This overview describes a system for measuring instructional and management parameters of teaching through a method of classroom observation in which live observers and video tapes record teacher and learner behavior (both verbal and nonverbal) and the social-political-physical characteristics of the setting. Presentation is in 3 sections: (1) the…

Since there is general agreement that all teachers do not produce the same amount of learning even when provided with similar or identical classes and teaching conditions, this study attempted to determine the relationships between specific teacher behaviors and pupil-on-task-performance. (Author/RK)

Reports on a study designed to determine the proportion of the communication research studies published in seven journals in the 1970s that obtained their data from, and based their conclusions upon, student populations in general and undergraduate college student populations in particular. (GW)

Naturalistic ethnographic research methods useful for the study of the dynamics of effective college teaching are discussed based on the findings of an ethnographic study. Naturalistic research methods were used in the study to understand better the task and social dimensions of a college classroom. Lessons were studied in the classroom as they…

Four major questions are addressed in this research report: What is the relationship between student academic learning time and student achievement?; What are the relationships between teaching processes and academic learning time?; Are teaching processes, academic learning time, and student achievement related to student attitudes?; and, Are…

A study explored the use of an interactive analysis system, the Reciprocal Category System (RCS), for recording and analyzing observations of individuals tutoring in reading. The supervision of teaching requires observation, and the RCS can provide detailed, objective, and quantifiable records of behavior categories that occur in teacher-learner…

An overview is presented of classroom observation instruments which have been created and refined since 1962. The components of teacher-pupil transactions measured by different observation methods are listed, and the complexities and difficulties encountered when using the instruments are discussed. A description is given of the Coping Analysis…

The structure and quality of classroom interaction and the ways in which children learn how to interact appropriately was the initial focus of the research and field work described in this paper. The site was a kindergarten/first grade class in a suburban Boston Title I elementary school with many students from second and third generation…

An increasing amount of research attention is being directed toward the educational experiences of students with profound and multiple disabilities. One technique that has allowed a better understanding of alertness and involvement in members of this population is behavior state assessment. In this study, eight matched pairs of school-aged…

This document describes the clinical observation activities in a sample of California classrooms as part of the developmental work for Phase III of the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study. The actual observation procedures are documented, and the conclusions reached on the basis of those observations are presented. Conclusions related to timebased…

This report reviews 3 demonstration studies in which the Topic Classification System of classroom interaction analysis (a system of analyzing teacher objectives and student performance) was applied to 3 samples of classroom behaviors to determine the range and limitations of the system. In the introduction the system is discussed with reference to…

This paper discusses the use of process-oriented research in early childhood programs. Process analysis is contrasted with outcome-oriented evaluation, the latter seen as prevalent in current research practice. Four functions of process analysis are: to describe current teaching practices, to train teachers, to monitor instructional programs, and…

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 role of research in school psychology is discussed. An intervention perspective is developed, and its uses and limitations are analyzed. The author discusses the characteristics of different research strategies and gives examples that illustrate the nature of interaction research and its educational implications. Criteria for evaluating…