Describes the fourth revision of the Observation Rating form used to systematically analyze what goes on in a classroom while a teacher works with children in the area of science, as well as directions for using the form. The instrument is used in teacher education programs as well. (EB)

Two studies investigated the effect of microcomputers on children's social behavior in preschool classrooms. The first study was conducted at a university nursery school; the second took place at a university day care center. Guided by a list of behaviors selected from the Friedrich and Stein Observation Scale, observations were made at both…

Evaluation results of a program (Infant School Program at New York University Medical Center) serving 40 multihandicapped preschool children over a 3-year period are given. Originally presented with accompanying slides, the paper lists goals of early childhood education and describes methods of data collection and program procedures. Ss were…

To document the frequency of sharing in the context of classroom activities, a total of 116 preschool children 3 to 5 years of age were observed for half-hour periods in 17 classrooms of 4 preschools. Sharing was defined as interchanges in which the original holder grants to another child the partial use, or possession of a thing. All observations…

The first half of this paper concentrates on the need for the institution of evaluation methods which stress the systematic use of both quantitative techniques and qualitative, direct observation methods. In this way, a more comprehensive picture of the events under consideration may be presented, and changes in student learning and behavior may…

Participant observation--a qualitative research procedure characterized by intensive social interaction between researcher and subjects, in the subjects' mileu--is discussed in this paper, along with some of its implications for reading research. After surveying the views of a number of researchers regarding participant observation and the…

This paper indicates why the use of "Category Systems" provides a potential for making precise and valid cross-cultural comparisons of classroom behaviors not equaled by other techniques. The paper is presented to highlight a technique which seems especially suitable for use by comparative educators and other social scientists who wish to make…

Behaviors described by the instrument were grouped into categories related to developing text material, pre-lab, laboratory, and post-lab discussion. Judges' ratings were used to select behaviors which could be designated as (1) consistent with ESCP, (2) neutral, or (3) inconsistent with ESCP. Classroom observations based on the instrument were…

A Teacher Observation Scale (TOS) was developed in order to compare the behavior of teachers using the material of project PLAN with those using conventional insturctional systems. The scale listed 17 categories of teacher behavior grouped under the headings: individual instruction, group discussion, behavior modification, systems management, and…

A study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the PLAN teacher training program in changing teacher classroom behavior. The program, to train teachers in skills specific to the use of the PLAN system of individualized education, included a 2-day spring 1969 session, a 3-day summer conference, a fall minicourse, and inservice consultant…

Scott's coefficient is an improved method for estimating observer reliability using any system which assigns events to mutually exclusive categories. The formula is the ratio of the actual difference between obtained and chance agreement to the maximum difference between obtained and chance agreement. A FORTRAN program for calculating this…

A new instrument for classroom observation called the Personal Record of School Experience (PROSE), has been developed at Educational Testing Service. While PROSE was invented for a specific project involving 2000 4-year-old ghetto children, its general applicability has already become apparent. PROSE represents a primitive method of classroom…

Described are the procedures whereby data from teachers and children may be collected in classrooms. The techniques of interaction analysis (including matrix analysis) are applied to the collection and analysis of these data. The categories applied to the classroom behaviors of teachers and students have been developed specifically for the Science…