A review of research findings on context variables in the classroom and their effects on student achievement provided a framework upon which to base conclusions on the following factors pertaining to effective teaching: (1) teacher control of the classroom; (2) adjustment of teacher control of learning activities to student abilities; (3)…

A model for improving school and classroom effectiveness must pay attention to: (1) leadership; (2) school climate; (3) supervision; (4) teacher behaviors; (5) student behaviors; and (6) student achievement. Chapter 1 of this book on effective schools and classrooms introduces these important issues and describes a model incorporating these…

The Curriculum And Research for Equity (C-A-R-E) program materials are inservice teacher training modules (workshops, curricula, references, and research data) designed to promote educational equity in elementary school classrooms. The training manual is intended to help elementary education professionals identify, assess, and rectify the problem…

A high school English teacher assigned to a class of underachieving eleventh grade students encountered numerous difficulties with the students' behavior and their resistance to writing. Most were disruptive in class, hostile to reading and writing assignments, and had troubled home lives. To combat the problem, the teacher developed a…

The basic purpose of this text is to provide teachers with a practical guide for understanding and improving classroom management. Case studies included in the publication represent problems and issues common to urban, suburban, and rural school districts and personnel. Chapter 1, which focuses on broad perspectives on discipline, provides a…

Ethnographic research examined the culture of a Knoxville, Tennessee, middle-school technology education classroom before, during, and after a summer youth development experience. The summer camp provided technology education and leadership development to middle- and lower-class students. Several observations of salient behavior were made with…

This paper describes the implementation and effects of a behavior management system in eight middle schools, including control schools, in an urban school district. The components of the system included school discipline policy review and revision, computerized behavior tracking, classroom organization and management, and positive reinforcement.…

In June 1990, a statewide telephone survey was conducted of 1,200 full- and part-time students from the 29 Michigan community colleges as a follow-up to a similar survey conducted in 1988. As in the previous study, the 29 colleges were classified as rural, urban, and suburban institutions and a total of 200 part-time and 200 full-time students…

During each semester of fiscal year (FY) 1990, a survey was conducted of enrollees in telecourses at Howard Community College. The purpose of the study was to assist program planners in understanding the motivations, enrollment and viewing patterns, demographics, and goals of students who enroll in telecourses. Survey responses were obtained from…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 30 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) writing performance and its relationship to the writing attitudes, topic knowledge, and writing goals of college freshmen; (2) representational semantics; (3)…

The results of a survey which studied the attitudes and characteristics of Catholic youth and their parents and then compared these with the attitudes and characteristics of non-Catholic youth are presented. A total of 1,130 students in grades 5-8 from 13 Catholic schools, 613 mothers, and 352 fathers completed survey questionnaires. The data…

Validity is a central issue in use of self-report data for the investigation of teacher thinking. "Triangulation," or use of several data sets to test, corroborate and elaborate each other, is one method for increasing validity of findings. This paper illustrates a process of triangulation of data obtained by three different data…

A study of three first grade teachers, who were interviewed and observed in the classroom setting, demonstrates a link between teachers' plans for action that they have developed over years of teaching and their routine management of students during reading. Both management and instructional goals, embedded in teacher beliefs about learning and…

Using a series of regression equations, classroom process and student achievement data from 136 junior high school mathematics and English classes were analyzed to answer the following questions: (1) Are the classroom behaviors and achievement levels of students systematically different across classes of higher and lower ability? (2) Within…

While the literature on the social development of children has increasingly stressed the importance of peer relationships, little research has examined the influence of peers in sex role development. Sex segregation in children's play from preschool through the elementary years remains the norm even though we live in a society that is increasingly…