This article describes positive effects of modifying curricular activities in accordance with the individual interests of three elementary students with disabilities (including autism, mental retardation, and emotional/behavioral disorder). Students exhibited less problem behavior and more on-task responding in the modified activity condition. (DB)

Describes a typology of the use of educational media that includes audience, location, time, interactivity, cost, and training. Compares a variety of educational media including radio, television, CD-ROM, and Internet-based instruction, and concludes that Internet-based instruction has the most potential. (Contains 12 references.) (LRW)

Explored factors underlying elementary children's incorrect task responses in physical education. Data from class observations and student and teacher interviews indicated that children participated in the instructional setting at their own developmental level of understanding and competency, comprehension did not necessarily reflect…

This article discusses the results of a case study that investigated the effectiveness of an auditory prompting system, using earphones and a cassette, to improve on-task job performance of an adult with mild mental retardation. Guidelines for working with adults and student to improve job and task performance are provided. (Contains references.)…

Describes a study of university students that investigated the effects of a variable unique to Internet-based learning, namely download delay of instructional materials. Discusses a simulated online teaching tool that measured the effects of download delay of images on test performance, time spent on the material, end-user satisfaction, and…

The influence of social relationships, positive interdependence, and teacher structure on the quality of partner reading interactions was examined. Partner reading, a scripted cooperative learning strategy, is often used in classrooms to promote the development of fluent and automatic reading skills. Forty-three pairs of second grade children were…

School effectiveness research has fueled debate on the importance of a press for academic excellence versus communal values. Research on parenting styles offers a theoretical framework that may resolve the debate. We hypothesized that dimensions of parenting styles--demandingness (academic press) and responsiveness (communal values)--predict…

This paper argues that in the information age the closed book, invigilated final examination has become an anachronism. Most significantly, it is an assessment instrument that does not assess deep conceptual understanding and process skills. Indeed, the anecdotal evidence one often hears from students is that "cramming" the night before…

According to Keller's Model of Motivation, one technique for increasing learners' motivation, and thus their mental effort, involves increasing the personal relevance of the material. When instruction is perceived as relevant, learners perceive that important personal needs are being met by the learning situation. The purpose of this study was to…

This guide describes eight skills every teacher should learn that were derived from a study of 252 schools in 50 states, American territories and protectorates, and 14 foreign countries over a 16-year period (1980-1996). Interviews were conducted with 769 teachers, 253 administrators, and 23 other school personnel. The skills include: (1) the…

This study considered the effects on lesson completion time of four forms of immediate feedback. Thirty-two low-ability eleventh grade students were randomly assigned to one of four treatments. Each student received four one-page social studies reading passages. Each passage averaged 350 words in length. Eight 4-alternative multiple choice…

A study was done of the relation of time for individual study versus instruction time in a non-traditional, problem-based medical curriculum at the University of Limburg (Netherlands). The study collected data on 86 courses conducted in 5 consecutive academic years. In this problem-based approach, each curriculum year in the first 4 years…

A computer-assisted instruction (CAI) program using Utah PILOT programming language was constructed that includes the same objectives that are taught during the presentation of a traditional library tour. The amount of time necessary to complete the CAI program is approximately the same time needed by a student taking a library tour. The…

This report describes a 12-week program designed to increase time on task for kindergarten students. Members of a targeted group of kindergarten students were identified as being off task an average of 1.9 times more than the rest of the class. A program that incorporated the dominant learning styles of students in the target group with…

Recommending that every state increase the duration and intensity of academic learning time (ALT) in schools, this working paper provides a rationale, discusses related research, offers guidelines for selecting and implementing activities, and describes actions schools can take to implement change. In the discussion, duration refers to the total…