Several accounts concerning the systematic use of action research by eminent educators in the process of identifying and solving an educational problem(s) have appeared in professional journals. Thus, action research is gaining recognition by policy makers and educators as a tool for change However, this growing concept has not yet caught up in…

Americans have concluded that the achievement gap is the fault of "failing schools" because it makes no common sense that it could be otherwise. After all, how much money a family has, or a child's skin color, should not influence how well that child learns to read. If teachers know how to teach and if schools permit no distractions,…

This study presents results of research on the impact of Interactive Perceptual Psychology (IPP) on teachers. IPP is the psychology showing human behavior as the sum of internal energy derived from thinking, feeling, and acting. This energy comes from the interaction among 10 receptors found within each human being: (1) "man's" will; (2)…

The demands of the job of an academic chair are varied, numerous, and often frustrating and unrewarding. Long-term chairs, those with 5 to 20 years of experience, usually work through a period of deciding whether to resign or attempt renewal. Since the continuity and commitment of a long-term chair can be a valuable asset for an institution,…

This paper reports on a study investigating the issues that most significantly influence urban special education teachers' decisions to leave the field voluntarily or transfer to a different type of educational position. First, it presents the results of post-attrition interviews with 17 special educators who left their positions during or…

Declining school quality is one of the most serious problems facing Third World countries--particularly in Africa. Economic constraints limit opportunities to enhance teacher morale and performance even while upgrading teachers has become the central component of most efforts to reverse educational decline. While the most powerful incentives…

A "do-it-yourself" library move may produce significant changes in the established patterns of personnel organization and behavior of the library staff. However, most previously published work on the topic of moving a library collection concentrates on procedural aspects of a move. This study recounts and analyzes the impact of such a…

Indiana vocational home economics teachers were sent 58-item questionnaires designed to determine reasons for their dissatisfaction with their jobs. These teachers had been identified in an earlier study as being dissatisfied with their jobs. Respondents numbered 367 (80 percent); 56 added notes explaining their feelings. Computer forms were…

Few efforts have been made to inject teachers' voices into discussions on school restructuring. Qualitative, in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 teachers to ascertain what the "average" teacher thinks about restructuring. The majority of interviewees held positive perceptions about restructuring, but opinions differed on the feasibility of…

As one aspect of a study of individual and organizational conditions contributing to faculty vitality, the career socialization and current career attitudes of three faculty generations were compared. These generational comparisons were done separately for two groups of tenured university faculty members: (1) a representative group drawn from the…

This study sought to develop a clearer understanding of the correlates of the emotional exhaustion aspect of burnout among learning disabilities (LD) teachers in resource programs. Specifically, the study examined the relationship between the emotional aspect of burnout as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and: (1) background…

A study was conducted to determine the perceived professional development and support needs for beginning home economics teachers and to determine how they use professional development and support. A census study was conducted using all beginning (having one, two, or three years of teaching experience) home economics teachers in Illinois.…

A study of the conditions and resources of teachers sought to assess, through a national survey of 1,789 elementary and secondary school teachers, the degree to which four factors--job resources, decision making, communication with building-level administrators, and correlates of teacher satisfaction and career commitment--affect the teachers'…

This book contains practical information on creating a positive work climate within an organization. Twenty separate characteristics of successful "climate creators" are discussed. Information is also included on: (1) climate; (2) climate creators; (3) dynamic characteristics of climate creators; (4) the challenge of creating a positive climate;…

The importance of mealtime companionship and social interaction to improvements of food consumption, nutritional status, and morale in the elderly have been stressed, but the research supporting this concept is minimal. To determine the relationship between mealtime companionship and morale, a representative group of rural adults (N=418) aged 65…