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…

There are 11 behavioral dimensions which parents and preschool teachers can use in assessing the development of preschool children. These dimensions are: (1) sleeping; (2) eating; (3) toilet habits; (4) range of affect or emotion; (5) variations in play; (6) curiosity; (7) acceptance of authority; (8) initiative; (9) interest; (10) spontaneous…

This article presents an innovative system for the evaluation of teaching performance. Assessment forms, developed in a research project, give a 3-dimensional view of a teacher's performance as seen by: (1) the supervisor, (2) the teacher him/herself, and (3) the students of the teacher. A review of the literature which served as background to…

Describes the fourth revision of the Observation Rating form used to systematically analyze what goes on in a classroom while a teacher works with children in the area of science, as well as directions for using the form. The instrument is used in teacher education programs as well. (EB)

Provides tentative support for Carter's postulates that a person stops all other activities to engage in the cognitive behaviors generally labeled as "thinking," that is, those behaviors requiring interpersonal or intrapersonal communication. (RB)

The Positive Reinforcement Observation Schedule was used to obtain data concerning expressed preference for and observed use of positive reinforcement in integrated classrooms taught by 30 black and 30 white female elementary school teachers. The results are related to previous research and implications are drawn. (Author/SE)