The current study is one of the first to investigate children's perceptions of quality in teacher-child relationships using a narrative measure. It is also one of the first studies to investigate how the child's report is associated with the teacher's report and with an observer's report of quality in teacher-child interactions. Participants…

Research Findings: The purpose of this article is to examine how dimensions of the preschool instructional context predict child-teacher relationship quality. A total of 118 low-income, predominantly Latino/a children and their teachers participated in this study. Children were observed in their 1st preschool classroom. Measures of instructional…

Students who are expelled from school often demonstrate the need for alternative learning environments that respond to their academic disengagement as well as their behavioral challenges. Teachers in such environments contend with a variety of student needs while attempting to engage students in the learning process. This grounded theory study…

A category system consisting of 36 categories was developed for classifying the verbal behavior of each pupil in high school biology lecture-discussion classes. Two classes each of eight high school biology teachers were observed and tape recorded for four consecutive days. Classroom interaction was coded combining a teacher-behavior category…

A research program to investigate interactions of instruction styles and learner characteristics related to learning results in junior high schools is described. Data was gathered both by observation of the teacher in the classroom and by responses of pupils on their perceptions of the teacher. Different teaching styles are defined and referred to…

Validity is a central issue in use of self-report data for the investigation of teacher thinking. "Triangulation," or use of several data sets to test, corroborate and elaborate each other, is one method for increasing validity of findings. This paper illustrates a process of triangulation of data obtained by three different data…

The purpose of this field study was to test a "macro-model" stemming from earlier research on ability grouping. Dependent process variables such as methods of instruction, and time for school and homework were studied as a function of grouping characteristics of the class. The main data are "macro" in the sense that they refer…

The Student Attributes Coding System has been developed for gathering data about the personal characteristics and classroom behavior of elementary school students selected for observation because they engender predictable attitudes and expectations in their teachers. This system is designed to systematically record and categorize all interactions…

The premise that students are an untapped educational resource and that they provide teachers with a source of individualized instruction provided the impetus for this study. Researchers had two objectives: one, to determine the possibility of developing a typology of peer helping behavior within the classroom; and, two, if possible, to use this…

Findings from the Student Attribute Study, a two-year investigation designed to identify student characteristics and behaviors related to teacher expectations and attitudes are reported. Children in grades two through five who received consistent teacher rankings over a two-year period on one or more of 13 bi-polar scales describing student…