This monograph is a synthesis of research findings of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development research program concerning how children learn to read, why some children and adults have difficulties learning to read, and effective ways to help children learn to read. The review covered studies performed over the last 33 years at…

This Digest summarizes what is known about the use of positive behavioral support (PBS) and functional analysis (FA) to change the behaviors of students with a variety of disabilities. The paper notes that both PBS and FA differ from traditional behavioral management in focusing on systems, settings, and lack of skill. The 1997 reauthorization of…

This paper examines the use of professional reading groups as a strategy to help college and university administrators stay informed and meet administrative challenges. It reports on a study of 26 institutions by the American Council on Education, which examined the process of large-scale institutional change. This study's findings support reading…

This report describes four projects that apply Robert J. Sternberg's theories to various aspects of giftedness and gifted performance. Project 1, a construct validation and educational application of Sternberg's triarchic theory of human intelligence, revealed that students who are instructed and whose achievement is evaluated in a way that…

The graduate research training environment is instrumental to the development of students as scientists (Gelso, 1993, 1997; Gelso and Lent, 2000). Investigations of research training environments in counseling psychology graduate programs have provided some of the empirical support necessary for educators to draw upon Gelso's (1993) theory when…

After reviewing the language teaching/research situation this document offers a training paradigm that allows teachers to take what they already do and reposition and redefine it. In this way, the everyday concerns and issues facing them in the classroom may be translated into disciplined and structured research questions, which can then form the…

This monograph provides an introduction to psychoeducational theory in the education of students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders (E/BD). An introduction reviews the history of the psychoeducational approach and stresses the need to put this theory, as well as others, into practice. Chapter 1 compares and integrates six psychoeducational…

This paper examines issues and areas of concern for the educational researcher moving from the relative safety of academic research to the more perilous arena of practice-oriented or action-oriented qualitative research. The first question is one of purity or objectivity: giving credibility to research results by imposing adequate rigor on methods…

This qualitative study focused on the theories and practices of two electronics instructors at a small, rural technical college, one with formal teacher education in vocational education and one with no formal teacher training. The instructors completed survey instruments to determine their theoretical frameworks. This included the Cognitive…

This paper examines the motivational factors that influence parents' decisions to become involved in the children's education by testing the first level of Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler's model of the parental involvement process. It suggests that the following constructs are key to understanding parents' involvement decisions: (1) parental role…

This introductory article analyzes the challenges facing researchers as they respond to the ideas that guide family-centered services and incorporate these themes into research focused on improving services for children with emotional, behavioral, or mental disorders. The fit between traditional mental health research and family centered services…

Focuses on teacher variables that account for the lack of initiation and continuation of research-based instructional strategies. Highlights teachers' overarching conceptions of teaching, subject-area knowledge, and sense of self-efficacy. Recommendations for promoting teacher self-efficacy are provided, including training teachers to deal with a…

Describes how 20 teachers enrolled in a three-week summer course on literacy assessment, through their own experiences and work in the course, internalized the theory that when students are given the opportunity to evaluate themselves, their learning is more meaningful and more permanent, their work demonstrates real commitment, and they value…

Argues that communicative competence in Spanish as a second language can not be taught without giving attention to the grammatical component of language. Compares aspects of the traditional and communicative approaches to language teaching, refers to theory on grammar instruction, and offers examples of classroom activities supporting the learning…

Reviews process and outcome measures related to groups. Encourages practitioners to evaluate their group work, to aid researchers in identifying valid measures, and to foster collaboration between research and practice. Makes suggestions for evaluating group work measures and analyzes group leader behavior, group climate, behavior ratings, and…