Relationships between mothers' behaviors and (1) their children's verbal and nonverbal cognitive functioning, (2) their children's level of play, and (3) mothers' perceptions of their children's task motivation were investigated. Forty-four mothers and their preschool children from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds participated in the…

An external evaluation of the Title VII Bilingual Education Project was designed to: (1) gather a subjective assessment from personnel working with the project; (2) observe classroom teaching and activities utilized in bilingual instruction; and (3) to measure differences in levels of achievement on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS)…

The investigation examined relationships among scales for observing and rating teacher performance. Beginning teachers with varying levels of professional experience (2, 9, and 16 months) were rated by pairs of observers on two occasions. Intercorrelations across occasions fell between .5 and .8. Interrater agreement ranged between .5 and .9.…

Suggestions are offered to practitioners on how to consider situational variables in the assessment and remediation of childhood language disorders. Eight sociolinguistic principles, derived from research on normally developing children, are presented. Among the principles are those which state that sociocultural patterns may vary as a function of…

This publication, the sixth of seven booklets intended for adult education teachers of students with learning disabilities, reviews assessment and remediation considerations in mathematics. Observation of math disabilities is discussed in terms of social and general academic environment, calculation activities, quantitative concepts, and applied…

This book reports the findings of the Ethnic Heritage and Language Schools Project undertaken by the American Folklife Center in 1982. Twenty-one researchers used participant observation to study ethnic schools in different parts of the United States. The project studied schools that correspond to Fishman's classification of ethnic education…

Characteristics of effective teacher evaluations are reviewed, and some common teacher concerns are discussed. A teacher evaluation system should give teachers useful feedback on classroom needs, the opportunity to learn new teaching techniques, and counsel from principals and other teachers on how to make changes in their classrooms. Standards…

Because most teacher preparation institutions have extensive needs for numerous field experiences, the Teachers on Television (TOT) project was first conceived to meet demands for observation opportunities through the use of television technology. The TOT project provided live direct observations via television broadcasts from classrooms located…

A new teacher certification law, enacted by the Maine Legislature in 1984, included a chapter which delineated standards and procedures for creating and operating support systems for candidates seeking a higher level certificate, a transitional endorsement, and/or renewal of the master's level certificate. This chapter requires that all teachers…

This report describes the formative evaluation of Project CHILD (Computers Helping Instruction and Learning Development), a project that: (1) integrates computer technology into the curriculum areas of reading, language arts, and mathematics, and (2) includes primary (K-2) and intermediate grade (3-5) learning-center clusters taught by…

This study, undertaken in the summer of 1986, was to develop a comprehensive evaluation and needs assessment for the Alabama Judicial College. Qualitative research techniques (participant observation and in-depth interviewing) were applied to collect the necessary data. Judicial employees were observed in courtroom, office, training and social…

This paper discusses three methods of assessing student teacher performance: checklists; measurable objectives; and teaching performance tests. Checklists, recommended by some schools of education, need to contain a comprehensive set of knowledge, skills, and attitudinal behaviors pertaining to quality student teaching. Checklists permit a…

The process of focus-finding in qualitative research is ongoing and dynamic, involves researcher choices and decisions (rather than pure discovery), and is a process of social construction in which the researcher interacts with the research setting. Focus-finding is discussed in the context of a qualitative research study of the integration of…

To develop a more accurate and functional definition of "real communication" in the second language classroom, research into the language of teachers and students in their interactions was undertaken through classroom observation. The results show that the assumption that second language classroom language can be described as focusing either on…

A process evaluation was conducted of the Saginaw, Michigan Public Schools' Prekindergarten Program. During the 1985-86 year, 454 children participated, based on their Prekindergarten Readiness Screening Device scores. The half-day program was funded through Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act to develop the school…