Seventh graders (N=161) participated in health education classes consisting of either an innovative smoking education program, the program plus assertiveness training, or a traditional smoking education program. Data collected four years later revealed no significant differences in smoking behavior, changes in assertion, or sex differences among…

In today's climate of competitiveness and cynicism, colleges and universities should aggressively review and enforce their policies on academic dishonesty. Education about the importance of ethical academic behavior must be part of the institutional agenda from the moment students are accepted. (MSE)

Resistance theory draws attention to the existence of conflict and antagonism in schools and in pupils' resistance to schools' authority and ideology. In "Learning to Labor," Paul Willis unduly romanticizes resistant practices by the subjects of his ethnography. An alternative view of resistance permits a more socially and historically…

The consistency of student response patterns on a test of language arts was examined in a set of studies as a first step toward designing a computer adaptive test to diagnose errors. (Author/LMO)

Investigated classroom management practices in 26 classes taught by 13 junior high and middle/junior high school teachers using student-on-task, off-task, and disruptive student behaviors as primary criteria of management effectiveness. Effective management practices for general classroom procedures, laboratory procedures, managing student…

Based on data gathered in a participant observation project that focused on young children's behaviors during school structured literacy tasks, a study examined the relationship between learning to write and learning to perform school writing tasks. (HOD)

Evaluated the effects of a school psychological and social work program on children referred for behavioral and learning problems. General findings showed that consultation activities can be conducted with small investment of time and with a high degree of student accomplishment of objectives. (JAC)

This study examined classroom behavior of 393 pupils in 26 educable mentally retarded classrooms in regard to differential effects of having approximately 12, 15, and 19 pupils per classroom. Several effects were found in attention and communication, but relatively few were found in disruptive behavior. (Author/BS)

Higher education's principal reason for being is seen as that of developing student talents. This premise suggests that a high-quality institution is one that maximizes the intellectual and personal development of its students. Student involvement is seen as the cornerstone of academic excellence. (MLW)

University students representing two levels of teaching experience were compared while interacting with one of two child conferates displaying distractible behavior. Each adult completed the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey. Results suggested that experienced teachers took a more "task oriented" approach providing more instruction…

A survey of 475 elementary and secondary school principals and 370 teachers revealed that the teachers' abilities to exercise classroom management skills were perceived to be greater by the principals than by the teachers, that the teachers attributed their skills to experience, and that classroom management inservice programs are lacking. (PGD)

Social studies peer work groups (PWGs) in fifth grade classrooms were more frequent than math PWGs and involved a broader variety of student behaviors and cognitive levels. The majority of social studies groups were cooperative in both task and reward structures. For both subjects, student involvement was highest in cooperatively task-structured…

Comparison of videotapes of inexperienced and established junior high school teachers on their first, second, tenth, and twenty-eighth days of school provided insight into student needs and the teacher behaviors that set the stage for instructional success. Teacher supervisors can use such videotapes to help orient new teachers. (PGD)

Describes research in two different domains: novices learning programing, and school pupils interpreting Cartesian graphs. Findings in each domain are discussed, but the main focus is an examination of the extent to which general principles and issues apply across both domains. Research implications for instructional design are discussed.…

Reports on a project in which observations of student and teaching assistant behavior were used to redesign a teaching unit on recrystallization. Comments on the instruction manual, starting points for teaching the unit, and list of objectives with related tasks are included. (JN)