Examined relationship between advocacy of humanistic and confluent educational teaching values and nine humanistic, confluent patterns of classroom interaction. Describes the development and initial validation of a behavioral instrument, the Humanistic-Confluent Interactional Analysis Category System, for examining daily classroom interactive…

Considers both qualitative and quantitative research approaches on second language learning, with focus on second language classroom research. Concludes that both approaches are relevant to determining the important variables to investigate and the relationships those variables have to second language learning outcomes. (Author/CB)

Children, aged three to seven years, were observed in spontaneous and structured situations using computer graphics and robots. It was found that computer graphics can enhance reflectivity and that robots present a rich problem-solving environment for pairs of children as they try to coordinate commands to one robot. (Author/BB)

Looks beyond the threatening and remunerative aspects of teacher appraisal in the United Kingdom to the contribution that evaluation can make to professional and school development. Considers five sound reasons for appraisal, the roles and behaviors to be appraised, and some workable approaches and techniques. Effective leadership is the key.…

A teacher professional development program in Virginia identified 15 performance indicators of effective teaching. Teachers are given 5 years and 30 observations (during which only teacher strengths are documented) in which to demonstrate and assess their proficiency. Peer evaluations and monetary incentives are successfully utilized. (MLF)

This paper discusses classroom variables as an academic ecology; describes how linking assessment to effective intervention requires an understanding of this ecology; reviews procedures for assessing the academic ecology including classroom observations, teacher interviews, and examination of permanent academic products; and presents a case study…

Facet design and smallest space analysis were used to study teaching behaviors. From a questionnaire administered to 2,000 high school students, a set of 25 structuples were selected which repeatedly described teachers' instructional behavior. Results supported the usefulness of this approach. (GDC)

This study investigated how classroom teaching behavior mediates the relationship between personality and college teaching effectiveness. Instructional effectiveness was measured by end-of-term student ratings. Path analysis revealed that approximately half of the relationship between personality and teaching effectiveness was mediated by…

Nonverbal behaviors associated with classroom conversation in Choctaw Indian and white middle class public schools were videotaped with two cameras providing a view of the teacher and class and the listener-gaze of individual students. Results indicated cultural differences in nonverbal behavior were associated with classroom interaction.…

Reports on observations of how a small group of foreign language teachers sought to teach their students the skill of "free expression," that is, the ability to use sentences learned integrally from texts and exericises in new and different situations. Compares these techniques and interprets these comparisons. (SED)

The usefulness of four standardized rating scales in assessing student behavior problems is discussed: the Child Behavior Checklist (completed by parents); the Teacher Report Form; the Direct Observation Form; and the Youth Self Report. Four case studies illustrate the use of these checklists in school-based assessment. (Author/GDC)

Describes some of the activities teacher researchers are doing in their classrooms, focusing on ways they use language, literature, and literacy activities to examine their students' development as well as their own growth. Also outlines ways teachers organize and analyze their observations in an effort to make them somewhat systematic. (HOD)

A comparison of teacher ratings, peer roster ratings, and self-ratings with observational data, involving 22 learning disabled or educable retarded and 16 nonhandicapped high school students, yielded such results as that the peer and teacher ratings effectively measured time-on-task during classroom activities, but did not correlate well with…

The behavior of children from a wide range of family backgrounds was observed in elementary school classrooms several years after program services had been delivered. The results indicated that program participants benefited, particularly in the area of academic learning behavior. (Author/BW)

Structured naturalistic observations and student surveys were analyzed to determine (1) the extent to which small group instruction was used in elementary school classrooms; (2) the academic conditions under which small group instruction was used; and (3) the effects of small group instruction on student attitudes, particularly those related to…