Motivational strategies and attitudes toward learning were examined among students in three fifth-grade classrooms. Teacher statements used to frame lessons, maintain the session and keep students on task, and handle responsibility for learning were extracted from transcripts of classroom observations. Lesson framing and management/maintenance…

This paper presents criteria for establishing the trustworthiness of naturalistic inquiries, and specific techniques to facilitate their achievement or determine the degree of their achievement. The following criteria are briefly described: fairness; and ontological, educative, catalytic and tactical authenticity. Explored in greater detail,…

During 1983, an observational study was carried out in four classrooms in two schools in Wellington, New Zealand, with the following objectives in mind: (1) to describe the different writing tasks, assigned to the students, (2) to outline the guidance students were given in order to help them complete their writing tasks, (3) to establish which…

This study replicates and elaborates a three-dimensional, spherical model that integrates research findings concerning social and emotional behavior, psychopathology, and academic competence. Kindergarten teachers completed an extensive set of rating scales on 100 children, including the Classroom Behavior Inventory and the Child Adaptive Behavior…

The theory underlying qualitative research design and a specific formative evaluation study that includes qualitative methods are discussed. The focus is the data analyses methods and procedures employed in the evaluation study, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the inquiry. Qualitative research focuses on the idiographic and operates on…

Three "in school" preprimary centers in the greater Toronto area were subjects for a set of case studies. Information pertaining to the establishment, funding, programs/services, and the nature of adult/community involvement was collected. Resulting descriptions revealed some variety in programs/services, such as parent-child "drop…

Recognizing that oral language plays a critical role in facilitating a child's written language learning, a study examined the nature and function of oral language between child and teacher and child and peer as it accompanied the writing processes and written production of young children. Participants in the study were 36 prekindergarten children…

This book provides the motor development knowledge base and program planning procedures for developing the elementary physical education program. Part one is an overview of the motor development knowledge base and includes chapters on growth, how exercise affects children, motor skill development, how children learn motor skills, and psychosocial…

To determine the views of evaluation held by educators in Maryland, 115 secondary teachers and 21 administrators in 6 Maryland school districts responded to a 26-item research-designed questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed the primary purposes of evaluation, the procedures used in the subjects' school systems, and the perceived strengths and…

This study introduces a novel methodology for examining affective experiences in the classroom. The general procedure is to make auditory and visual recordings of a particular child during a normal classroom period. That child is then immediately taken from the class and placed in a private room where the recordings are replayed. The student is…

Teacher evaluation is required before, during, and immediately after preservice education to insure a high level of teacher accountability. Personal motivation must be understood before one chooses the profession. Admission criteria to teacher preparation programs must be strengthened so that only proper candidates are selected. Professional…

Attentional processes are said to be central to children's academic learning, yet theories of attention may not be useful in defining and measuring such learning. A formal survey of 35 preschool teachers indicated that teacher definitions were either vague and intuitive, based on many observable child behaviors (like eye orientation and being…

The quality of life of nursing home residents may be enhanced by providing them with opportunities to participate in social activities involving different age groups and community-dwelling age peers. To obtain descriptive data, and to investigate the relationships between patterns of social interaction and subject characteristics, time-sampled…

Articles and essays in this journal issue focus on explaining ethnographic (observation taking into account socioeconomic and cultural factors) research procedures and showing how this methodology can be applied to English classes and reported in ways useful to teachers. The first article, by Paul Diesing, provides background on ethnography. The…

Twelve day care centers in a Swedish commune were systematically observed. Centers were selected on the basis of responses to a questionnaire on attitudes about upbringing which was answered by all the personnel at the 104 day care centers in the commune. Four of the selected centers represented a so-called "present-focused" upbringing…