This is an intensive observational study of teacher behavior in six kindergartens in three schools. The schools were picked to be typical examples of a white middle class suburban school, an integrated lower class urban school, and a black lower class urban school. In all three schools teachers used the greatest proportion of class time (from 33…

An attempt to adapt the U.S.-based IDEA (Instructional Development by Evaluation and Assessment) system to Great Britain is described. This widely-used method of faculty evaluation based on student ratings was pioneered by Kansas State University. Among the features of IDEA are the following: it relates student perceptions of teacher behavior to…

Nonverbal teacher behavior is recognized as an important factor in establishing a positive social climate in the classroom. A feedback and analysis instrument is presented focusing on specific nonverbal teacher behaviors. These behaviors--facial expressions, gestures, body movements, and idiosyncratic characteristics--are categorized as either…

The major theses of this paper state that the concept of educational change is different from the concept of educational innovation and the effectiveness and broad scale applicability of educational change is limited by influences often overlooked by planners and implementors of change. The minor theses state that (1) the fate of most educational…

This introduction to second language program evaluation begins with a rationale outlining the major issues involved in program evaluation. Procedures for evaluation are described, and examples are offered of goal statements, sub-goal statements, curriculum objectives, and learning objectives. Guidelines for judging a statement of aims are listed.…

Teachers were designated as more and less effective according to their ability to teach specially constructed reading and mathematics curriculum units over two weeks. They were then studied to determine if their perceptions of classroom interaction and interactive decision making were different. They were also studied to determine whether they…

This document describes the clinical observation activities in a sample of California classrooms as part of the developmental work for Phase III of the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study. The actual observation procedures are documented, and the conclusions reached on the basis of those observations are presented. Conclusions related to timebased…

This report discusses the question of the appropriateness of teacher behaviors in relation to both the counting of frequencies of teacher behaviors and the interpretation of the impact of teacher behaviors on student learning. The recent focus, in research on teaching, on the counting of teacher behaviors gives rise to a concern for the meaning as…

As part of the development of a classroom interaction observation instrument, this report presents the results of a comparative study of group interaction in contrasting educational environments (open and traditional) with children of different socioeconomic backgrounds (middle and lower classes). Additionally, problems of adequately assessing…

To develop a comprehensive teacher observation instrument, 56 school practitioners submitted 200 critical incidents--descriptions and judgments of their observations of teacher-pupil interactions in the classroom. Five teacher roles emerged: instructional facilitator; instructional manager; instructional evaluator; instructional designer; and…

As part of the Competency Based Teacher Certification Project in Carroll County, Georgia, large samples of elementary and secondary school teachers and students were observed during a two-year period. Four low-inference observation measures were used to record teacher behaviors and student-teacher interactions: (1) Teacher Practices Observation…

This report presents the results of a year-long pre- and postinstitute evaluation of the 6-week summer workshop for 221 primary grade teachers of disadvantaged children from 41 different New York City schools. The report is organized around the findings obtained from each of nine evaluation instruments and checklists used to measure (1) changes in…

Videotaping was used to analyze both video and audio components of the teaching-learning process with educable mentally retarded (EMR) children. Fifteen teachers, both inexperienced and experienced, made 31 pilot tapes, teaching one retarded and one normal child each the single, new concept of a hexagon. The 31 children included 14 EMR (ages 9-2…

Although specific procedures for "participant observation" (PO) vary, it is always based on the principle that while the observer (O) will adopt preconceived structural outlines and dimensional scales in the course of his summary, he--rather than any outlines or scales--is the instrument for inferring data. Applications of modified PO…

Inservice self-study was utilized to improve the qualitative level of classroom method among teachers of the gifted. Ten judges selected 45 of 75 elementary and secondary teachers by a rating scale of significant behaviors, classroom observation ratings, the Weiner Attitude Scale, and the Terman Concept Mastery Test. The 45 were considered…