This article explains why teachers must relinquish personal concerns to observe children more clearly. Careful observation makes it possible for teachers to learn students' needs and strengths and then develop strengths into positive ways of meeting needs. (DF)

Observers coded the behavior of 40 middle-class, traditional couples and their 5-month-old infants, and parents filled out attitude questionnaires. Fathers' sex-role orientation and both parents' views concerning the role of the father were found to be correlated significantly with observed levels of paternal activity. (Author/CB)

Discusses materials in the ERIC system concerning knowledge or schemata children have when they come to class, behaviors a teacher may observe, and suggestions teachers can keep in mind when planning creative activities that support children's meaning-making efforts. (HTH)

School nurses need to be aware of how divorce affects children and to have the necessary skills to assess emotional problems. Student behaviors to watch for that may indicate emotional problems are listed. (Author/DF)

Relates some of the observations made of a kindergarten classroom over a two-year period in which teachers simulated as many conditions as possible with respect to a natural "learning-how-to-write" situation. (HOD)

Describes the development of a two-session home observational scheme for the study of the interactions between mothers and their two- and three-year-old children, with the main thrust on socio-emotional development. The tool focuses on parental responsivity and sensitivity, affect, social communication, and social control and has a combination of…

This study examines teachers' interactions with fourth- and fifth-grade Mexican American (n=40) and Anglo American (n=59) students who were similar in terms of socioeconomic background, level of academic achievement, and English proficiency. The relationship of these interactions to students' achievement is also examined. (PN)

Defines participant observation as a research methodology whereby investigation is conducted in the subjects' natural habitat over a long period of time in which the researcher shares as intimately as possible in the life and activities of the subjects being studied. (Available from the Journal of Applied Communications Research, Ed., Drawer NJ,…

The studies discussed investigate the concept of teacher effectiveness and attempt to determine whether different educational treatments have had different effects on student improvement. (MM)

Considered are some objections to the use of systematic observations of student behavior in special education practice and research. (IM)

During the first half of the 1990s, the British government turned inspection into an ambitious instrument of educational policy-making. What happens when schools are inspected is the subject of this book. Based on a 3-year study, it answers such questions as "What happens when the inspectors announce that they intend to call?,""How…

This study investigated 16 K-12 English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers' experiences being observed at different stages of their teaching careers. Participants included classroom teachers seeking ESL endorsement in a graduate certificate Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program and master's level TESOL graduates.…

This book provides those new to the field with a blend of practical and theoretical information. The author addresses a spectrum of recent information about the process of qualitative educational research and brings together in one volume the essential elements of all aspects of the field. The text: (1) Introduces traditions and influences in the…

This paper describes a 1998 evaluation conducted by one Texas school district of its K-5 physical education (PE) program. The director of PE developed a plan for gathering information on scheduling; student performance (motor skills, fitness, and social skills); and teachers' use of best instructional practices. Teachers assessed student…

This study examined the relationships between teachers' self-assessment and their ratings by master teachers on key dimensions of proficiency as defined by Oregon's Continuing Teaching Licensure (CTL) requirements, and it explored differences between teacher behaviors and practices as a function of their teacher preparation programs. It also…