A study investigated whether spelling could be taught more effectively through a holistic writing approach than through the traditional basal textbook approach. Subjects, 19 second grade students at an elementary school in Sheldon, Illinois, first received six weeks of formal spelling instruction using the 1985 edition of the second grade spelling…

In his ethnographic study of junior high school literacy activities, David Bloome found support for four theoretical constructs of the student-text interaction: (1) education is a process of cultural transmission; (2) reading is defined in terms of the sociocultural context in which it occurs; (3) the interpretation of behavior and of signs occurs…

This study investigated whether first grade students could be taught metacognitive strategies to solve analogies. Subjects, 34 first grade students randomly assigned to two groups with adjustments made to make the groups equal in gender, ability, and urban or rural geographic location, were pretested for their ability to solve analogies. The…

This study was done to see if sixth grade students could improve their drawing abilities by looking at lines more abstractly--by drawing a picture viewing the original upside down and comparing it to the same student's drawing done viewing the original right side up. Pairs of works were scored on the basis of line quality, proportion, and likeness…

This study focused on the extent to which teacher certifications influence student achievement in the elementary music curriculum. It examined the roles of music specialists, classroom teachers, and visiting artists in the instruction of elementary school music, hypothesizing that students taught by a music specialist will attain higher…

A study described and evaluated a program for increasing student retention and transfer of weekly spelling words into daily writing. The targeted population consisted of second-grade students in two different middle-class communities. One community was growing, while the other was more established; both are located in suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.…

This study investigated effects of a nonsexist curriculum on preschoolers' dramatic role play behavior and usage of language and play space. A quasi-experimental design included two preschool groups, one of which received a treatment component that consisted of a nonsexist curriculum. The treatment group included 12 males and 10 females between…

This study examined the types of questions teachers are asking in their classrooms to help promote critical thinking. To do this, 12 teachers representing kindergarten through fifth grade were asked to tape record 3 reading lessons. The lessons were examined and a tally was taken as to the types of questions asked: lower-level or higher-level. The…

Elementary schools in Knox County, Tennessee employ music specialists who spend about one hour weekly instructing individual elementary classes in music. Students in those classes receive about 64 music lessons per school year. The music curriculum in Knox County includes the six major elements of music: melody, harmony, rhythm, style, expressive…

A discussion of lesson planning for classroom instruction, a teacher draws on personal experience in teacher education and other life experiences. Examples that accompany the discussion apply to second language teaching. The first chapter offers background information on his early training in planning in the fields of both education and…

A descriptive study of teacher perceptions of critical thinking skills and implementation of teaching behaviors that foster critical thinking was carried out. Participants were 30 teachers at an elementary school in a small, affluent community in the San Francisco Bay area. Data were gathered by means of a questionnaire administered to a consensus…

A study investigated whether the use of reading games would result in greater improvement in the reading skills scores of a sample of fourth grade students as compared to a control sample taught by a traditional basal method of instruction. The subjects, 20 heterogeneously grouped students (10 for the experimental group and 10 for the control…

Keyboarding was taught to a group of 26 fourth- and fifth-grade students in a self-contained classroom by an elementary classroom teacher using an Apple IIe microcomputer and two software programs: "Gregg Personal Keyboarding" and "Typing Tutor II." Intervention spanned 52 class days, including pre-, mid-, and posttest days,…

With the emergence of new technologies, there are many concerns about the use of interactive technology in the art classroom. The literature suggests that interactive media such as the Internet and electronic mail can enhance the learning experience for the art student. Learning is individualized to accommodate students' cognitive styles and…

A study examined the effects of positive teaching techniques, non-confrontational teacher attitudes, and a pleasant classroom environment on the self-esteem of special education students. The study examined 15 special needs high school students from low socio-economic backgrounds. The hypothesis was that the self-esteem of these students would not…