To develop a system for making systematic observations of classroom communicative interaction, to provide guidelines for its utilization, and to suggest applications of this system to problems in the development of communication skills, 94 deaf children were directly observed in class interaction. An evaluation instrument was developed from the…

The purpose of this study was to determine the applicability of sociobehavioral principles and techniques for influencing or changing the behavior of adults in a learning group. The behavior on which this study focused was off-task behavior, defined as that behavior inconsistent or incongruent with the lesson plan for that particular day, or with…

This paper reviews two major advances in preschool evaluation strategy that developed as a result of trying to evaluate Head Start, and proposes another evaluation approach. The first advance in evaluation procedure was to conceive educational objectives in terms of processes rather than products; that is, there was a shift from achievement tests…

The various behavioral phases through which a child passes before he becomes adjusted to school are examined in this report on East Indian children. A program of observation was devised to answer three questions: (1) Do patterns of behavior change as children continue to attend school? (2) Are there different patterns of behavior during the…

In this study, preferences for activities with people vs. objects were examined in preschool children and related to two kinds of intellectual abilities. Children with high object orientation were expected to be relatively advanced in organizing and classifying physical objects. In contrast, children with high people orientation were expected to…

The purpose of this study is to develop from naturalistic field observation data a set of concepts and hypotheses related to the teaching of thinking. The study conceptualizes and relates thought processes and instructional strategies by analyzing data collected from classrooms in which the Washington University Elementary Social Science…

This paper describes a model that uses interaction analysis as a tool to provide feedback to a teacher in a microteaching situation. The author explains how interaction analysis can be used for teacher improvement, describes the category system used in the model, the data collection methods used, and the feedback techniques found in the model. (JF)

The major objective of this series of studies was to clarify the concept of mastery motivation and to develop measures of this concept applicable to 1-year-old children. Three studies were made with 44 infants, aged 12 to 13 months. The first study, "Aspects of Mastery Motivation and Cognitive Functioning," utilized structured situations…

This unit of the Flexible Learning System (FLS) is concerned with the importance of play to early child development and with classroom conditions that promote productive play activity. Emphasis is put on developing skills in observing and analyzing play and understanding specific types of adult intervention in the play process. Activities and an…

This report describes several facets of students' experiences at Cypress College as viewed through the eyes of students. The methodology used in this case study was participant-observation, with observations made over a period of months, in as many parts of the campus as possible, and at random times during the day. The aim of this approach was to…

In this study, twenty 3-day-old Caucasian neonates were observed before and during feeding in an attempt to demonstrate that individual characteristics of infants, such as alertness and social behaviors, are related to the interaction of mothers and infants during feeding situations. Ten of the infants were males, 10 were females; approximately 70…

A two page checklist was developed to assist educators in predicting the success or failure of children in open classrooms. The checklist was based on the results of a survey of ninety-one open classroom teachers who were asked to list the characteristics of successful and unsuccessful children in open classrooms. Content validity was established…

This paper reports a technique for classroom observation of children's activities considered relevant to the acquisition of reading. It is part of a larger study conducted by the University of Bristol called the "Children Learning to Read" Project, an attempt to study the learning experiences of individual children as they occur in a…

This study was designed to examine the reinforcing contingencies of parents toward specific child behaviors, and at the same time to try to determine if the sex of the child performing the behavior influences the reaction of the parent. A total of 24 white families with only one child between the ages of 20 and 24 months participated in the study.…

Discusses ways in which talk during writing and group discussion can help children's writing, including (1) helping teachers learn to listen, (2) teaching children to elaborate and clarify, (3) giving children experience with an audience and reasons for writing, (4) helping children gather ideas and assistance, and (5) teaching children to be…