This project formed small seminar groups of behavioral scientists and educators to study the sociology of the classroom. The groups observed classrooms in elementary schools, high schools, and universities in Montana. Library research and discussion were other methods of investigation used. It was concluded that the classroom is part of society's…

Explores the potential of teacher research for informing theory. Contends that arguments about the perspectives of researchers and teachers are founded upon positivistic assumptions undergirding particular views of research as well as definitions of researcher and teacher. Encourages collaborative researchers to examine the philosophical bases of…

Critiques Dreeben and Barr's study on classroom composition and the design of instruction. Cites two main criticisms of their conceptualization, stating that while it presents a promising approach to the study of schooling, it lacks the data necessary to test hypotheses adequately. (GEA)

Five teachers describe their participation in an afterschool series entitled "Do Your Own Classroom Research." The projects they developed gave them the answers they sought as well as answers not sought. Each teacher's project and findings are summarized. (MT)

Discusses findings on effective classroom management and group dynamics. The practices outlined are drawn from classroom observation research conducted over the past decade. (GC)

Knowledge from research on nonverbal communication can serve to extend and expand current paradigms that guide the study of teaching. Even more important, attention to nonverbal research may enrich the conceptualization of teaching. (CB)

A naturalistic inquiry study of sixth grader's response to literature-based history was influenced by their "need to know," their desire to explore broader areas of human experience, the emotional impact of the historical narratives used and by the teacher's ability to encourage a critical analysis of multiple data sources in seeking historical…

Single-subject research methodology offers teachers of hearing impaired students the necessary tools for conducting valid and important research in their classrooms. The conceptual framework of the multiple baseline is examined in terms of an applied problem. Operational definitions of behavior, recording methods, and recording reliability are…

In this paper the conceptual foundation of recent work in classroom observational research will be considered in terms of its stage of development as a science with particular emphasis on the implications of this for classroom research. (Author)

Classroom teachers are researchers as they refine their programs based on a tested idea that improves student learning. Research that provides new directions for industrial arts often arises from a classroom instructor's recognition of a problem and search for a solution. (SK)

Provides a list of possible investigations that can be usefully carried out by the teacher in the classroom. (HOD)

Discusses good spelling instruction and spelling research at the middle school level in the form of a conversation with Clint Eastwood as the fictitious principal at Highland Middle School. (SR)

Cites research that suggests that to promote literacy, teachers should attend to the context in which reading and writing is being demanded; that the forms and patterns of specific discourses should be made explicit; and that the assumptions which shape what teachers do should be examined critically. (RS)

Finds that fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students were successful in using the electronic speller for correcting and verifying as correct over 85 percent of the words they had targeted as possibly misspelled. (SR)

Introduces the topic of this journal issue: ethnography as a resource for understanding classrooms as cultures. Presents excerpts from student essays to show the knowledge students have about life in classrooms and about classroom cultures. Offers a list of premises and questions to help make visible the often invisible patterns of life in…