Research conducted in the United States has found that people exert more effort when they perform a task individually than when they do so in a group. This phenomenon has been labeled social loafing. To examine the transcultural generality of social loafing, 20 male and 20 female Chinese school children in Taiwan were selected from grades 2, 3, 6,…

The six papers in this set of symposium materials all deal with the development and measurement of self-concept in various groups of students. The first paper (by Douglas Muller) addresses the lack of well-defined procedures for assessing self-concept and suggests that such a measure should be based on standardized procedures such as the…

This paper presents a new format for conducting workshops for college students on eliminating self-defeating behaviors, based on a psychoeducational approach. The content of each of the eight lunch-hour sessions is described including the learned nature of self-defeating behaviors and the tracking identification and changing of such behaviors…

The use of time in school, specifically the portion of time defined as active responding time, has been shown to correlate significantly with achievement. The comprehensive observational methodology of the academic engaged time studies provides the basis for systematically investigating student responding time and elements of the educational…

This manual was built around eleven "prescriptions" for the successful management of the elementary school classroom. Each section is prefaced by an advisory statement: (1) "readying the classroom"--classroom space and materials should be ready for the beginning of the school year; (2) "planning rules and…

Alternative educational programs can meet the needs of students for whom traditional educational methods are inadequate at less than it would cost to modify the standard educational programs to accommodate all student types. Although such programs have grown more visible in the United States in recent years, alternatives have been available since…

The purpose of this study was to: (1) investigate some of the causes of lack of discipline in secondary schools in the Congo Republic according to teachers, students, and parents; (2) look into the effects that discipline problems have on the students' performances and their development as responsible citizens and (3) suggest or recommend measures…

This study evaluated a course designed for parents of kindergarten children. The program was based on Adlerian psychology and had three components: (1) the course for parents, which met once a week for 16 weeks; (2) three teacher inservices; and (3) separate and joint consultations between the course instructors and the teachers and parents.…

The 13 articles in this information packet are intended to assist individuals involved in developing plans to improve student thinking within a school or a school district. The topics discussed include (1) the need to improve student thinking, (2) obstacles that stand in the way of teaching thinking skills, (3) practical approaches to improving…

Two different methods of collecting information about student activity in the laboratory were compared using a series of videotape recordings. One method was based entirely on the systematic observation of student behavior (interaction analysis); the second method involved students describing their laboratory activities while watching excerpts…

As the fourth in a series of investigations of teacher power in the classroom, a study focused primarily on extending and refining the classification of behavior alteration techniques (BATs) and behavior alteration messages (BAMs) that teachers report as representative of the classroom environment. The study took place in three phases. First,…

This paper concentrates on incidents of severe conflict in eighth-grade classrooms observed in studies of four socially diverse junior high schools in two districts. Severe conflict is generated when teachers violate students' conceptions of the character of legitimate classroom authority. In a cosmopolitan community within an urban complex,…

Systematic classroom observation instruments were used to study the relationship between student coping style and student growth in reading. Classrom behaviors were recorded in the fall and the following spring with the Coping Analysis Schedule for Educational Settings (CASES). Data were analyzed separately for two types of classroom setings:…

Several studies have indicated that children frequently and actively attempt to manipulate adult behavior. Yet children have not been routinely used as behavioral change agents in the classroom. To study the extent to which teachers' evaluations of students' behavior and academic progress could be changed, 67 male high school students participated…

The frequency of student misconduct and the characteristics of offenders were studied at Lehigh University, Pennsylvania, from June 1, 1978 to June 1, 1981. Three types of misconduct were examined: harm to others, destruction of property, and academic violations. Misconduct was operationally defined and subcategories were developed where greater…