In a self-directed student group, learning activities are controlled and directed by the students themselves. This approach to learning was investigated at Hope College to: (1) explore the amount and patterns of interaction observable in small self-directed groups, (2) assess conditions and events in group interaction which enhance or inhibit…

The paucity of research concerning the role of family and church in rural Appalachia leads to a reliance on observations and parallels drawn from research in related areas of sociology. Highly structured family and church group relations in the Appalachian region often obstruct both the development of other inter-group relations and attempts to…

Investigated was an inservice training program in elementary school science (grades 1, 2, and 3) designed to increase teachers' achievement of relevant performance skills. Attainment criteria were (1) a change in the teachers' verbal classroom behavior, and (2) an increase in the teachers' scientific knowledge and understanding of science. A…

The report describes the results of an Office of Civil Defense research study on the process of adoption and diffusion in future strategy environments. The Simulmatics team was directed to "develop a human simulation experiment in the form of a game to be used as a device for gaining new insights about human behavior in crisis periods and as a…

Effective research on issues of rural development is increasingly important in a time when inequalities among people in rural areas is widening. Criteria of time-cost effectiveness, policy effectiveness for rural development, and contribution to sociology must be balanced by rural social scientists in their research design decisions. When five…

Miami-Dade Community College's Open College allows students to enroll in classes, purchase course materials, and proceed through coursework at their own pace without having to go to a campus except for course examinations. Three major components of the distant learning program are audio, video, and print materials which are used in conjunction…

This paper describes an assessment of interpersonal power in a sample of college-age dating couples using both self-report and behavioral measures. While self-reports revealed egalitarian ideals, less than half the respondents perceived their current relationship as egalitarian in practice; rather, these relationships tended to be male-dominated.…

This report describes a study investigating the extent to which 2- and 3-year-olds, as they acquire language, continue to use infant nonverbal sharing behaviors (pointing, holding up, giving and partner play) or begin to use language to share in new ways. A group of 2- and 3-year-olds (12 of each) were observed in a playroom setting of three…

Second grade classroom protocols collected within this volume are examples of the protocols developed by the ethnographers associated with Special Study A: "An Ethnographic Study of the Forty Classrooms of the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study." Twenty teachers at both the second and fifth grades were observed for one week by an…

A review of the academic literature regarding the existence or lack of relationship between chemically dependent adults and neglected or abused children supports the conclusion that alcohol and other drugs are a significant factor in most behavioral patterns associated with endangering children. The author identifies five modes of parent-child…

After reviewing the purposes of descriptive research on teaching in general, this paper discusses the value of using a system of analysis and a technical language to describe classroom interaction. The need for such descriptive research in language classrooms is then outlined in detail. A critical review of the few systems of analysis designed for…

The parents of a six-year-old disruptive boy were observed interacting with their son during 20 assessment-oriented, 10-minute experimental sessions. An experimental design consisting of alternately arranged baseline and self-monitoring conditions was utilized. Following the reversal-to-baseline phase, parents were given specialized training in…

Presented in this paper is a brief overview of alternative approaches to evaluating teacher performance that includes appraisal based on mutually derived objectives, appraisal based on student learnings, and appraisal based on teacher behavior. Subsequent to this overview is a more indepth review of an approach which integrates the above-mentioned…

Junior high schools boys performed forty trials on a ball roll up game in order to determine whether competition, initial ability level, and social reinforcement interact to influence the performance of a perceptual motor task. The analysis of the data demonstrated: (a) the competition, initial ability level, and social reinforcement factors did…

The purpose of this study was to describe the time-in versus time-out behaviors of successful classroom teachers during reading instruction. Twenty-four primary teachers whose students had averaged 1.27 academic years of growth in reading per eight months instruction were selected. Each teacher was observed and her behaviors recorded on the Time…