An information-processing model of the rating process was proposed and tested by asking 18 teachers to rate 16 hypothetical student profiles formed by systematically varying information along six different dimensions. Findings revealed possible biases in teacher's ratings and indicated the importance of a theoretical model of the rating process.…

Describes experiments in which microcomputers were placed in large and small preschool classrooms to examine which free-play activities were and were not affected by microcomputer's presence, sex differences in microcomputer preference and use, social interactions occurring around microcomputers, and whether these interactions differ in frequence…

This study identified dimensions of classroom control derived from factor analysis of selected classroom process variables, interpreted these dimensions in relation to two contemporary models of classroom control, and explored the relationships between dimensions of control and certain cognitive and affective outcomes. (Author/LMO)

An ethnographic case study was conducted in an inner city elementary school in Montreal. Focus was on how teachers (1) formulate assumptions about pupil behavior on past experience; (2) group a heterogeneous student population less on ability than on practical organizational interests; and (3) allow pedagogical circumstances to affect perception…

The importance of attention to task is presented, followed by discussion of observational methods for assessing attention to task and related interventions. Issues related to assessment and intervention planning for metacognitive skills are discussed within the context of a step-wise intervention monitoring plan. (Author/LMO)

Data on 105 adolescents (age 14) from a longitudinal study of ego and cognitive development in the San Francisco East Bay area was used to assess the frequency, context, and initiation of uses of alcohol, tobacco, and "harder" drugs. Comparisons were made with 1981 national statistics on high school seniors. (BS)

This study analyzed the relationship of teacher personality to teacher behaviors in physical education. Several personality traits related significantly to important observed teacher and student behaviors. Students of teachers who scored high in independence, assertiveness, questioning, and imaginativeness learned more than students of teachers…

When the teachers at Roosevelt Elementary School in Hutchinson, Kansas, used the Learning Style Inventory to determine the best learning conditions for each student, then allowed students to study and take standardized tests under their preferred conditions, improved behavior and achievement were noted at all ability and grade levels. (PGD)

A survey of undergraduate students studying foreign languages was conducted, examining selected learning behaviors culled from recent literature on good language learners. Results indicate that there is some evidence for a link between certain behaviors and student achievement. However, links between learning behavior and achievement seem…

Outlines the confusion surrounding a Supreme Court decision in the "New Jersey vs. TLO" case, which put at issue the prohibition against unreasonable searches in schools. The Court's decision allows a lower standard of reasonableness to be applied in school searches. The standards are not clear and are open to serious question. (MD)

Reviews literature on teachers' nonverbal behavior in the classroom. Focuses on nonverbal expression of teacher expectation, nonverbal expression of attitudes toward certain students, students' perceptions of teachers' nonverbal messages, and the effects of teachers' nonverbal behavior on student attitudes and performance. (CB)

Describes interviews with high school teachers and students from New Hampshire, Illinois, and Georgia in which the author asked teachers and students to define the term "character" as part of an investigation into the moral lives of children. (MD)

Traces evolution of concepts of discipline from Puritan to current views. Reviews recent studies. Examines the effect of the changing American family on discipline. Provides suggestions for parent-student-teacher relationship. Concludes that parents need to be more involved and that there is no single best method of dealing with discipline. (BRR)

Student questionnaires and teacher interviews provided data on 123 Chicago third graders to determine the affect of parental rejection on negative attention-seeking classroom behaviors, what particular parent might be more rejecting, and what specific negative attention-seeking behaviors might be overtly demonstrated in the classroom by sex of…

Examines the areas in which educational misconduct involving handicapped students is likely to occur. Argues for accountability for such misconduct and discusses why remediation should be by common law tort action. Explains why the Handicapped Children Act procedures are not appropriate in litigation. (MD)