Systematic observations of classroom behavior of both teachers and pupils are effective measures of process in education. Until a few years ago, the classroom process--what actually does and does not happen as a result of instituting a new program--went unmeasured for want of tools and techniques to do that job. In this article, examples of…

The correct assessment of observable student behavior is an important tool in the ongoing education process. Whether the setting is a classroom, a field experience, an activity, or a residential treatment center, proper evaluation techniques will provide information for the determination of policies and programs. The Flexible Observation…

The main purpose of this study was to develop a procedure whereby teachers might improve their interpersonal transactions with students. Concomitant purposes were to develop a limited category coding system for easy use by classroom teachers and to develop a classroom observation system for research purposes. Sixteen teachers (three primary, nine…

An analysis system was developed to facilitate the comprehensive analysis of over 800 hand-written mathematics, communications, and social studies lesson transcripts. The coding scheme facilitates the reduction of qualitative data into categorical data. The heart of the analysis system is the Dominant Instructional Event (DIE) which facilitates…

Variables that schools can not directly control are predictors of a significant portion of the achievement differences of children, yet some schools seem to be operating significantly better or worse than predicted in regard to pupil achievement. This observation study represents an effort to look more closely at schools in which actual pupil…

This paper was designed to provide observational instruments and information about how to use them with future teachers or anyone interested in increasing sharpness of perspective in schools, churches, organizations (or any place where one person encounters another). Chapters discuss the following topics: (1) observation as a basis for quality…

This study observed the spatial distribution of activity in a second-third grade informal classroom and tested the general hypothesis that changes in the physical setting could produce changes in students' behavior. The experimenter observed for two weeks, using a time-sampling-by-child instrument. The activities and locations of the subjects were…

In recent years there has been an increasing demand for accountability and evaluation of teachers. One nonthreatening method that might be used by teachers to evaluate and improve their classroom performance is self-appraisal. The experiment in this document uses the Teacher Self Appraisal (TSA) observation system which divides the teaching act…

This group of papers was presented as part of a symposium entitled "Classroom Observation of Students and Teachers (COST): A Multiple Payoff Approach to Inservice Training." The first paper, "Films for Inservice Teacher Training: A Miniworkshop," outlines the rationale and development of the film series of which the film, Consequences of Behavior,…

The research methodology of this study is at least as important as the actual findings. For certain types of information seeking, directed conversations, or interviews, seem most desirable. Yet, although such conversations are easy to carry on with teachers, they are difficult to manage with 6-year-old children, especially when the interviewer is…

This paper reports the development of a classroom observation instrument designed to broaden and extend the power of existing tools to provide a balanced, reciprocal perspective of both verbal and nonverbal communication. An introductory section discusses developments in communication analysis. The Miniaturized Total Interaction Analysis System…

A category system was developed to describe verbal and non-verbal classroom behavior of junior high school science students. The category system contained two major sections: communicative (symbolic) behavior and non-communicative (non-symbolic) behavior. The instrument was used in conjunction with a teacher behavior category system (developed in…

A category system was developed for describing the classroom behavior of earth science teachers. Video tape recordings were made of a random sample of 16 junior high school science teachers in Franklin County, Ohio. Classification of behaviors resulted in four major dimensions: Content Development, Management, Facilitating, and Classroom Climate.…

Far too many teacher training programs fail to prepare teachers properly to translate theory and beliefs concerning teaching effectiveness into practice at the classroom level. To improve this situation, professors of education need to be innovative and to take purposeful steps to develop new programs with fresh approaches that will succeed in…

This investigation sought to develop and apply analysis of variance techniques to the estimation of the reliability of observation schedules. It placed special emphasis on the different possible designs and the various administrative situations in which they might be applied. The application of the general model to a specific instance was then…