This study examined the language use practices of three bilingual students enrolled in a fourth-grade class and of the class as a whole. The study found that most children reported using greater amounts of English as they progressed through the grades, and that children consistently held very positive attitudes toward Spanish and bilingualism.…

A study used classroom observation in a two-way Spanish immersion kindergarten to identify aspects of the classroom environment that permitted and promoted participation by the English-speaking children despite their limited Spanish proficiency. Two participation structures were analyzed: teacher-directed lessons and child-centered activities.…

This study quantified possible changes in the classroom learning experiences of high- and low-ability pupils, which might accompany an organizational change from streamed to mixed-ability classes for science learning in secondary schools. Deteriorations in the quality of the classroom interactions of both high- and low-ability pupils were found.…

Maintains that three curriculum goals (understanding, appreciation, and life application) lie at the core of constructivist teaching and should guide methods of assessment. Authentic assessment techniques could include the evaluation of students' written positions on important issues, descriptions of what they have learned, and student portfolios.…

A program on Hmong culture, language, and history was implemented in a diverse, urban, public elementary school. Observations of two Hmong students while in the Hmong program and in their regular classroom were compared. Being in a classroom with children of the same language and background, as well as having a Hmong teacher, promoted higher…

Presents general overview of evaluation, including definition, general functions, and processes. Describes factors associated with low teacher quality in Kenya such as deficiencies in preservice teacher education, limited opportunities for inservice training. Summarizes problems in the Kenyan teacher-evaluation system and the proposed strategies…

Science teaching orientations, defined as teachers' knowledge and beliefs about the purposes and goals for teaching science, have been identified as a critical component within the proposed pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) model for science teaching. Because of the scarcity of empirical studies in this area, this case study examined the nature…

In the present study, the personal epistemological beliefs of group leaders in toddler child care programmes are investigated. Epistemological beliefs are beliefs about knowing and learning. It is considered that the quality of these beliefs is influenced by educational experiences. In this study, such beliefs are assumed to be mediating factors…

Student motivation is a cause of great concern for educators at all levels, but perhaps never more so than during the middle school years. Teachers' observations about declines in student interest and confidence in academic tasks are borne out by a number of large-scale empirical studies. In this article, the author examines how teachers create…

Although task-based teaching is frequently practiced in contemporary English language teaching, it is underresearched in state school settings. This article contributes to filling this gap in the literature by using qualitative case study data to explore how a task-based innovation was implemented in three primary school classrooms in Hong Kong.…

This guidebook provides the basic information needed for inservice training in techniques for observing gifted characteristics in children from diverse population groups including economically disadvantaged and students with limited English proficiency. The training program is based on a specific Staff Development Model (SDM) and a Research-based…

The transition to elementary school spans several years in a child's life. For children to progress during this critical period, they must have learning opportunities that are appropriate to their changing developmental levels. Unfortunately, measurement technology that currently dominates assessment practice does not lend itself well to the task…

This study was designed to assess the roles played by middle school educators while participating in a collaborative teaching program which combined a regular educator, a special educator, and their respective students for one period of content instruction per day. During one semester, six teams of two teachers in three different middle schools…

This paper reports on a study that explored the possibility of measuring distance education classes using the Media Sensor, a device designed to sample and record various electronic impulses generated during a distance education session. Research questions explored: (1) the ability of the Media Sensor to identify patterns in the audio and video…

A contemporary mathematics curriculum emphasizes using a variety of evaluation techniques to determine student achievement. Too frequently in the past, standardized norm- referenced tests and their results provided the main information related to student achievement. These tests have not presented objectives for teachers to use in teaching…