Learning environments have an impact on acquiring skills in reading as well as developing positive attitudes toward reading. Another variable that affects attitudes and aptitude toward reading is the "climate" or "environment" in which children learn their skills. This paper concentrates on the phenomenon that is reaching epic proportions in the…

This handbook was developed to give tutors of adult education information and ideas about assessing adult learning. It can be used as a reference for information about assessment and as a practical tool for tutors. Section 1, Introduction to Assessment in Adult Learning, includes information on these topics: what assessment is, how to assess, why…

Multidimensional knowledge structures, described from a constructivist perspective and aligned with the "Mind as Rhizome" metaphor, provide support for constructivist learning strategies. This qualitative study was conducted to seek empirical support for a description of multidimensional knowledge structures, focusing on the…

A two-year evaluative study of a Child Parent Center Compensatory Education Program examined specific program characteristics and parent involvement as they affected achievement, locus of control, and home environment. Based on this quasi-experimental study, the program increased achievement, promoted greater feelings of control, and stimulated…

Anthropological field methods can be adapted for use by preservice teachers to help them link macro-sociological perspectives about education with practical outcomes in the schools. First-year education students analyzed information based on observation of secondary school classrooms as part of a sociologically-oriented course. (Author/PP)

Supervising teachers need to share specific behavioral information with student teachers concerning the use of particular behaviors and how they relate to motor learning theory and teaching style. Use of the Cole Descriptive Analysis System, an observation instrument that provides feedback about motor skills, is described. (PP)

The relationship between memory performance in everyday life and performance on laboratory tests was investigated with normal-memory and previously severely head-injured subjects. Correlation of the two test types was found in normal-memory and long-term head-injured, but not with the recently-injured. Highest correlations were with prose recall…

Student involvement in 24 science classes (grades 8, 9, 10) during instruction involving teacher exposition, exposition with prop, and demonstration was videotaped. Findings indicated that only nine teachers used class demonstrations and that the increased levels of pupil attention and task involvement increased during demonstration lesson…

Reports on an ethnographic study of peer relations among children in two kindergarten classrooms in a desegregated school. Analyzes the way that a teacher's method of organizing classroom events affects the extent to which children engage in cross-racial friendships. (Author/GC)

Observed 34 children in a Midwest rural two-room school. Teacher strategies are described, as well as child behavior, as they differed from urban schools. Comparison of the Metropolitan Achievement Tests and the Science Research Associates (SRA) scores yielded little or no differences in performance between urban and rural children. (Author)

A six-year evaluation of the long-range benefits of bilingual education illustrates the utility of time series and between-group variance for programs involving linguistic and ethnic minority populations. Through the described Individualized Bilingual Instruction children were brought to a level of balanced bilingualism in approximately a…

Reports on a study in which attempts were made to instantiate the same task in a series of classroom lessons and activities and which used two process coding systems to evaluate teacher performance. Discusses the strengths and weaknesses of each type of coding system. (FL)

Reviews present and potential uses of videotape technology in behavioral research. Emphasis is placed on research methodology and the value of incorporating videotape in current research practices, including behavior observation studies, in modeling research, and in perceptual attribution investigations. Concludes with an analysis of advantages…

Established and newly arrived children in three nursery schools and two day nurseries differing in building design were observed in an effort to assess effects of architectural space on children's behavior. (RH)