A study was designed to improve fifth-graders' limited use of comprehension monitoring processes during reading through a self-instructional approach. Thirty-nine average and superior comprehenders were tested on their ability to detect inconsistencies contained in short essays prior to, immediately after, and one week after participation in one…

Noting that young children's initial writing efforts are often dismissed as insignificant scribbling, a study explored children's emerging understandings about written language as indicated by the changes in 47 preschool children's autographs. Throughout a school year children were asked to write their names and draw pictures of themselves.…

Acknowledging that reasoning ability has been identified by the College Board as one of the six basic academic competencies, this guide is intended to help secondary school language arts teachers integrate critical thinking skills into their curriculum. The guide is divided into the following sections: (1) test-taking skills (summary of college…

An instructional model to develop academic integrity (honesty) in college students is proposed. Goals are to develop: adherence to the principle of doing one's own work, an understanding for the principle and nature of coauthorship, an understanding and adherence to citation practices, and an understanding of plagiarism. Students should be…

Psychological theories have long had a pronounced effect on the diagnosis and instruction of children with learning problems. Traditional theorists emphasized the centrality of global processes assumed to be common to most if not all cognitive tasks. These processes were quite distant from those involved in traditional academic activities, making…

The central objective of this study was to determine the effects of formal training in the use and types of questions and in the nature and use of algorithms on middle school students' achievement in economic geography. Subjects were 190 eighth grade students in a large metropolitan school district. Three experimental groups received either: (1)…

One of a series dealing with current issues affecting language arts instruction, this paper focuses on thinking skills. The paper begins by raising two issues: whether thinking skills should be taught as part of each subject area, as a separate skill, or both, and whether English and language arts teachers have a special role in the teaching of…

An introductory overview is presented of current Finnish and American research into secondary school teaching as both a moral and technical endeavor. The described research study sought a comprehensive view of what happens in a student teacher's professional development during teacher education. The following problems were researched: (1) what…

A study focused on how the writer's knowledge of the language and use of a prewriting strategy for planning ideas affect the quality and efficiency of the writing. Three hypotheses were developed about how knowledge and strategy might influence writing performance: (1) independence (predicts that knowledge and strategy will independently improve…

The paper describes the development of the "Test of Thought and Language" (Total) which is intended to allow first grade teachers to determine if students are ready for phonics instruction or if, for some students, the curriculum should first develop language concepts, structures and thinking processes. Background information for the…

A program at the Model Preschool Center for Handicapped Children at the University of Washington's College of Education enrolled 11 children with Down syndrome, 18-36 months of age. The program sought to accelerate and maintain the motor and cognitive skills of the children; to encourage parent involvement; to provide training to students,…

Project CHIME (Children with Hearing Impairments in Mainstreamed Environments) was developed to create a curriculum for use by professionals who are providing mainstreaming opportunities for hearing-impaired preschoolers. The CHIME curriculum is divided into five activity areas that are part of the growth and development process for all…

To understand and describe a developmental learning progression of choices students make in forming chains of relationships in their narrative texts, a study used the Cohesive Harmony Index to measure cohesion in children's written narratives. Data were obtained from 36 grade school children at intervals of four months over the students' first…

Preliminary findings of an analysis of Head Start research evidence amassed from 1965 to the present are reported in this document, along with a summary of conclusions from related studies of preschool programs. Specifically presented are long-term findings of the Consortium for Longitudinal Studies concerning the lasting benefits of preschool…

This book is a collection of articles which focus on various aspects of middle and junior high school science. The first section gives a philosophical background to teaching in the middle or junior high school, addressing questions about the special demands of teaching at this level. The second section provides background information on the…