A discussion of teacher talk, particularly in the context of language immersion, looks at its nature, content, and form. A study reported here indicates the importance of discourse modification by the teacher and points up the need for further research on the effects of teacher talk on second-language learning. (Contains 23 references.)…

Reviews research related to the psychodynamics of induced and natural expectations, how these expectations are communicated, and their relationship to students' self-concepts and subsequent achievement. Develops a set of questions that school personnel can use for reflection and self-evaluation. (JPS)

Notes the unique historical features of the field of early childhood education that have contributed to its traditionally emotion-focused quality, and the reasons this focus is declining. Introduces the articles in this issue and how they address topics connected with this shift in focus. (HTH)

Describes the development and validation of a questionnaire, the Teacher Communication Behavior Questionnaire (TCBQ), that assesses student perceptions of five important teacher behaviors: (1) Challenging; (2) Encouragement and Praise; (3) Non-Verbal Support; (4) Understanding and Friendly; and (5) Controlling. (Contains 49 references.)…

Examines the association between perceived warmth of instruction and students' course evaluations on both affective and summative items. Reveals that student evaluations on affective items were more favorable when professors exhibited the full array of warmth-inducing behaviors. Increases in perceived warmth were not necessarily related to…

Provides teachers with basic information needed to prevent and manage aggressive children and youth, specifically, information on stages of crises (frustration stage, defensiveness stage, aggression stage, and self-control stage), effective strategies for each stage, and prevention strategies designed specifically for public school classrooms.…

Presents a study that examines the relations: (1) among professor immediacy (being available and welcoming to students) behaviors and undergraduate students perceptions of instructor's attitudes towards them; and (2) perceptions of instructor attitude towards undergraduates students and student motivation, projected grades, and attitudes towards…

Describes technology integration into the curriculum in a Texas school district. Discusses teacher training and explains measurement techniques, including Concerns Based Adoption Model for changes related to Internet use, the Innovation Configuration (use of the Internet), Stages of Concern Questionnaire for attitude changes, and Levels of Use for…

Used an ethnographical approach to study naturally occurring events when 3- to 6-year-olds in a Montessori school used books alone or with other children. Found that teacher practices encouraged the frequency and variety of book events, and that book events reflected the larger classroom and community cultures and underscored the value of…

This article discusses the increasing use of paraprofessionals in special education and addresses the following five areas: the role of paraprofessionals, the impact of the proximity of paraprofessionals on students with disabilities, the impact of paraprofessionals on teacher engagement, the importance of professional recognition, and strategies…

Investigates effects of school-choice laws on U.S. teachers' work incentives, using 1993-94 Schools and Staffing Survey data. Examines whether school system competitiveness works to solve the principal-agent problem in education. Results are mixed, but suggest that one type of choice policy--intradistrict choice--enhances teacher motivation.…

Examined preservice teachers' practices regarding gender-equitable teaching, examining awareness levels and determining the usefulness of a self-evaluative tool in increasing awareness and implementation of gender-equitable teaching. Evaluation of control students and students exposed to gender equitable teaching information indicated that…

Presents a teaching dilemma in which parents of a gifted child want a more teacher-directed, structured education for their child. Describes a fictional parent-teacher conference and raises questions about how the teacher, a believer in developmentally appropriate practice, should proceed, especially with regard to NAEYC's Code of Ethical Conduct.…

Examines K-2 teachers' perceptions and evaluations of how students (who spoke marginalized or stigmatized varieties of English) in a low-income, multiethnic, inner-city school answer classroom questions. Finds ambiguity in teacher questions which created problems for students accustomed to different discourse practices. Works with the teachers to…

States that teaching is a practice that aims to develop relationships between the mature and immature where the good teacher can balance the personal and impersonal dimensions of contact with students. Considers different experiences with students that concern the opportunities and dangers of conversation in a school. (CMK)