This study is, as an inquiry into the effectiveness of discussion leadership taxonomy, designed to help online discussion leaders support and facilitate discussions conducted by undergraduates. Participants were approximately two hundred preservice undergraduate students taking an Introduction to Educational Technology course. Each week students…

One of the characteristics of ethnography is the use of concrete examples to shed light on the context of human experience. As part of a 2-year ethnographic project, students in a high school located between a deteriorating city and an affluent suburb were interviewed and observed to study the interaction between the school as a social system and…

The use of prompting to increase peer-tutoring skills in an entire third grade classroom was investigated. A multiple baseline design was used in establishing three tutoring components: praise corrective feedback, and re-presenting the question. Results indicated that all three tutoring behaviors increased after prompting. During the last…

The major components of collegial interaction of college and university faculty and of faculty in different disciplinary groupings were studied, and the way that these components differ among four-year college and university faculty were addressed. Faculty at a Ph.D.-granting university and two liberal arts colleges were studied. Pilot interviews…

Students have different reference groups at their disposal in the school environment; however, the class to which they are assigned is the dominant social context for daily experiences. Thus, evaluations by teachers and peers which are concerned with achievement distribution occur in this limited reference group. In an investigation of the…

This report, prepared by the Studies in Delinquency and School Environments program, presents a theory of delinquency and proposes an action research strategy to develop delinquency prevention programs in schools. The materials build on the theories of Hirschi and Bandura, and assume that: (1) home and school experiences can be rewarding or…

In a study of the effects of school structure on heterosexual behavior, self-report data on heterosexual behavior were collected from more than 2,000 sixth through tenth graders in 1978 when their district had a 6-3-3 school structure and in 1979 after the district had changed to a 6-2-2-2 structure. The district was located in a medium-size,…

The most accepted theoretical model for explaining how school desegregation produces academic benefits for minority children assumes that (a) school desegregation generates intergroup and interracial contact which (b) enables the achievement related values possessed by white children to be transmitted to minority students, which in turn (c)…

This publication identifies common attitudes toward handicapped persons and provides suggestions for improving attitudes. The first of three major sections presents an historical review of pertinent legislation for education of the handicapped. Section 2 gives a brief review of what the legislation means for vocational education. The final section…

Findings from a study comparing the effects of segregated versus mainstreamed preschool settings on handicapped and non-handicapped children strongly suggest that mainstreaming is the preferable alternative for all types of handicapped preschool children. Initially, handicapped children in both segregated and mainstreamed settings were found to be…

This guide is designed to help teachers instruct students in the areas of alcohol, drugs, and traffic safety. It consists of two units, targeted to seventh-grade students and the other to tenth-grade students. Each unit can be used over a two-week period. The lesson plans and related materials focus on helping students gain insight into factors…

The ecological theory of teaching views the classroom as a unit within which social and psychological interactions determine the learning patterns that will take place. Three fourth-grade classrooms were observed to test and clarify this theory. A description is given of the characteristics of the pupils in each class, the teacher's instructional…

This monograph on significant other influence and vocational development begins with a short historical overview of the concept of "significant other." The author then presents a summary of the ways in which the concept has been measured and reviews selected empirical studies with an emphasis on findings related to race, sex, and…

This analysis of peer editing techniques briefly discusses the following: (1) the advantages of peer group editing, such as the availability of a wider audience and writing models; (2) the potential disadvantages of grouping unskilled or uncommitted students; (3) forming groups; (4) using sentence combining exercises to facilitate trustbuilding;…

This group of studies investigated the level of traditionality/flexibility in the sex-role attitudes of 376 six- and nine-year-old children, and in the attitudes of their parents. Sex-role questionnaires assessed: (1) the child's attitudes regarding toy and activity preferences, future domestic aspirations, occupational choices, and tolerance of…