The following methods of estimating school-level experimentation with drugs by adolescents at 20 California continuation high schools are compared: (1) self-reports; (2) prevalence estimates from students; (3) prevalence estimates from school staff; (4) naturalistic observation; and (5) refuse (garbage) analysis. Advantages of refuse analysis are…

Reports differences in results for two use studies conducted in a science and engineering library, one using a reshelving methodology, the other requiring users to self-report material use. Differences are reported in terms of high-use periodicals, overall materials use, and use of the entire journal collection. (13 references) (KRN)

Investigation of the developing oral English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) skills of native French speaking elementary students in a five-month intensive ESL course found that teachers' use of form-focused instruction and corrective feedback influenced students' correct use of "-ing" structures and adjective-noun order. (47 references) (Author/CB)

Describes the interactions of high school girls and boys during coeducational science lessons. Analyses of the audiovideo recordings of 144 lessons taught by 12 male teachers indicate that girls were more likely to initiate classroom discourse. Findings did not support the hypothesis that gender disparity in science achievement in favor of boys…

This study used interviews and home observations with three families to examine how chronic illness in a young child affects daily family life. The families reported frequent low vitality, selective interest in available support groups, restricted social life, and preoccupation with decisions concerning their child's illness. General strategies,…

Maintains that preservice education courses (or "methods" courses) need to provide teacher candidates with opportunities to use their own stories and experiences in a naturalistic or "researching" approach to teaching young children. This approach will help preservice teachers learn how children use their past experiences…

Examined the evolving knowledge and beliefs of a preservice secondary mathematics teacher in a mathematics education course that emphasized mathematical and pedagogical connections and applications of the function concept. Although her understanding of function changed substantially, her anticipated approach to teaching did not. (29 references)…

Asserts that the technique of "Stories at Work," or fictional-critical writing, is an emerging discipline within professional development and educational research. Discusses ways in which the technique can be used to enhance self-concept and improve teacher effectiveness. (CFR)

Three case studies illustrate how recent classroom observation research has led to more active participation on the part of teachers, principals, and supervisors. The groups have worked closely to understand how the core French program works in the classroom. Participatory research is seen as an important professional development opportunity for…

Providers' demographic characteristics, training, support networks, business practices, and stability of services were examined relative to their caregiving practices. Results from a schematic model approach suggest correlations between some of these factors and variances in ratings of caregiver practices. (LB)

To determine whether men dominate language in a mixed-gender adult classroom, 4 lessons were observed and recorded at a training course for 10 supervisors in London. Men helped maintain women's silence by the competitive nature of their discourse. Men's linguistic domination is related to research on children's classrooms. (SLD)

Relations among self-reported social skills, teacher ratings of classroom behavior, and direct observations of social interactions among 87 adolescents with mild mental retardation were investigated. Results demonstrated that (1) four domains of social skills were related to students' task orientation; and (2) the three sources of information…

The status of formal recommendations is different in the naturalistic evaluation model than in the traditional empirical model. The evaluation of a high school peer support program for alcohol abuse prevention illustrates that reader-generated recommendations may have more usefulness and impact than do evaluator-generated ideas. (SLD)

This study of 86 children (ages 30-67 months) attending a community screening clinic found that 2 factors--parents' concerns about speech, language, or cognitive skills, and parents' ratings of the child's activity on a temperament scale--accounted for 27% of the variance in the likelihood of referral to early intervention services. (Author/JDD)

Fifth grade social behavioral profiles of 75 arrested and nonarrested adolescent boys were assessed to determine their ability to predict the later arrest status of the boys in grades 5-7. Using such measures as teacher ratings of social skills and observations of negative aggressive behavior, 75 percent of subsequently arrested subjects were…