Analyzes discourse in a school classroom setting by comparing teacher reactions, particularly involving interruptions, with girls versus boys. Findings from a fifth-grade class show teachers interrupted girls more often than boys and also had differing conversational styles when dealing with girls versus boys. Additionally, boys were offered…

A survey examined the reading interests and availability of relevant reading materials for 25 bilingual fifth-grade students in a rural southwestern school. Area residents were primarily descendants of early Hispanic settlers. Discusses the importance of targeting student reading interests and making materials of interest available in classrooms…

Analysis of student constructed questions about common and decimal fractions of (n=27) students in grades five and six revealed that students seemed to construct experience- and interest-based questions rather than textbook-type word problems which tended to be multistep problems. (12 references) (MKR)

Describes a study that investigated fifth-grade children's search behavior using an automated library catalog designed for children called the Science Library Catalog. Level of science domain knowledge was found to influence both their success and search behavior. (Author/LRW)

Offers ideas for teaching children about China. Includes suggestions dealing with geography, philosophy, history, and diet. Recommends means of bringing the topics to life through games, class discussion, role playing, and other activities. (SG)

Discusses teachers' knowledge and beliefs about mathematics and how mathematics is best taught and learned. Considers interrelationships between beliefs and teachers' classroom practices. Argues that instruction is shaped by teachers' knowledge and beliefs and that meaningful change in instruction will entail fundamental changes in what teachers…

Different methods of measuring print experience were studied for 63 fifth graders who completed daily activity diaries. Book reading time estimate was correlated with new measures of reading time that use a checklist. Results support recognition checklist measures as convenient proxy indicators of children's print exposure. (SLD)

Small group instruction was assessed in a naturalistic study involving 206 observations of mathematics periods in 33 classrooms of grades 4, 5, and 6 in 21 schools. Six types of group instruction were identified, and teachers' use of such groups was explored. (SLD)

The costs, effects, and utility of mathematics instruction assisted by microcomputer presentations were compared with those of conventional classroom approaches, using 79 students in grades 3 and 5. Results indicate that grouping students for instruction on microcomputers in classrooms is cost effective. (SLD)

A Spanish language program for fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students is reported that is a cooperative effort of the Bulloch County Public School System, Georgia Southern University, and the Southeast Georgia Foreign Language and Cultural Center. (LB)

Synthesized speech was added to a word processor used by children in grades two and five. Each student wrote four stories on a microcomputer and received spoken feedback on two of them. It was found that students wrote longer stories, edited more, and enjoyed writing more with the spoken feedback. (24 references) (LAE)

Presents research findings regarding motivation's role in music education. Explains that students in grades five through eight provided reactions to a fictitious band student's experience with failure. Reports that many respondents believed that the student would perform better, try harder, and receive the teacher's and fellow students' support in…

Two experiments with 42 second graders, 55 fourth graders, and 36 fifth graders investigated previous findings of a lack of strategic advantage for expert children dealing with information in their area of expertise. Results from using an expert-novice paradigm suggest that expert children's task advantage is mediated primarily by nonstrategic…

Examined the role of natural peer-group selection and socialization processes in children's school motivation in two fourth- and two fifth-grade classrooms. Student and teacher reports of students' classroom engagement, and student interviews allowed the construction of composite maps of the social networks in these classrooms. A significant…

Presents instructional strategies for teaching middle school students about time zones and why the earth experiences night and day. Provides instructions for helping students make and use sextants and sun dials. Describes class activities and student-teacher dialogue. (CFR)