The six chapters in this report focus on: (1) a basic orientation for a focused research agenda; (2) research on reasoning (considering the development of competence and the search for generality in reasoning skills); (3) research on instruction (examining research on teachers, curricula and curricular materials, and testing); (4) research on…

This paper details how classroom reading instruction can be studied by using microethnographic techniques, wherein classroom events are videotaped and then carefully analyzed to determine their social organizational features. A short introduction to the use of microethnographic methods is presented, followed by an analysis of a lesson taught by a…

Autonomous learning, which implies the development of attitudes of responsibility and self-awareness related to thought processes on the part of the learner, is examined in the context of the organization and structure of the English public school system. Part 1 discusses autonomous learning and the way in which it may be developed in children…

According to this publication, a school's most effective tool in encouraging student success may be its control over the time the student spends working on goal-oriented learning activities--that is, time on task. This document is intended to help school administrators understand the effects of their decisions on students' learning time and…

Intended for use by teachers of fourth and fifth grade students assigned to a special summer program because they have not met the criteria for promotion, this handbook focuses on strategies by which real reading and its attendant language forms can be maximized within the context of summer and its built-in expectations. The first part of the…

Systematic changes in their classroom environments occur when students make the transition from upper-elementary to junior high school. Students typically experience a transition from a self-contained classroom to departmentalized instruction in junior high school; they often also experience a transition from heterogeneous to homogeneous,…

This speech addresses the relation of effective discipline to the pursuit of academic excellence in schools. The proposed blend of specific strategies, methods, and ways of being conducive to excellence is characterized as "three dimensional discipline." This approach involves: (1) listening to what students are thinking and feeling; (2) clearly…

This paper examines 10 principles of learning and suggests ways in which vocational education teachers may apply them in their classrooms. The following principles are discussed: reductionism, the law of effect, imitation and observational learning, classroom management without punishment, shaping, the law of primacy, token rewards, the law of…

This article presents the results of a small-scale empirical study investigating engineering students' perceptions of writing in the classroom and workplace. It asks questions regarding the types and frequency of documents engineering students have written in school and internship settings, and it reveals both the strategies used to complete those…

This paper reports on an investigation of the interdependent relationship between ecological classroom dimensions and kindergarten students' task-related classroom behaviors, studied independently of personalities or age-group generalizations. Major purposes of the study were: (1) to identify and describe the main action structures observed in the…

This research was designed to delineate the effects of the retention in grade process upon a child's academic, social, and emotional development. The primary purpose of the study was to identify characteristics of children who benefit from the retention process. The secondary purpose was to identify those factors from the retained year that…

This report summarizes the major findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the 1980-81 British Columbia Kindergarten Needs Assessment. This assessment was designed to elicit a broad base of information, both fact and opinion, from the professional literature, from review panels held across the province, and from a survey of groups most closely…

Attention to the quality of the learning environment (both the physical and human dimensions) is critical to positive outcomes for adult disadvantaged learners in basic education. It is necessary to understand the characteristics of the adult disadvantaged student, his/her social and cultural or ethnic background, and how these factors influence…

The purpose of the Meeting Students' Needs in the Multiage Group Environment (MSN) program was to provide an instructional system to meet the needs of elementary school students of differing achievement, age, and grade level who are in the same classroom. The program, for kindergarten through grade six, was characterized by an innovative…

This booklet contains nine sections describing ways in which noise may endanger health and well-being. Secions are included on: (1) hearing loss; (2) heart disease; (3) other reactions by the body; (4) effects on the unborn; (5) special effects on children; (6) intrusion at home and work; (7) sleep disruption; (8) mental and social well-being; and…