Reviews the results of a study which examined verbal classroom interaction between White teachers and their Black and White students. Suggests that, although on most measures teachers did not differentiate their behavior between Blacks and Whites, differences which did occur indicate that White teachers have significantly lower expectations of…

Focusing on the question, "Can chimpanzees produce new sentences or merely sequences?" Terrace describes his efforts to teach the chimpanzee Nim to communicate through sign language. From his results, and the Gardners' experiments with Washoe, he concludes that no proof yet exists that chimpanzees can use language as humans do. (SJL)

Two basic ethical questions--informed-consent and the risk-benefit equation--are examined as they apply to the data collection, analysis, and publication strategies of qualitative family research. Suggests the distinctive features of family life warrant a special discussion of the ethical dilemmas inherent in the qualitative study of families.…

A national study was designed to examine open-space education in Great Britain. The study's purpose was to provide an accurate, comprehensive description of the teaching-learning processes within such schools and their administrative and architectural services in order that policy implications could be delineated. (Author/DB)

A number of classroom environmental experiences are presented: indoor and outdoor listening, observation, classification, vocabulary, and role playing. The experiences are outside the realm of science and are adaptable to various grade levels. (Author/SJL)

The thought processes involved in students' answers to different kinds of teachers' questions were investigated using data obtained from a previous study. It was found that the chances are about even that there will be a correspondence between the cognitive level of the question and of the response. (Author/GDC)

Explanations are offered for observed discrepant and null findings in the area of predictive information about teacher effectiveness. It is argued that if tautologies are to be avoided, only product variables are appropriate criteria of success. Some recommendations regarding future research are offered. (Author/GSK)

Teachers viewed interactions with low-expectation students as less controllable than those with high-expectation students and teacher initiations were perceived as more controllable than child initiations. In addition, less perceived control over a student was associated with less feedback from the teacher. (Author/GDC)

The targeted evaluation approach (TEA) combines student ratings, administrator observation, and measurement of student learning. TEA's five steps are (1) writing learning objectives; (2) developing a plan of instruction; (3) setting performance standards; (4) pretesting and posttesting; and (5) analyzing and judging results. (SK)

The author notes a trend in educational research away from the scientific model and toward new designs emphasizing process, context, personal, and qualitative concerns. He describes the approach he uses at Stanford, educational connoisseurship or educational criticism, and outlines its basic components: discernment, description, interpretation,…

Describes a method to determine whether particular strategies and materials are being used in classrooms as a result of inservice training. (Author/MLF)

Social and communicative behavior of 28 preschoolers, some developmentally delayed, was classified under various conditions by four observers. Inter-observer agreements from observations of developmentally delayed and normal children were compared. No significant differences were found. Results are discussed in terms of reliability problems in…

Although classroom learning environment variables provide useful criteria of effectiveness in curriculum evaluation, a limited number of evaluation studies employ classroom environment instruments. This article provides an example of the use of learning environment dimensions as dependent variables in instructional evaluation. (RL)

The Parent as a Teacher Inventory (PAAT) was administered to 30 Mexican-American parent pairs to assess child rearing expectations. Scores were correlated to income, family size, parental sex, parental education, and parent accessibility to the child. Consonance of observed behaviors with PAAT responses indicated an acceptable instrument validity.…