The focus of this action research project report was to reduce female bullying in the school. There were 35 female participants from sixth and seventh grade, one counselor, and eight recess supervisors. This research project took place from September 4, 2007 through December 14, 2007. Some of the behaviors associated with this problem included:…

This paper presents an analysis of the classroom discourse and strategies of Marcia, an early childhood teacher of a class with a high percentage of Indigenous Australian students. These students have been demonstrably successful on standardised literacy tests, which is not the case for Indigenous students in general in Australia (e.g., MCEETYA,…

There is no one style of parenting which characterizes young mothers as a group. In addition, life circumstances play an important role in shaping maternal behaviour. The aim of this study was to identify patterns of maternal play behaviour and contextual (social and personal) factors associated with these different patterns. In this study, 107…

High-stakes tests have been employed widely to engineer curriculum innovation, or achieve intended washback in education. But our understanding of the role of high-stakes tests as an agent for change is limited due to the small number of empirical studies available on this issue. This paper reports on a washback study which focuses on the writing…

Whatever has happened to using teacher observation as an approach to assess student achievement? Presently, the emphasis is upon state mandated testing to ascertain student progress. Much is written in educational journals about having students achieve No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federal and state standards, signed into law in 2002. Much drill is…

Background: Early research exploring teacher expectations concentrated on the dyadic classroom interactions of teachers with individual students. More recent studies have shown whole class factors to have more significance in portraying teachers' expectations. Recently teachers having high or low expectations for all their students have been…

This study reports on the impact of mentor teachers using an explicit pedagogy with their student teachers. Seven mentors participated in workshops before the school year started and received ongoing support throughout the year about how to explicitly teach student teachers the strategies and skills needed to be an effective teacher. Observations…

A qualitative, ethnographic investigation of a Canadian, undergraduate, advanced Hebrew course composed of heritage language learners of diverse backgrounds examined the fluctuating notion of the target language (TL) community in second language teaching. Data collection techniques of participant observation, in-depth, semi-structured focus group…

Although the number of urban Catholic schools has declined in recent years, Nativity model middle schools, first developed by the Jesuits over 35 years ago, have appeared throughout the nation to address the need for effective alternative education for urban children placed at risk. The present study compares the effectiveness of two types of…

This study examined the effectiveness of self-evaluation, self-observation, and self-observation plus self-recording in reducing disruptive classroom behaviors. The initial study was conducted with seven primary level students divided into the three treatment conditions, and a replication study was conducted with eight intermediate level students…

Through observation of fifth-grade mathematics and social studies classes, this study reveals that subject matter, a variable often overlooked in recent research, has a profound effect on instructional practice. The study analyzes the interrelations among forms of instruction, levels of student involvement, and subject matter. The analysis…

This study examined the power of school-aged children's creative thinking and temperament to predict children's coping abilities as observed in the school setting. The study also examined children's typical responses to major and minor stressful life events. A total of 60 children between 9 and 12 years of age completed the verbal and figural…

This guide, presented in both the English and French language versions is designed to accompany a 36-minute video illustrating systematic behavioral observation methods. Together, the video and the guide comprise a training module that suggests simple and effective observational methods that will help teachers in Quebec assess students objectively…

This paper discusses how preschool teachers can use observational and portfolio assessment techniques to evaluate both typical and special needs children in inclusive preschool classrooms. Explaining that portfolios can contain teacher observations, checklists of student activities, and samples of student work, it suggests techniques for…

There is a growing sense of frustration among members of the science education research community that results from the fact that the impact of research in science education on classroom practice has been disappointing. In this theoretical paper, the questions of relevance and accountability in science education research are first reviewed and…