Although competency-based graduation programs possess an intuitive appeal because of their clearly specified outcomes, external evaluation provision, and quality control mechanisms, they do pose a number of student evaluation problems which have rarely been encountered in American education. This discussion is concerned with such problems. (Author)

Investigated the impact of teachers' instructional strategies (direct or non-direct) and college students' conceptual levels (high or low) on students' achievement and motivation to learn. Students in the nondirect instruction group, regardless of conceptual level, were more motivated than students in the direct instruction group. Overall, high…

This paper begins with a discussion of a theory of teams in general and then proceeds to a description of a program of research focused on a simple but carefully structured classroom team technique, Student Teams-Achievement Divisions, or STAD. (Author)

The Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study is a major study on teaching effectiveness. Findings and educational implications dealing with time, instructional processes, and classroom environment are offered. (DF)

How Black and Hispanic students' perceptions of classroom instruction affects their academic achievement was studied. Black students' perceptions of their teachers' instructional time and structuring comments significantly explained their gain in reading achievement. Hispanic students' perceptions of their teachers' pacing significantly explained…

Presents summarized evaluations of nine specific career education projects, each of which illustrates one or more problems of evaluating the elusive aspects of career education. Part of a theme issue on career education evaluation. (Editor/SJL)

Teams-Games-Tournaments (TGT) is a classroom program which addresses the problems of student values, student diversity, and basic skills. This article describes: how TGT works, its origins, research to date, implications for teachers and researchers, how TGT is used in the classroom, and new directions for TGT. (Author/SJL)

This 1971-1973 evaluation of Lincoln County's Exemplary Career Education Project showed that project students in grades 1-6 excelled control groups in language development, mathematics, and occupational awareness. Ninth and tenth graders improved in attitudes and competence related to career maturity. Student, parent, teacher, and community…

Results are reported from a study of the learning styles of 306 high school students. The study examined learning style characteristics (abstraction, concreteness, reflection, activity); comparisons between adolescent and adult learning styles; and differences between freshmen and seniors, males and females, and slow-track and fast-track learners.…

The jigsaw technique of classroom instruction utilizes small groups and peer teaching to help students develop the skill of cooperation. The authors review research on its effect on achievement, role taking abilities, and interethnic perceptions in Mexican American and Anglo students. Implications for desegregation are drawn. (SJL)

Examined how children's books and textbooks affected fifth graders' knowledge acquisition and attitudes toward social studies and their textbooks. Students received instruction with either a children's book, a textbook, or both. Pretesting and posttesting indicated that students using children's books learned more, possibly because children's…

Tested the benefits of matching high-anxiety German and American 8th graders with teacher-centered instruction and low-anxiety students with student-centered instruction. Data from student interviews and diaries indicated that anxiety alone was did not necessarily significantly deter achievement, and instructional patterns alone did not account…

This study synthesized evaluations of the K-12 career education projects funded by USOE in 1975-76. Each study was assigned to one of USOE's nine student outcome goals. Results and comments are presented by goal statement. Implications for evaluation design and career education effectiveness are considered. (SJL)

Kindergartners and first-graders in regular classrooms were compared to students in nongraded, continuous-progress settings. Comparisons on academic achievement and school attitudes indicated differences favoring nongraded, continuous-progress settings for various academic and citizenship skills. Girls in the nongraded, continuous-progress group…