Four experiments with 4th, 5th, and 6th graders addressed conceptual change in response to anomalous data about empirical regularities in science. Impedance to conceptual change in response to anomalous data could potentially occur at any of four cognitive processes: observation, interpretation, generalization, or retention. In the four…

Reports on a year-long study of three biology teachers' language integrated biology teaching to nonnative English speaking students. Used extensive classroom observations and interviews to provide a portrait of these teachers' working with multilingual, multicultural, and multilevel students. (Author/VWL)

Observed friendships of sixteen 4- to 5-year-olds during their transition to school. Found that important shared activities for friends over the transition included birthday parties, overnight stays, resource sharing, and reciprocal or complementary play. Only two dyadic friendships survived over the transition. Children with friends did not make…

Discusses a sample puzzle activity called "Thinking Like an Artist" that encourages careful observation of artwork and prompts students to decode the thought processes used by artists. Helps students develop original ideas and strengthens their problem-solving abilities. Provides a list of materials, rules, and the procedure in detail. (CMK)

Discusses issues surrounding classroom-based assessment of writing. Describes the author's own experiences in developing and using a formative evaluation system for middle school students with learning problems; and discusses issues related to the linkage between assessment and instruction. Suggests matters of technical adequacy are as important…

Discussion of the need for ethical computing strategies and policies at the K-12 level to acculturate computer hackers away from malicious network hacking focuses on a three-year participant observation ethnographic study conducted at the New Technology High School (California) that examined the school's attempts to socialize its hackers to act…

Focuses on reading pedagogy and metacognition in six classrooms in Leeds (England) and six classrooms in Dublin (Ireland). In relation to three interrelated themes (tasks, texts, and contexts), evaluates (1) children's opportunities for developing metacognitive awareness and metacognitive strategies in reading and (2) teachers' thinking and…

Discusses findings that child care quality can be measured effectively and efficiently through telephone interview. Notes that interview items were more highly correlated to the materials composite than to the interaction composite of the Environment Ratings Scales. Describes situations where on-site observation is necessary. Suggests that one…

Presents a framework for thinking about the range of potential primary orientations (creative arts, production arts, and academic arts) of teachers who believe children should be given time everyday for the arts. States that case studies of six teachers were conducted. Reveals six propositions regarding the orientations. (CMK)

Discusses student use of computer graphics software and presents documentation from a visualization workshop designed to help learners use computer graphics to construct meaning while they studied science concepts. Describes problems and benefits when delivering visualization workshops in the natural setting of a middle school. (Author/LRW)

Vignette and laboratory experiments suggest that negative reactions to people with mental illness are a direct consequence of their symptomatic behavior, but because of their poor external validity, these studies cannot tell us whether widespread negative public reactions to people with mental illness actually result from observation of…

Nursing home medical-record documentation of daily-care occurrence may be inaccurate, and information is not documented about important quality-of-life domains. The inadequacy of medical record data creates a barrier to improving care quality, because it supports an illusion of care consistent with regulations, which reduces the motivation and…

Prior researchers have evaluated the efficacy of using the matching law to describe naturally occurring behavior-environment interactions. However, spurious matching could be obtained if the response and environmental event were correlated, even if the event did not reinforce the response. To assess the likelihood of obtaining spurious matching…

In this article, we examine the evolving influences and literacy beliefs of two elementary teachers during their second year of professional teaching. Interview and observational data indicated that teaching context and personal dispositions most influenced the participant's literacy beliefs during this time. In particular, instructional decisions…

Causal effect modeling with naturalistic rather than experimental data is challenging. In observational studies participants in different treatment conditions may also differ on pretreatment characteristics that influence outcomes. Propensity score methods can theoretically eliminate these confounds for all observed covariates, but accurate…