A method for analyzing instructional techniques employed during reading group instruction is reported, and the characteristics of the effective reading teacher are discussed. Teaching effectiveness is divided into two categories: (1) how the teacher acts and interacts with children on a personal level and (2) how the teacher performs his…

This state-of-the-art paper and its accompanying 42-item annotated bibliography are on classroom observation systems in preparing school personnel. The paper is divided into four parts: (1) Introduction; (2) Description of Selected Classroom Observation Systems; (3) Use of Classroom Observation Systems in the Preparation of School Personnel; and…

The unreliability of first impressions and subjective judgments is the subject of both Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" and Lionel Trilling's "Of This Time, Of That Place"; consequently, the works are worthwhile parallel studies for high school students. Austen, by means of irony and subtle characterization, dramatizes the…

In this study, which was designed to examine the relationships among teacher behavior, student behavior, and student achievement, the Southwestern Cooperative Educational Laboratory Interaction Observation Schedule (SCIOS) was developed. Using this instrument, pupil behaviors were isolated to assess the degree to which pupils (1) receive, (2)…

This instrument, developed and field-tested since February 1969, can be used to describe teacher behaviors during classroom teaching, planning, and evaluation and diagnosis. It is designed for use by a team of clinicians, the number depending on the purpose for which the instrument is used, e.g., to develop teacher descriptions for use in…

The purpose of this research project was to ascertain the medium (i.e., video tape, audio tape, or regular supervisory feedback) that had the greatest impact in changing the classroom interactive behavior of selected student teachers as measured by Flanders' interaction analysis categories. The study involved three matched groups of student…

In this paper progress made in the systematic study of science classrooms is examined. Discussion centers on research studies related to three questions: (1) What is the nature of the environment in science classrooms? (2) What inputs to the classroom influence the environment? and (3) What environmental characteristics are related to student…

In 1972, new goals in teacher education and certification, based on performance or competency-based teacher certification, required the redesigning of New York state certification programs. Modifications in 1943 and 1963 had already required a fifth year of graduate study and supervised student teaching, usually as a culminating experience, for…

This paper presents some findings of a detailed analysis of infants' approach behavior in a familiar, naturalistic setting. A total of 26, white, middle-class infant-mother pairs were observed in the home every three weeks during the first year of the child's life. Instances of infant approach to both mother and observer were coded from the…

This report presents an investigation of three hypotheses concerning facial expressions in young children: (1) children seem to emit the same number of changes in facial expressions when they are alone as when they are in contact with another person; (2) the number of facial expressions made when children are along, compared with when they are in…

In a 1973 Smithsonian behavioral science project, observational methods were used to record school group behaviors during docent guided tours in the National Museum of History and Technology. The purpose of this exploratory study was to reveal the natural museum habitat and criterion behaviors of visiting fourth through sixth graders. Children's…

Behavior settings as control systems of behavior were investigated in two first grade classes in the Tucson Early Education Program (TEEM) experimental school. The two classrooms which served as the experimental units were observed during two behavior settings, individual choice and large group. The observation consisted of recording every 10…

A study was made to determine the reliability of subjective adult judgement in the selection of films for primary educable mentally handicapped (EMH) children. A selection of five films, all prerated according to standardized techniques and designated appropriate for primary level students, were presented for viewing by a primary class of…

Two experiments tested the general question of whether a more "natural" artificial light (Vita-Lite) would have any different effects on classroom behavior and the ability to study than would a traditional (cool-white) light source. Fifty-nine undergraduates took part in the first experiment that utilized an 8-week counterbalanced design.…

During the spring of 1972 training workshops for 88 elementary and secondary teachers of the Great Neck Public Schools held to examine four hypotheses: 1) workshops in training teachers to observe classroom behavior would significantly increase these same teachers' positive classroom interactive behaviors consisting of teacher, pupil-pupil,…