This study explored the relationship between academic orientation, academic achievement, and interest in night-sky watching (noctcaelador). Participants included 117 students enrolled in undergraduate psychology classes who completed the Survey of Academic Orientations (SAO; Davidson, Beck, & Silver, 1999), Noctcaelador Inventory (NI; Kelly,…

The origin of this article is an investigation of an academic course, "Graphic Arts and Design for students of natural and social sciences." The article describes the benefits of attending the class for the science students, which were an increased ability to solve problems, new and different ways to observe the environment, greater self…

This study looks into issues pertaining to the policy of including native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) in elementary schools in Taiwan, i.e., NEST programs, from the perspective of the teachers involved. Through data gathered from interviews and classroom observations, this qualitative study examines the necessity of NEST programs and reveals…

In 1979, Act 187, known now as the Educator Improvement Act, was mandated by the legislature of the State of South Carolina. One tenet of Act 187 was the establishment of an Educator Improvement Task Force to develop an instrument which could effectively measure minimal teaching competencies. To help in the content and design of the instrument,…

This guide provides assistance to New Mexico school districts in implementing a state-sponsored teacher performance evaluation plan (Provision III of the New Mexico Staff Accountability Plan, adopted by the State Board of Education). This plan involves five basic procedures: (1) determine specific definitions of the six essential teaching…

Meta-Analysis procedures were employed to integrate existing science education research findings on the effectiveness of teaching strategy analysis training to: (1) determine overall magnitude of effect that can be expected from such training; (2) determine and compare relative magnitude of effects attributable to various approaches to such…

Researchers developed an instrument based on definitions of the variables of self-esteem, self-awareness, self-assertion, and acceptance of others to be used as outcome criteria to define and measure the outcomes of the Colorado Outward Bound School experience and to determine if the outcomes were caused by the program. The Outward Bound course…

Reading and social studies instruction in 39 third- through sixth-grade classrooms in central Illinois was observed in a study designed to determine whether elementary school classrooms provide comprehension instruction. Among the findings were that practically no comprehension instruction was seen but that comprehension assessment, usually…

College Classroom Vignettes, a videotape technique used to motivate teachers to change classroom behavior, is discussed. This new application of videotape was undertaken at Northwestern University's Center for the Teaching Professions with funding from the Danforth Foundation. College Classroom Vignettes are videotape records of actual classroom…

How students' ethnicity perceptions affect the educational process is ethnographically studied through interviews of about 50 students attending a multiethnic high school in a California city. Ethnicity's relevance varies depending on social situations and students' interpretations of events. Denial of one's ethnic identity centers around…

Early field experiences are considered a key component of teacher education programs by educators, students, and state boards of education. This study sought to understand better the effects of early field experiences on preservice secondary teachers (n=3) by investigating the focus of their observations of classroom mathematics instruction. The…

Previous research in laboratory settings has found that preschool girls show more interest in babies than do preschool boys. To validate these findings in natural settings, 71 children at 3 and 5 years of age were observed by their parents as the children interacted with babies in their daily lives. Each child was observed with three different…

The statistical analysis of data from a single-subject design is somewhat controversial. The procedure most often chosen to examine data from a single-subject design involves the visual inspection of the graphed outcome variable over time. Problems associated with this procedure are discussed, and questions about the use of traditional statistical…

The study examined the 2-year stability and validity of playroom observations of behaviors associated with hyperactivity in 48 boys who were evaluated originally as outpatients in a child psychiatry clinic, and seen again approximately 2 years later at follow-up. At both evaluations, the boys participated in two 15-minute playroom procedures: a…

Research approaches to studying classroom behavior management are reviewed. Examples of four types of research approaches (interaction analysis, ecological research, applied behavior analysis, and process-product correlational research are cited. Findings regarding immediate variables (positive attention for appropriate behavior, back-up…