Using a personal anecdotal style, this paper describes ethical conflicts that occurred during a study conducted in a kindergarten classroom in which the researcher was a passive observer. The paper is framed around an incident observed by the researcher in which a kindergarten student was stigmatized as an outsider and mistreated by his peer…

Issues and elements of case study research are explored and illustrated with the example of a case study of a kindergarten in a suburb of Tokyo (Japan). Case study research is a type of qualitative research that concentrates on a single unit or entity, with boundaries established by the researcher. The case is an example drawn from a larger class,…

Focusing on the development of systematic observation procedures, this document provides guidance in choosing methods to assess the development of children within an early childhood program. The document discusses how to use observation data to guide decisions about curriculum and teaching, provide feedback on educational and developmental…

This book provides a set of principles and analytical methods that are based on research findings and are designed to be adapted to different assessment scenarios, thus enabling instructors to construct their own assessment methods. Part 1 covers the underlying principles of assessment, examining its purposes, assessment criteria, and the nature…

The purpose of this paper is to describe current practices in various states used to identify linguistically different students, provide a review of literature regarding recommended practices, and offer alternative practices for identifying linguistically different students. The paper provides an information base regarding current identification…

Part of a larger project, "Technology, Educational Media & Materials--Assessing the Social and Cultural Impact of Group-Based, Videodisc Math Instruction in Mainstreamed Classrooms," this study addressed the question of whether the level of student achievement differs across levels of implementation of a mediated program that is based on a…

This paper describes the development and implementation of a project to prepare science support teachers to work in four junior high schools in Toledo, Ohio. The project was collaboratively developed by the Institute for Research on Teaching at Michigan State University, the Toledo school district, and the American Federation of Teachers. The…

This paper offers practical procedures and suggestions on initiating and carrying out naturalistic classroom observation of the type used in the Learning in Science Project in New Zealand (1980). The initiation of the research requires sensitivity and patience. Once in the classroom the overriding aim is to be unobtrusive and to achieve acceptance…

The materials in this report deal with the process of children's writing and rewriting. The first section of the report describes the original methodology of a study of children's rewriting and explains how and why that methodology was changed as the study progressed. The second section provides a review of related literature, while the third,…

Designed for teachers and researchers interested in the study of the composing process, this guide introduces a method of analysis that can be applied to data from a range of different cases. Specifically, the guide offers a simple, direct coding scheme for describing the movements occurring during composing that involves four procedures: teaching…

Following a review of research endeavors in the area of teacher evaluation and performance assessment, some procedures which have been developed at the University of Toledo (Ohio) to discriminate between competent and incompetent teachers are described. The university's program is competency-based, and researchers have identified 49 competencies…

This guide describes a management system for dealing with hyperactive, disruptive children within the classroom setting. The first step in the process involves a 45-minute classroom observation of the referred child by the psychologist. The psychologist collects frequency and duration baseline data on four classes of behavior: off task, talking…

Specifically designed to avoid methodological problems limiting earlier research, this study attempted to identify specific behavioral differences between elementary school students with either high or low sociometric status. Subjects, who had been selected on the basis of same-sex sociometric status nominations of 144 classmates, were 30 females…

Some selected principles of Heider's balance theory are presented and the p-o-x model is explained as a theoretical framework for predicting responses to interpersonal situations in which the participants are in attitudinal agreement or disagreement. (Author)

In this study an observation schedule was developed and used to compare activities and behavior of 77 New Zealand children with disabilities who had been mainstreamed into special groups within preschools and play centers and 77 non-disabled peers. The development of the schedule is described, results are given, and advice is offered to…