A theoretical analysis is presented of the problem of carrying out meaningful research into programmed language instruction. This is an attempt to develop a paradigm of research through the isolation of eight critical areas which must be taken into account before valid information can be obtained. The critical areas are: experimental design,…

Specific factors related to attrition at Spring Arbor College were identified, along with several basic problems with attrition-retention studies found in a review of the literature. Using the "significant other" model, this project differed from the general research by taking a relational perspective to the problem of attrition. The…

Length of pauses between quizzes and laboratory assignments in a self-paced psychology-of-adjustment course were examined. Students (n=31) were required to take quizzes from proctors, 15 of which were unit quizzes and five of which were unit review quizzes, and to present five laboratory assignments to the instructor during the course in a…

In order to determine whether a group dynamics or a traditional lecture approach is more effective as a community college health instruction teaching method, two evening classes in Health 10 at East Los Angeles College (total of 75 students) were exposed to a group dynamics, student-centered teaching technique. Data were collected from the…

One hundred and forty-four strategies and techniques on motivation and discipline in the vocational classroom are listed in the document. The items were generated and subsequently ranked by 130 vocational educators from the 50 States using the Delphi Technique. The total ranking of all items is presented in table 1. The items, grouped into common…

The internal evaluator hired to study the early graduation program at Marshall-University High School was assigned three specific tasks: to determine the level of satisfaction of those students who have, from the time of the program's formal inception in 1970-71, opted for early graduation (that is, graduation before June of their twelfth year);…

Some educators are turning to the process of contingency management within a classroom as a short term, immediate motivator which can work for virtually every student, regardless of his/her final grade in the course. Contingency management consists of providing a set of alternatives from which those chosen by the student reward the students in…

This report, the second of three volumes, presents recommendations for revisions to the USOE Project Information Packages (PIPs). Field tests were made to determine experimentally whether the six prototype PIPs were effective mechanisms for replicating the six exemplary projects and what modifications, if any, they required. The primary focus of…

As an extensive to an earlier report on pilot shows of The Electric Company that produced high and low visual attention in 2nd and 3rd graders, this study focuses on the effect of contextual attributes on the level of appeal. By analyzing sequences of presentations of bits of information, researchers found that bits of similar appeal levels tend…

Observation of 6 small groups of children viewing Sesame Street for 14 consecutive days allowed researchers to do more than analyze reactions to individual program segments. It was possible to compare programs as a whole and to see how individual film segments fared when viewed in different program contexts. A high degree of consistency was…

The problem of this conference panel was to identify, develop, and compare means by which children's motivation to learn basic reading skills may be strengthened and maintained. In this panel report, four approaches to the problem are offered in the following areas: sociocultural influences which help to determine individual differences in the…

Between the spring of 1970 and the summer of 1974, 1,747 students enrolled in Math X, a multilevel PSI (Personalized System of Instruction) type of open-ended mathematics instruction system at Antelope Valley College. Results of a study designed to evaluate the course by comparing it with the more conventional mathematics lecture course indicated…

The development of learning theory and its application to computer-assisted instruction (CAI) are described. Among the early theoretical constructs thought to be important are E. L. Thorndike's concept of learning connectisms, Neal Miller's theory of motivation, and B. F. Skinner's theory of operant conditioning. Early devices incorporating those…

The study tested the applicability of portions of the Porter and Lawler model in a cognitive training environment and examined the relationships among some behavioral variables in Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training. The variables analyzed were the Maslow need hierarchy, effort, abilities, role perceptions, performance, satisfaction and the…

Presented are three examples of the use of the behavior model to provide special education within regular high school classrooms. The first example describes a math teacher's use of minimum objectives and free-time reinforcement in individual contingency and team contingency situations to motivate students to complete assignments. It is explained…