As part of a larger examination of student perspectives in science, social studies and communication arts, this report uses qualitative methodology to explore two teacher-researchers' collaborative teaching of social studies and students' construction of meaning in social studies. Teacher-researchers involved in the overall study included two…

A study was done to determine what principals, teachers, parents, and children identify as the educational requirements and resources necessary to promote the educational success of Latino children. Four Boston (Massachusetts) elementary schools, all with large Latino student enrollments, were selected for the purposes of the study. Information…

The focus of this curriculum is on prevention of spinal cord injury (SCI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). The program is aimed at children because it is early in life that behavioral patterns are formed which become increasingly more difficult to modify as the child enters adolescence. The curriculum is based on principles of child development,…

This research was an exploratory study of which teachers, students, and teacher-student combinations benefit most from a particular aspect of computer-assisted instruction. The study is based on teacher and student evaluations of different teaching styles while using instructional software. Three teaching styles (monitoring, coordinating, and…

This final report documents a project which developed and investigated the use of interactive videodisc technology to assist in the instruction of signing with deaf children and their associates (such as parents, teachers, peers). The project first identified words and phrases considered essential for interpersonal communications. A videodisc…

Determining the appropriate amount and type of teacher and student input is a complex curriculum and instructional challenge for writing teachers. This paper describes a teacher-researcher's experiences while teaching a fifth-grade class and studying a developing writer's workshop approach to writing instruction. She investigated: (1) how students…

The responses of elementary and secondary students drawn from two school districts, one with a student population that is primarily African American and the other with a student population that is primarily Caucasian, were analyzed to examine student perceptions of teacher influence. A total of 682 students (388 fifth graders and 294 eleventh…

The present study attempts to expand current question categorization schemes to identify question types that discriminate good learners from their peers in collaborative problem-solving groups. The study also explores the effects of person and task variables on students' question-asking behaviors in an effort to identify those that facilitate…

This document is a unit for introducing students to the achievements and historical significance of the Sumerian civilization, located in Mesopotamia, "the land between the rivers," in present day Iraq, and reaching back in time to approximately 3500 BC. Divided into 5 sections, the unit's first three sections concentrate on historical…

The continuation of an earlier study examined to what extent students change in their use of evaluative criteria in writing between the fifth and sixth grade. Twenty-five students were interviewed in fifth and sixth grade. In the fifth grade, all students were taught writing by the same teacher who emphasized student choice of topic, recursive…

This interdisciplinary study examined socialization of first and fifth grade elementary school children into the student role. The study focuses on the effects of teachers' socializing communication on childrens' views of norms for classroom life by means of observation and questionnares. Data of several types are analyzed and interrelated:…

An ecological approach was used to gather data about properties of purpose, human behavior, and setting as they unfolded in classrooms. Participating were 11 elementary school districts in the Chicago Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area; districts were stratified by median family income (low, middle, high) and per pupil expenditure (low, high).…

This paper highlights measurement issues faced when attempting to assess and interpret results of a school improvement project. Based on the assumption that to measure effectiveness, one must measure a wide variety of school factors, the paper presents a broad perspective on measurement problems and dilemmas in analyzing norm-referenced test data…

Academic and social problems of the children of migrant workers are compounded when these families remigrate to their home countries. This study explores patterns of Greek remigrant children's social adjustment and integration in Greek public schools after their families' return to Greece, principally from the Federal Republic of Germany. The…

A study determined whether instruction on story elements within rich contexts can increase students' understanding of the characters' traits and motives, their comprehension of stories, and their ability to write causally coherent stories. Instruction was organized around an "anchor" (a story rich with embedded information presented on…