an inquiry into elementary school students' perceptions of important classroom rules and of the teacher's authority. Chapter 1 provides an overview to this verification inquiry, part of a larger study, Ecological Perspectives for Successful Schooling Practice. The next chapter reports on the findings on children's…

This study reports on work activities structures, student social cognitive understanding, and student participation as ecological perspectives from which to describe and analyze the teaching that took place in one elementary school. Detailed descriptions of the ecological features of 10 elementary school classrooms are presented, and an…

This interdisciplinary study examined socialization of first and fifth grade elementary school children into the student role. The study focuses on the effects of teachers' socializing communication on childrens' views of norms for classroom life by means of observation and questionnares. Data of several types are analyzed and interrelated:…

Observed six children from two primary grade classrooms in different instructional settings: teacher-directed/large group; teacher- and child-directed/large and small group; and child-directed. Children's choice was related to high levels of cognitive functioning, language production, cooperative behavior, and generative use of materials. (MM)

The major purpose of this guide is to show teachers of kindergarten through third grade students how to create an environment in which young learners can begin to develop the thinking and behavioral skills they will need to function effectively in their school and personal lives. It is based on an educational philosophy, the Responsive Education…

This volume, part of the Junior High School Transition Study which examined students' adjustment to junior high school, reports on findings related to instructional organization in elementary and junior high schools. Chapter 1 presents a brief overview of the project and outlines the theoretical framework used to describe and compare the ways in…