This study examined the nature of teacher layoffs and their effects on the role enactment and coping strategies of teachers. Fourteen high school teachers, who were employed in a large urban school district plagued by declining enrollment, were interviewed. Each teacher had been "riffed" (reduction in force) and recalled at least once in the…

The primary purpose of a staff development program entitled "Skills for Effective Teaching," which was adapted in a Virginia public school district, was to teach effective instructional skills to teachers who did not possess or demonstrate those skills. The program was also aimed at retaining and reinforcing the effective instructional skills…

An intensive case study of two student teachers focused on how their beliefs and practices developed during the student teaching experience. Ethnographic methods used included participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and analysis of journals kept by the student teachers. The Kelly Repertory Grid Technique was used to examine the…

This study investigated the problem of teacher thinking in interactive class teaching situations. A sample of 21 elementary and middle school teachers in Spain was studied through a multi-method triangulation involving observation, interviews, and daily journals. Verbal protocol from different sources led to the identification of 510 elements that…

A study of children's perceptions of self and of significant adults investigated Sullivan's (1953) concepts of good me/bad me and good mother/bad mother and extended the analysis to children's perceptions of fathers and teachers. Subjects were 10-year-old elementary school students from low-income families who were enrolled in a longitudinal study…

Examined were differences in the amount of affectionate behavior early childhood teachers expressed to (1) individual children and groups of children, and (2) female and male children. Data were collected through naturalistic observations of 47 female teachers in six day care centers. Teachers' affectionate behaviors and the types of recipients…

The training of beginning teachers and the mentor protege relationship that exists between those beginners and experienced faculty is currently of much interest to teacher training institutions and K-12 schools alike. This interest is the result of some of the initial research findings that suggests a protege learns effective teaching procedures…

This paper summarizes the Alabama Career Incentive Program, a statewide effort to evaluate more than 30,000 teachers including specialists in guidance, speech therapy, and so on. The evaluation was based on 10 classroom competencies and five outside-the-class professional competencies. A low-inference instrument measured competencies by using…

This paper analyzes some of the characteristics of research on teacher thinking as it relates to educational policy. An introductory section discusses the problems inherent in relating research on teacher thinking to educational policy, based on the difference between conclusion-oriented research (which is appropriate for teacher thinking) and…

This paper explores various issues related to the allocation of resources to science teacher education on the basis of research implications. Areas addressed include: (1) establishment of valid science teacher training content; (2) science teacher education research (providing information on the average effect of some general practices used to…

This study is concerned with preservice primary school teachers (N=100), a group of tertiary students who traditionally come from the secondary school stream. These students have, on the whole, avoided subjects like physics, chemistry, and mathematics that demand a high level of cognitive development for understanding/assimilation of abstract…

A research project was designed to produce a new system for evaluating student teachers at the University of Washington. A literature search provided the basis for a conceptual framework for the development of an evaluation instrument. Conclusions derived from the literature were: (1) Rationales for teacher evaluation include…

A study sought to describe the nature of teacher and student behaviors related to textbook reading assignments at the secondary school level, and to explore the relationship between the amount of time secondary school teachers devoted to specific assignment-related behaviors and students' subsequent performance on the assignments. The sample…

The classroom teacher needs to be able to arouse the interest of students and maintain motivation levels sufficiently high to keep students involved in learning tasks. This study describes techniques that will enable the teacher to make decisions about appropriate learning activities and student reinforcement procedures. The topic is discussed in…

Data on how teaching effectiveness is affected by faculty incentive grants are presented based on a study of a faculty incentive program at Messiah College in Pennsylvania. Its "Excellence in Teaching" program offers awards of up to $5000 each annually to four faculty members based on student evaluations of teaching performance.…