The objective of this study was to determine whether there were verbal interaction differences between junior/community college and university settings and among disciplines. Theoretically, student achievement and student attitudes are influenced by the types of verbal interactions taking place within classrooms. Forty-eight different classes…

The Miniaturized Interaction Analysis System (Mini-TIA) was developed to permit improved analysis of classroom communication in conjunction with video taping. Each of seven verbal event categories is subdivided into two categories according to the nature of the nonverbal events paralleling them. Integrated into the system are (1) defined verbal…

Certain classroom behaviors, indicants of teacher effectiveness, were identified by a group of classroom teachers. These behavioral indicators provided the basis for a performance test--in the form of an observation schedule--which can be used for certifying candidates as competent to teach school. Five standardized observation instruments were…

This paper suggests that one way of understanding the role of feedback in a classroom situation is to describe the types of feedback which are communicated in a range of settings and to study the effect the feedback seems to have. Systematic descriptions are provided of the feedback communicated by teachers in ESOL classes, by children playing, by…

This paper presents a discussion of evaluation methods which can be used in preschool programs and emphasizes the importance of considering both outcome and process variables. Emphasizing the limitations of research which utilizes only outcome measures, the paper focuses on the benefits of an analysis of ongoing processes and interactions within…

A program designed to improve learning through improved teaching competencies, the IOTAH program (Instrument for the Observation of Teaching Activities in Higher Education) is reported. This program for instructional improvement involves three stages: introduction, training, and implementation. The introductory stage can be accomplished through…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences between exploratory children and cautious children as they functioned in open classrooms over a period of time and to document some general aspects of child behavior in open educational settings. Sixty children were observed through the course of the school year in their first grade open…

A study of economically disadvantaged children in free play nursery contexts provided further evidence for the cross-cultural applicability of Schaefer's three-dimensional scheme in assessing classroom competencies. Several implications of the configurational approach are a new way of thinking about competence measurement, its differentiated…

When public pressure mounts for teacher accountability, current methods of evaluating teachers are widely regarded as inadequate. Teachers often feel that evaluation is hasty, arbitrary, and threatening; more important, it gives them little practical help in improving their performance. This paper describes a pilot test of a new collegial…

Teacher verbal mediation which might be associated with children's elaborated-restricted code use was described in 20 early childhood classrooms. Three teacher mediation patterns were identified. Data collected by RELAB, an instrument derived from Bernstein's coding categories, recorded 4,135 child statements, eight classroom contexts and eight…

This guide for teachers of 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds focuses on the observation and direction of learning through play. Each chapter covers a specific curriculum area: Block Building, The Graphic Arts, Woodworking, Manipulative Materials, Modeling Materials, Paste and Collage, Sand, Water, Food, Housekeeping, Music and Movement, Physical Activities,…

Remarks on the practice of class visitation at the college level in English courses are directed toward revealing critical weaknesses of such practice. Examples, drawn from experience, suggest that psychological damage to the instructor often results from direct classroom observation. A more successful approach to evaluation is discussed in terms…

This paper reports findings of a main study and a corollary study designed to clarify the relationship between interpersonal and intrapersonal language by examining the spontaneous classroom interpersonal verbal output of children 4-5 years old in relation to social class and intelligence. The report presents (1) preparation of the data of the…

Three common methodological problems in the analysis of observational data include: (1) failure to base degrees of freedom for the analysis on the appropriate sampling unit; (2) the validity of the design and data are inconsistent with the generalizations reached; (3) the statistic used to calculate coder reliability is often inappropriate and…

An extensive inservice training program involved principals, teachers, teacher-aides, and parents. It becan in 1970 with a summer workshop, and then throughout the following school year, substitute teachers were provided 1 day each week to release the teachers from school to attend classes at Portland State University. The program was monitored…