Objectives in five preschool program areas are listed in a format suitable for self-evaluation of program activities. With these resource materials, center staff and involved parents can document and assess their program with regard to (1) the quality of adult attention to children, (2) staff relationships, (3) parent participation, (4) staff…

The two part presentation presents information on specific conditions of developmental delay and suggests intervention approaches. Three causes of mental retardation (Down's syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and cerebral palsy) are identified and described in terms of definition, incidence, characteristics, and educational implications. Part II is…

Ethnographic methods were used to study interactions between a college instructor and his class. The data collection methods included classroom observations, videotape recordings, interviews, and questionnaires. The focus of the study was on co-occurring behavior patterns in student-teacher interactions during a "subject matter loop" (when the…

The University of Arizona College of Education and the Tucson (Arizona) Unified School District have cooperatively developed a staff development program that addresses the needs of teachers who are implementing bilingual and multicultural curricula. The Tucson Model for Effective Staff Development is based on the belief that successful integration…

A study examined the personality characteristics and self-concepts of 110 teachers-in-training to see how these variables related to the subjects' humanistic versus authoritarian orientations toward pupil control. It was found that the humanistically oriented educators tended to be emotionally stable, realistic, expedient, happy-go-lucky,…

A study of community college students' use of educational support systems was conducted at the City Colleges of Chicago. The study sought to determine: (1) the level of usage of formal support systems (e.g., teachers, class participation, counselors, tutors, libraries, and other learning resources); (2) the level of usage of informal support…

Research findings demonstrate that the way the classroom environment is arranged can have important consequences on the attitudes, behavior, and achievement of students. The concept of "synomorphy" is used to examine some of the research literature available on classroom design. Synomorphy refers to the similarity of structure or shape…

A detailed description is provided of the variable, constructivism versus behaviorism (CVSB), which is part of the analysis in phase I of the Evaluation of Practices in Individualized Schooling. The variable is defined; the questionnaires on which the variable is based are listed; the procedures used to scale the variable are explained; the…

A cohort group of nine-year-olds in nine inner-city schools were studied over a three-year period to determine the extent of reading achievement under a continuous progress reading and mathematics curriculum instituted in a large urban school system. Changes in students' perceptions of their learning environment, such as reduced competitiveness,…

The major purposes of this study were (1) to determine the congruence between perceived actual and desired frequency and extent of participation by teachers in the decision-making process; (2) to relate decision participation to teachers' job satisfaction; (3) to relate selected personal and situational variables to decisional participation; and…

This booklet presents articles that deal with identifying signs of stress and methods of reducing work-related stressors. An introductory article gives a summary of the causes, consequences, and cures of teacher stress and burnout. In articles on recognizing signs of stress, "Type A" and "Type B" personalities are examined, with implications for…

This manual provides teachers and administrators with information on Asian culture, people, and customs, to aid in the teaching of English as a second language to Asian students. The guide focuses on those facets on Asian culture relevant to the immediate life of the Asian ESL student. The following issues are discussed: (1) names; (2) birthdates;…

Socially rejected students are actively excluded for long periods of time by many of their peers at school and are often the recipients of verbal or physical abuse. Although most consideration of this problem has focused on rejected students, social rejections could be considered as a group phenomenon, determined by the structure of the social…

Issues pertaining to the validity of student ratings of teaching effectiveness are considered, and research results are evaluated. The following extraneous variables that affect student ratings but are not under the control or influence of the teacher are examined: class size, initial student motivation, academic field, teacher characteristics,…

This learning module was designed to familiarize community college instructors with the characteristics of nontraditional students and with strategies for providing these students with a positive learning environment. After introductory material offering a rationale for the module, Part I provides a list of key concepts, a statement of learning…