To find out how junior high teachers establish and maintain effective classroom management, the Junior High Classroom Organization Study (JHCOS) was conducted. The observations made during the study support the commonly held beliefs that teachers in low socioeconomic status minority schools face special problems in establishing productive…

The stability of classroom behavior is examined from several perspectives: (1) the relative consistency of teacher behavior in two different sections of the same course taught concurrently; (2) the relative consistency of student behavior in math and English classes attended concurrently; and (3) differences in student and teacher behavior in math…

This is the second in a series of four reports describing a study of 1,614 junior high school mathematics and English students and 69 of their teachers that was undertaken to discover the effects of different teaching behaviors on cognitive and affective student outcomes. This booklet deals with instruments used to collect data and includes…

Two groups of junior high teachers were identified as being more or less effective in their classroom management practices. Observational data collected from these teachers in the first three weeks of the year indicate that the beginning of the year is a crucial time for establishing effective classroom management. (Author/BW)

Examines the stability and variability in teaching styles of two junior high English teachers. Teachers were selected on the basis of extreme differences in classroom management effectiveness and in the achievement of their students. Guidelines and suggestions for effective teaching are offered. (DE)

One of the main advantages of the naturalistic approach to classroom research is that the observations are of natural phenomena, occuring in circumstances which the researcher ultimately hopes to generalize. Some problem areas are associated with this approach, however. Observers must obtain complete and accurate records of classroom activities…

Research in classrooms must be sensitive to new dimensions of teaching tasks that emerge at the group level. There are at least two tasks that can be identified as being affected by changes in group characteristics. The first task is to set the stage--the teacher must establish the proper context or setting to support academic activities. The…

The behavior of junior high school students and teachers in English and mathematics classes was observed from November through April in an attempt to identify the relationship between teacher and student behavior, compare behaviors in the two different classes, and note changes in behavior over this period. Some fluctuation was observed in task…

Year-long observations of 51 teachers in 11 junior high schools resulted in identification of 2 groups of teachers who were rated as either more or less effective in classroom management during the year. Subsequently, these groups were observed and comparisons were made of their behaviors and activities during the first three weeks of school.…

Analysis of classroom process data from junior high school English classes indicated that heterogeneity of students' entering achievement levels in a given class limits teachers' successful adaptation of instruction to individual student needs. Higher heterogeneity was also associated with a lesser degree of student task engagement and…

Time use in different activities in junior high school is described, and relationships between class time use and student achievement, behavior and attitude are examined. A total of 102 English and mathematics classes were observed for about 9 hours each. Data included descriptive narratives, time logs, student engagement ratings and observer…

Classroom behaviors from the Texas Junior High School Study were related to achievement using both class means and student scores within classes as the units of analysis. Behaviors significantly related to achievement at the class level of analysis were not related to achievement within the class and vice versa. There was no clear pattern of…

A study was conducted to determine the relationship between effective classroom management and the manner in which teachers assign and hold students responsible for written work in junior high schools. Seven more effective and seven less effective teachers were studied, and a summary of each teacher's accountability systems was written. Based on…

The relationship between teachers' use of class time and student achievement, behavior, and attitudes was examined in a study of 102 English and mathematics classes in 11 junior high schools. Time use had a measurable effect on student achievement and attitudes in mathematics classes, but not in English classes. (Authors/PP)

Classroom behavior was observed over a six-month period in 68 junior high school classes to determine (a) the temporal stability of the behavioral indexes and (b) reliable trends over the school year. A certain deterioration occurs in late spring and observations obtained in midyear are less likely to be distorted. (Author/GK)