Fifteen teachers from grades one through twelve and sixty pupils were sampled using a contextual approach to the investigation of teachers' verbal and nonverbal behavior. Pupils were categorized as accepting, concerned, indifferent, or rejecting by their respective teachers, and the student-initiated question frame was selected as a suitable and…

Do variables identified as existing within effective school models relate causally to student achievement? A study attempted to answer this question by manipulating selected school effectiveness variables and teacher behavior and by examining the effects of that manipulation on student achievement. Over a 1-year period, 10 kindergarten through…

Eleven Iowa towns in 11 counties and 11 Area Education Agencies (AEAs), having both elementary and high schools in 1960, were chosen via a rural-urban continuum to ascertain evidence of creativity in providing community services after losing the high school between 1960 and 1980. The study compared: community services in 1955-56 and 1980-81 (a…

Observed sixth-grade students and their ways of gathering information for a science report from Encarta 94, a CD-ROM encyclopedia. Developed recommendations for collaboration between the classroom teacher and the school library media specialist during the implementation of CD-ROM technology for information gathering, as well as ways to manage a…

Drawing on thousands of "reading autobiographies," in which generations of students wrote about their experiences with reading, this book investigates what makes young people want to read. Chapters include: (1) Growing with Books; (2) Learning To Read; (3) Literature and the Human Voice; (4) Reading Habits and Attitudes: When, Where, and…

A study examined peer response groups in two ninth grade English classes. The study specifically investigated research considerations including: (1) the teachers' use of response groups; (2) the kinds of response the students give themselves in response groups; and (3) the connection between student response and the teachers' directions to the…

This report summarizes the results of research studies on instructional practices that significantly affect the cognitive, language, or mental abilities of students with disabilities. The investigation reviewed current research on instruction of students with moderate disabilities and sought to identify effective instructional practices. The steps…

Two naturalistic research studies observed 45 eleventh grade students carrying out research paper assignments, and a third such study focused on 26 third grade students. The studies took place in Alberta (Canada) in 1993, Texas in 1996, and Washington state in 1999. From data analyzed in the interviews and written documents, the initial findings…

The unstructured observations of a participant observer can point out areas of research interest overlooked by formal research instruments. This researcher's diary presents insights obtained while conducting a study regarding the home environments of 15 higher achieving and 11 lower achieving Puerto Rican fifth and sixth grade students residing in…

Modeled on a similar study conducted in Scotland, this study reports on preschool children in two cities of England's Midlands Region (Birmingham and Coventry). Subjects had special needs including physical, mental, behavioral, speech, and second language problems; in addition, some were gifted. A survey identified children with special needs in…

Anthropology and interdisciplinary social sciences (ISS) education at two-year colleges are examined as revealed in a study of science education conducted by the Center for the Study of Community Colleges that involved a review of the literature, an examination of the catalogs and class schedules from 175 institutions, and a survey of 1,125…

The Workplace English Language and Literacy (WELL) program is intended to provide Australian workers with the language, literacy, and numeracy skills needed to meet their current and ongoing employment and training needs. A research methodology based on the principles of naturalistic inquiry was used to examine the extent to which WELL projects…

A study examined the nature and operation of the institutions in which exemplary vocational education programs exist. Three research questions guided the study: Are there common elements that characterize institutions as exemplary? How is the presence of these common elements reflected in educational levels and types of institutions? and What…

This paper addresses ways ways in which African-American families can influence their children's development, usually with guidance from school or other community agents. We discuss the importance of "discipline styles" for effective parenting and emphasize an approach to family involvement in child development utilizing a child's strengths. We…

This study used the Multiple Worlds Model, with culture as a central component, to examine adolescents' worlds and the types of transitions they make as they move from one context to another. Material for case studies was obtained from a 3-year research project with 55 adolescents varying in gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, achievement…