The observation manual provides a system for the naturalistic observation of interactions between the preschool child and the caregiver. It can be used in research with the preschool aged child and the parent or teacher in home, laboratory, or school settings. The behavior categories included are applicable for collecting frequency data or…

Describes a study using two types of macroanalytic analyses of observed teacher behaviors in the classroom. The findings of the study showed one of the macroanalytic techniques to be more effective as it identified broader behavior patterns occurring over longer periods of time. (MLH)

A slightly modified Flanders interaction coding system was used to code teacher verbal behaviors with reference to the ethnicity of the student to whom each behavior was directed. A number of statistically significant, substantial and pedagogically important disparities in teacher behaviors were directed toward Mexican American and Anglo students.…

Seven features of valid classroom observations procedures, a five-step measurement schemata, and a systematic classroom observation procedure designed to reduce measurement error are presented. The following features are addressed: (1) the inference of the observation is established a priori and confirmed post hoc; (2) craft knowledge and…

An observational instrument was developed to measure social competence in kindergarten classrooms. Social competence was specified in terms of four broad behavioral categories: obedience, cooperation, interaction, and autonomy. Each category was further particularized in terms of observable behaviors. Initial 5-minute observations using the…

In 1982 an experimental program of weekly school observations was added to the required Education Psychology course for elementary education students in their junior year at Nazareth College of Rochester, New York. The program was extended to include secondary education students in 1985. Weekly reports from student observers became an important…

This manual on teacher evaluation is limited to selected aspects of instruction that are evident in classrooms, including teaching behaviors, pupil perceptions about instruction, classroom transactions involving pupils and teachers, and evidence of short- and long-term planning. The focus is upon those aspects of instruction that research has…

Evaluation methods lack direction to improve efforts of teachers because the methods operate on vague impressions. Congruence analysis techniques offer promise for diagnostic determination of strengths and weaknesses in teaching practices over a variety of specified criteria. The analysis circumvents some of the problems of linking objective data…

To many people, the term "clinical supervision" now means the Hunter Model, which involves monitoring of teachers' classroom behavior for usage of Hunter's essential elements of instruction, feedback of these results, reinforcement of desired practice, and a prescription for remediation of teachers' performance. In contrast, the…

This monograph addresses the issues in phenomenology as applied to educational research. The first chapter discusses problems with the following traditional goals of scientific methodology when applied by social scientists to educational research: measurement, control, objectivity, generalizability, and prediction. The second chapter explains the…

This paper examines teacher assessment in light of contemporary cognitive science and anthropological research on teaching. Attention is given to why some teacher tests are inappropriate for assessing competence and the need for development of an effective, comprehensive assessment system that acknowledges the inadequacy of current test…

The validity of interval and time sampling methods of measuring student engaged time was investigated in a study estimating the actual time students spent engaged in relevant motor performance in physical education classes. Two versions of the interval Academic Learning Time in Physical Education (ALT-PE) instrument and an equivalent time sampling…

Several approaches to reading assessment, based on the whole language approach, can provide teachers with a frame of reference to guide them in making decisions about selecting and planning classroom activities. The more traditional approach to reading assessment, usually referred to as reading diagnosis, focuses on the final product (the test…

The study evaluated the effectiveness of an adaptation of the Behavior Rating Scale (BRS), a child observation form, as a screening device for identifying learning disabled children in the primary schools of Botswana. Children (N=620) in two different primary school grades (standards 5 and 7) and two different types of schools (Setswana Medium and…

As part of a new teacher evaluation program initiated by the local school board, the Charleston County School District (South Carolina) adopted the Assessments of Performance in Teaching (APT) as a major evaluation tool to assess the teaching performance of annual contract teachers. Since evaluation procedures can ultimately lead to teacher…