A year-long, quasi-experimental study investigated the comparative effects of a whole language approach and a code emphasis approach upon the emergent literacy of 53 girls in two kindergarten classes in an all girls' parochial school in the Northeast. Subjects in the experimental class received instruction in Holdaway's Shared Book Experience…

A study examined the effects of peer tutoring on the achievement of fourth grade remedial readers. Subjects (N=30) were randomly assigned to a control or an experimental group, both of which were pretested using the "Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests" and both received regular classroom instruction. The experimental group received tutoring for ten…

An experiment was developed under the assumption that learning about word families could help ease the introduction of short vowels to first grade students. The hypothesis was that teaching the word families would increase students' reading vocabulary, in contrast to the learning acquired by students taught only phonetic analysis. The control…

A review was conducted of 16 research studies evaluating the effectiveness of computer assisted instruction (CAI) in teaching reading and language arts in the elementary school. The studies were of what K. A. Hall has termed "interactive instruction," which includes drill and practice as well as tutoring. Of the studies reviewed, 13 used at least…

The results of five studies of the relationship between debate training and critical thinking were examined to determine if in fact debate training improves critical thinking skills. All five studies compared the gains on the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Test (WG) for subjects who had received debate training with control groups who…

Four methods of individualized instruction are described and introduced, and their similarities and differences are reviewed in terms of effectiveness, grading, lectures, mastery, pacing, theoretical base, and unit size. The methods described are (1) audio-tutorial, developed by S. N. Postlethwait, an instructional system that allows students to…

Two methods of teaching advanced English as second language reading were compared in a sample of 24 Asian college students who were non-native speakers of English. The subjects were divided into three matched groups, each with one of two different teachers using different teaching methods, but both using the same text. It was hypothesized that all…

The relationships between certain parallel aspects of the teaching and learning styles of 60 student teachers of English as a second language were examined in the context of the general assumption that an individual's teaching and learning styles are closely related. The Canfield Learning Styles Inventory and Instructional Styles Inventory were…

This paper compares three analyses of stimulated-recall data gathered in interviews with 24 elementary school teachers who were reporting their interactive decision making (IDM). Two analyses were quantitative--one an experimental design, the other a content analysis--and one was qualitative. The experimental study found that teachers' reflection…

Auto-tutorial instruction was compared to traditional lecture instruction in a university entomology course. In seven consecutive terms, undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory entomology course were divided into two groups: Group I received only lecture instruction on insect orders, while Group II was dismissed for three consecutive…

Four sections of introductory psychology were involved in a study of aptitude-treatment interactions. Two sections were taught with a high-structure curriculum, and two with a low-structure curriculum. Students' preference for structure was measured with the Inventory of Beliefs (IOB). During eight weeks of instruction, observers recorded…

The limitations of both methods, and their practical applications, are discussed. (RM)

A study was designed to investigate the auditory-visual integrative abilities of primary grade children for five long vowels and five short vowels. The Vowel Integration Test (VIT), composed of 35 nonsense words having all the long and short vowel sounds, was administered to students in 64 schools over a period of two years. Students' indications…

A comparative analysis of preparatory programs for educational administrators in Australia, Britain, Canada, and New Zealand is presented in this paper. The purposes of the paper are to describe similarities and differences in educational administration programs, to compare selected characteristics of programs in these countries with programs in…

This booklet is a comparative analysis of how six high school history textbooks present events and issues related to the Cold War. The texts are "History of a Free People" (Macmillan, 1973), "Rise of the American Nation" (Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1977), "The American Experience" (Addison-Wesley, 1975), "A New…