AN INVESTIGATION WAS MADE TO DETERMINE WHETHER AN OVERHEAD PROJECTOR AND TRANSPARENCY SET WOULD BE MORE EFFECTIVE AND ACCEPTABLE TO TEACHERS AND STUDENTS THAN TIME-PROVEN CHALKBOARD DRAWINGS IN THE TEACHING OF A DESCRIPTIVE GEOMETRY COURSE. IT WAS FOUND THAT (1) THE LECTURE-DEMONSTRATION PERIOD CAN BE REDUCED TO ALLOW A LONGER SUPERVISED…

IN FALL 1964, PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA'S GENERAL COLLEGE WERE ASSIGNED TO GROUPS FOR 2-DAY ORIENTATION SESSIONS, IN WHICH THEY WERE INTRODUCED TO GENERAL ASPECTS OF THE UNIVERSITY, COMPLETED A TEST BATTERY, PARTICIPATED IN A "COLLEGE MEETING", AND REGISTERED FOR CLASSES. AN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP RECEIVED THE…

Compared was the relative effectiveness of a new college level general biology course utilizing an audio-tutorial (A-T) laboratory with a traditional lecture course without a laboratory. Five biology classes (two traditional and three A-T) with 720 students at Kansas State Teachers College comprised the population. Seventy students, 35 male and 35…

SIXTY-FIVE STUDENTS IN TWO CLASSES IN HIGH SCHOOL GEOMETRY WERE ASSIGNED BY STRATIFIED RANDOM PROCEDURE ON THE BASIS OF THE HENNON-NELSON TEST OF MENTAL ABILITY TO FOUR EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS--TWO USING A LINEAR OR A BRANCHING TYPE PROGRAM EXCLUSIVELY, AND TWO SWITCHING PROGRAM TYPE MIDWAY THROUGH THE EXPERIMENT. A THIRD CLASS, TAUGHT BY THE SAME…

The effectiveness of two performance-based teacher education programs at Washington State University were compared. The programs were identical in content, performance objectives, and textbooks. In one program, however, the content was presented through independent study modules; the other program presented the content through regular classroom…

Nine commonly given objections to the principles and practices of individualized reading are answered by the author. There are forces within the schools today, the author says, who are working toward a change in the conventional reading program: students bored with routine and disinterested in the reading materials and teachers faced with teaching…

In order to evaluate the possibility that open education represents a revival of the progressive education movement, data were gathered on the attitude of experienced teachers toward open, progressive, and traditional educational practices. An attitude scale composed of 70 items was administered to a sample of 64 program assistants in the Tucson…

Investigated was whether the opportunity to participate in discovery learning by means of an archaeological "dig" significantly enhances the development in sixth grade pupils of concepts and principles of archaeology and anthropology as compared with using the same data with conventional instructional procedures in a standard classroom situation.…

In a review of Breuning's study of conventional vs. precision teaching (TM 503 458), Brophy praises the research design used. However, the interpretation and reporting of Breuning's data are questioned. The effects of instructional method have been confused with the effects of incentive manipulation. The practicality and ethical justification are…

Children's conceptions about literacy at the end of the first grade were studied. Children learned in one of three language arts curricula. Their skill levels were then compared, and suggestions were made for teachers to help children see reading and writing as holistic skills, beyond their functional necessity. (JL)

Describes Sentence Patterns, a software program designed to help teach sentence structure to college freshman composition students. Topics discussed include traditional teaching methods for the effective use of written language, software development, use in computer labs, and student surveys used for courseware evaluation. (LRW)

The text of a presentation at the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians in April, 1986, this article presents the author's observations on the nature of history instruction in the United States from the early 1900s to the present. Criticizes many recent trends in scholarship and instruction. (JDH)

Investigated long-term retention of mathematical concepts in a Keller plan course conducted without a final examination as compared to a conventional lecture course with a final examination. Results indicate greater long-term retention of concepts for students taking a traditional lecture course with final examination rather than the Keller plan…

The contributions of the Deutsches Institut fur Fernstudien (D.I.F.F.) to research in distance education and in the development of study units are analyzed in light of West German and international influences. Sixteen references are listed. (Author/MBR)

This review used meta-analytic techniques to integrate findings from 30 independent studies that compared programmed instruction to conventional methods of instruction at the secondary level. The meta-analysis demonstrated that programmed instruction resulted in higher achievement when compared to conventional methods of instruction (average…