The need for a different conception of research from the classical statistical approach to theory development in social studies teaching is addressed in this paper. In a schema of dominant orientations of social theory, the outstanding epistemological features of the three main schools of contemporary metascience are outlined. Three systems of…

Foreign language teaching is currently in a state of flux, as is natural when any discipline is undergoing basic theoretical and procedural revision. The behaviorist trends applied to the audio-lingual habit theory were a major break-through for foreign language teaching, and skills ignored by the grammar-translation method were brought to the…

The limitations on educational resources and the increasing complexity in all phases of social organization demand that the educational process become more efficient and effective. A strong opinion among educators suggests that students can learn faster if the educational forces are applied systematically. To achieve this goal, learning objectives…

Would use of silent concept loop films (SSCLF) facilitate the acquisition of manipulative occupational skills for nonacademic students? What is the effect of SSCLF on the teaching-learning climate? An experiment was undertaken to find answers to these questions. The design used was the Post-test Only Group Design No. 6. The subjects were a sample…

The effectiveness of using workbooks to teach eighth-grade English grammar was measured in a study of 160 students in four north-central Texas junior high schools. The experimental group, which used the American Book Company workbook, "Our Language Today," was equated on the basis of sex, intelligence, and previous grades in English with the…

This IRCD Bulletin issue contains two papers. One, by Harold L. Cohen, summarizes two of his previously prepared papers in which he discusses his approach to learning behaviors. He describes the use of reinforcements as motivators for academic and social learning at a Federal correctional institution. Cohen states that "The design and use of…

The program designed during the Institute for Kindergarten Teachers and Aides of Migrant Children is presented. Emphasis is placed on the concept that in order to learn anything, young children must have direct sensory experience related to the idea to be learned. It is pointed out that basic to all activities is an understanding of child…

The basic point to be considered in establishing a curriculum for elementary and secondary schools in the arid areas of the world is relevancy. Usually, the educational system of an area reflects the dominant culture of the political power in control. However, the educational system of the dominant culture might not be relevant to the people of…

The literature on the behavior effects of videotaped playback reveals that little theoretical formulation has been offered to explain the positive results which have been reported. Two theoretical models are considered in regard to these results. The first, a reinforcement model, suggests that some behaviors are reinforced positively and some…

The Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) and, most recently, the National Institute of Education (NIE) have been involved in contemplating a national planned variation study of bilingual education. In order to determine the feasibility of such a massive study, several approaches to bilingual education, with emphasis on bicultural as well as…

This study investigates the possibility that the reinforcement strength of stimuli can be enhanced by observational learning as well as by pairing with unconditioned reinforcers. The reinforcement strengths of two candies were determined for 40 preschool children as measured by rate of response on a button pressing apparatus. The children then…

Students who work in small discussion groups will not significantly surpass those who study under teacher direction in terms of mean learning achievement, cognitive operations such as comprehension and application, or acquired learning. This conclusion resulted from a study of learning in two classroom situations, one utilizing teacher-directed…

Carter's model of affective relations (1965) and Chaffee's research on cognitive discrepancies and communication (1959) are used to test the hypotheses that increasing an attribute's discriminatory power will increase attribute salience and that increasing the exclusiveness of an object's attributes will increase objective salience. The current…

One of the basic problems in relating learning theories to instructional strategies is that traditionally learning theory has researched the micro unit whereas the instructional environment studies the macro unit. Traditionally, instructional strategy research and development takes the learner as he comes, an integrated organism. In learning…

It was the purpose of this study to design a secondary school curriculum in narrative and dramatic literature which would reflect the growth of structures of thought and behavior in early and middle adolescence. Based on Jean Piaget's theory of intellectual development which begins in the student's experiences and works toward…