The intent of this brief paper is two-fold: (1) to review selected past studies and discuss what is believed to be misdirections in their focus and inadequate methodology and (2) to report a series of studies that attempt to counter these shortcomings. It is held that, by focusing on discrete components, such as curriculum, and using limiting…

This document consists of a series of papers which describe components of a systematic research and development program at the Center at Oregon for Research in the Behavioral Education of the Handicapped (CORBEH). The presentations focus upon: (1) the development and use of a social interaction recording system supplying the major dependent…

Discusses issues relating to the reliability, validity, utility, and information value of unobtrusive testing of library reference services; provides suggestions for practical applications of these criteria; applies study findings to library decision making and planning; and identifies topics for further methodological refinement. (Author/CLB)

Suggests the need for detailed study of (1) behavior-environment interactions and (2) interdependencies within behavioral repertoires. Examines systems theory as a paradigm for both interpreting dynamic interrelationships and examining the complexities of learning and adaption. Argues for noninterventive studies of individual children's…

Recognizes the importance of nonverbal behavior (65% of communication is nonverbal) in the elementary and secondary school classrooms, and provides examples and a method for observing this behavior in student teachers. (NKA)

An announced aim of the research group for the Appalachian Collaborative Center for Learning, Assessment and Instruction in Mathematics (ACCLAIM) is to gather landscape information related to mathematics teaching and learning in rural Appalachian high schools. Does context (i.e., rural and Appalachian) have meaningful impacts upon the math…

This report outlines the results from the Nebraska's Reading First initiative. Three thousand six hundred students from Kindergarten to Third grade were included in the project. Results indicated significant growth across all demographic groups. Student performance in the earlier grades has shown great promise for the following years. Growth in…

Background: After the failure of several important methods comparison studies in the 1960s, the influence of interaction analysis stimulated interest in foreign language classroom processes. More careful observational studies gradually revealed which process variables were of interest. Also, there has been much research on teacher talk, with a…

An educator-in-residence directed a two-year professional development program to improve college teaching and student learning. The project was administered at Brescia College (Kentucky) and involved three other colleges of comparable size and mission: St. Mary-of-the Woods College and St. Meinrad College in Indiana and St. Catharine College in…

Canadian experts in diverse fields as well as people concerned about social justice and cohesion have identified quality child care as a crucial component in addressing a variety of broad societal goals. This study explored the relationships between child care center quality and: center characteristics; teaching staff wages and working conditions;…

This curriculum guide was developed for use with public television's Nature series. The materials in the guide are designed to help students actively participate in the study and experience of nature. Students are encouraged to view the programs as naturalists would, observing animals in their environment, noting their behavior, examining the…

This book compiles specially commissioned articles about early childhood education written by experts in the field and students enrolled in the Early Childhood Studies Scheme at the University of North London. The book is divided into seven parts. Part 1 concerns how young children learn and includes articles on a developmental approach to the…

This report describes the outcomes of a study that examined teacher efficacy in order to generate an exploratory and explanatory theory of teacher efficacy in the context of four heterogeneous fifth and sixth grade classrooms. It investigated how the four elementary teachers identified as being efficacious described the relationships between…

This book is the second to present the results on a study of how children's practice of speech, as shaped by family interaction, affects learning to talk. Participating in the study were 42 diverse families with young children. Each month for 2.5 years the interactions between 42 one- to two-year-olds and their parents were recorded as the…

Presents a personal reflection on an ethnographic study of teaching and learning practices in Irish traditional music. Describes the aims and methods of the study and some of the culture of Ireland. Concludes with a rumination on the nature of truth, applicability, consistency and the role of the ethnographic researcher. (MJP)