The goal of this study was to explore how young students' use of language to talk about their abilities affects their perceptions of self in the elementary art classroom. After observing reticence and low self-esteem reported among elementary-aged students while in the process of creating works of art, the exploration, discovery, and…

Education researchers use surveys widely. Yet, critics question respondents' ability to provide high-quality responses. As schools increasingly use student surveys to drive policymaking, respondents' (lack of) motivation to provide quality responses may threaten the wisdom of using surveys for data-based decision-making. To better understand…

The way we ask for something, or "request," is hardly the same across all contexts. The degree to which we show politeness in these instances is closely related to a number of contextual factors (Brown & Levinson, 1987), manifested in the linguistic features that we employ (Blum-Kulka, House & Kasper, 1989; Searle, 1975).…

The "Positive Action" model is a time-tested tool for achieving far-reaching school reform. The program's designed to reform and revitalize schools so that the needs of children are met. The Positive Action Program was developed for elementary schools and has been expanded for middle schools and high schools. The Positive Action Program is based…

A study of patterns of literacy behaviors in high level literacy environments with varying levels of access to the environment began with a study of the instruments involved. Goals were to: (1) examine the reliability of the Survey of Displayed Literacy Stimuli; (2) study the correlation between scores from the Survey of Displayed Literacy Stimuli…

To generate a useful means of analyzing think-aloud protocols of individual students, and to determine the extent to which practical information might be derived from transcripts and videotapes, this project focused on the problem-solving behaviors of 17 sixth-grade students videotaped while solving routine textbook word problems. Using a…

A program was implemented in an elementary school to improve students' social skills, thereby reducing physically and verbally aggressive behavior and reducing off-task behavior. The targeted population consisted of second, third, and sixth graders in two northern Illinois elementary schools, one situated in a low socioeconomic neighborhood, the…

As part of a substance abuse prevention project, a measure was developed in both English and Spanish to measure levels of acculturation among members of a Latino youth population for later comparison of acculturation with high-risk behaviors. The Latino Youth Acculturation Scale (LYAS) consists of 23 items. Eleven items deal with language use of…

The Gang Membership Inventory (GMI) was developed for use with urban high-risk youth and administered as part of a larger survey. The GMI consists of 15 true/false items asking about the respondent's involvement in gang activities in the year just past. Activities range from peripheral involvement to more serious involvement in gangs (e.g., being…