Theoretical traditions concerning school environments and student achievement are described, and their insights are linked with analyses of school and classroom interactions to develop a simple conceptual model of environmental influences on student achievement. The literature regarding environmental influences is then reviewed, and the last…

Interviews were conducted with 15 first-year students at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology, concerning their academic and social experiences in mainstreamed high schools. It was learned that respondents encountered such challenges to their academic success as teachers who were unaware of or…

This project examined the extent to which varying instructional grouping arrangements are used for different categories of mildly handicapped students in various instructional settings and the extent to which any differences translated to differences in student responses. Observational data were recorded all day in 10-second intervals for 122…

A study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of using a portable electronic note-taking/captioning system (InstaCap) by a deaf student in a college classroom. The study investigated the extent to which the deaf student was assisted by the system, the extent to which other students and the teacher were distracted, and costs to the college.…

The positivist paradigm has dominated the shape and direction of research in education. Traditionally the scientific method is adhered to, variables are strictly controlled, statistics are compiled, and conclusions are reached. In the post-positivist paradigm, studies conducted using naturalistic inquiry take place in the natural setting and do…

The response to seatwork assignments of 26 high and low achievers in 8 first grade classrooms was examined. Students were observed during five half-days of school over a five to six month period. Teachers were interviewed twice during the year, with particular attention being paid to how they handled selecting seatwork assignments, presented them…

This article reports on a survey of West German elementary and secondary school students undertaken to discover their opinions of the West German educational system. Their primary criticism was directed toward: (1) scholastic performance pressure; (2) unrealistic learning objectives; and (3) unsympathetic teachers. Older students were more…

Data analyses and interpretation are presented in this report on data obtained from "A Study of Schooling." For this study, data were collected from elementary, junior, and senior high schools (a total of 38 schools) through the use of classroom observation, questionnaires, and interviews. The data discussed in this report is concerned with…

A study investigated and compared the instructional behaviors, class content, and class organization of kindergarten and first grade movement educators and traditional physical education teachers. Literature on this topic suggests that movement educators focus on indirect teaching methods, nontraditional classroom settings, student involvement,…

Alexis Pogorelskin, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth and chair of the History Department, recounts her experience in 2004 after making a controversial comment in her History of the Holocaust and 20th Century Russia class. Her comment was in reference to President Bush making no mention in the 2000 campaign about the…

An educational voucher demonstration program begun in 1972 developed into an experiment in alternative education within a public school framework and served as a springboard for a study of the nature and effectiveness of alternative programs generally. By the time the data gathering was completed in 1977, four middle- to large-sized school…

The long-term stability of students' evaluations of instructional effectiveness was investigated. The focus was on the extent and nature of realtionships between end-of-term and retrospective ratings. Ratings given by alumni one year after program completion were compared with ratings given by these individuals in 85 undergraduate and graduate…

College applicants taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the Test of Standard Written English (TSWE) were surveyed regarding the tests, college admission in general, and the communications received concerning the test and their scores. Separate questionnaires were administered before taking the SAT or TSWE, after taking the test, and after…

A GUIDANCE UNIT ON ATTITUDES WAS DEVELOPED FOR USE AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL. THE OBJECTIVES WERE TO STUDY COMMON ATTITUDES, POSITIVE OUTLOOKS, PERSONAL IMPROVEMENT, THE RELATIONSHIPS OF PERSONALITY TO VOCATIONAL CHOICE AND JOB SUCCESS, AND EGOCENTRIC AND ALTRUISTIC BEHAVIOR PATTERNS. AN INDIVIDUAL'S LIFE IS SEEN TO BE MOLDED BY HIS OUTLOOK AND…

RESEARCH ON THE LECTURE TECHNIQUE CONDUCTED WITH ADULT GROUPS HAS BEEN FAR MORE VARIED THAN PREADULT RESEARCH, WHICH HAS BEEN DONE WITHIN THE LIMITATIONS OF THE CLASSROOM METHOD IN AN INSTITUTIONAL SETTING. STUDIES HAVE BEEN MADE OF IMMEDIATE OR DELAYED RECALL OF FACTUAL INFORMATION, OF MODIFICATION OF ATTITUDES OR BEHAVIOR, OF DELIVERY OVER RADIO…