Twenty-seven second-grade students were observed during two reading periods to examine the nature of instruction and academic responding time for students in high, middle, and low reading groups. Across all groups, it was found that students spent about 20 minutes of a 120-minute typical reading period actively engaged in academic responding, and…

Homework is one of the most important practices for establishing a successful academic environment. From the literature and an elementary school teacher survey, seven purposes of homework were identified: practice, participation, personal development, parent-child relations, policy, public relations, and punishment. Using data from elementary…

This packet provides the concerned teacher and supervisor with materials for learning how to determine the percentage of time their students are actively engaged on task. The materials include definitions of key terms, a list of situations during which students must be considered unengaged, sample forms to be used in classroom observations of…

North Carolina students taking statewide achievement tests in grades 6 and 9 were ased two questions about the amount of time they spend doing homework: how much time do you spend doing assigned homework, and how much time do you spend doing work which is not assigned or required by the teacher? The results were compared with their scores on the…

A self regulation package was used to teach self control skills to eight learning disabled (LD) and two nonLD adolescents in an experimental high school setting. Students had histories of noncompliance and were described as nonfunctional in their previous schools. Treatment consisted of behavior contracting, self recording, self monitoring, and…

Instructional time, especially time on task, appears to have a positive relationship to academic achievement. (MKM)

The exploratory study examined computer use during free time in two classrooms for mildly and moderately retarded 3- to 5-year-olds. Results indicated that computer use was a popular activity choice, that children used the computer for a relatively long time, that they preferred software with excellent graphics, and that they rarely chose…

The study compared performance on the Continuous Performance Task by 18 elementary grade children having attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADDH), 15 conduct disordered, 26 mixed conduct disorder and ADDH, 15 emotionally disturbed, 22 learning disabled, and 15 nondisabled students. Hyperactive children did not demonstrate a unique…

The school survival skills of 36 learning disabled (LD) high school students were compared with those of nonhandicapped and emotionally disturbed students. Although LD students tended to be ill prepared, inattentive, and not to volunteer comments or questions, their performance was not significantly different from that of the normal control group.…

A microeconomic theory is used to examine student learning curves. Achievement and time allocation measures are from a half dozen pupils in each of 21 fifth- and 25 second-grade classrooms in reading and mathematics. Also studied are the role teachers' values play in allocating learning time to students. (MLF)

A naturalistic investigation was conducted to describe the relationships among participation structures, reading activities, student engagement, and subsequent student achievement in reading lessons taught by student teachers and experienced teachers. Results are presented. (Author/MT)

Results of a study of five subjects (ages 7-9) in a multicategorical resource room employing a token economy indicated that the addition of a daily review of classroom rules resulted in an overall time-on-task improvement of 12% and a 50% reduction of instances of disruptive "talkout." (Author/JW)

Describes a study of 200 employers in which the key questions were: How many people do you train each year? How many person hours of training occur? What subjects are studied? How much money is spent? Results are reported and analyzed. (CT)

Teacher education programs must provide experiences that promote learner growth and achievement. A study involving 28 physical education majors examined the use of microteaching as a means of affecting feedback behaviors of preservice teachers. Results are discussed. (DF)

Describes a classroom management system that increases both the students' positive attitudes toward general physical science and the teacher's enthusiasm for teaching it.