To determine how television viewing affected the quality of recreational reading, logs were completed on the amount of time fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students spent on reading and on watching television. Results indicated that students who watched a lot of television and who did little reading tended to choose books of lower quality.…

Education courses can make a difference in classroom practices. Research indicates that the application of educational concepts has improved teaching in several areas: understanding child behavior, constructing and interpreting tests, monitoring and increasing academic learning time, and applying principles of child growth and development.…

Examines how English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students choose a prompt from several options on a timed-writing exam. Researchers interviewed 26 students after observing them taking a writing exam. Findings indicate that students' background knowledge, question type, and topic specificity influence their decision and that time is not an…

Investigated public librarians' interactions with patrons seeking geographic information with a sense-making (timeline) survey. Digital geographic data collection and information systems were utilized less in public libraries, and users had more complex needs than perceived. Explores implications for altering reference interviews and makes…

Describes a study of graduate students that investigated whether a lengthened HyperCard stack treatment could promote problem-solving ability and reduce computer anxiety. The study was based on previous research that compared BASIC programming with HyperCard. Highlights include authoring languages and the effect of different instructional formats…

Describes study that examined the effects of presentation sequence of examples and example difficulty on undergraduate learning with computer-based instruction. Establishing example difficulty according to a generalization formula versus subject matter experts is discussed, and effects on time on task and the number of examples required are…

Teachers can improve their teaching if their knowledge base about teaching increases. Eight research-based areas, relevant to effective teaching, are discussed: goals and objectives, planning, lesson presentation, student engagement, management, student activity, feedback, and teacher assessment. (IAH)

A new model is presented that explains reaction time fluctuations in prolonged work tasks. The model extends the so-called Poisson-Erlang model and accounts for long-term trend effects in the reaction time curve. The model is consistent with Spearman's hypothesis that inhibition increases during work and decreases during rest. (TJH)

Using 489 students and 132 teachers in six elementary schools, the current use of elementary school time was evaluated. Allocated time for academic learning, students' time-on-task, and teacher traits related to task time were measured. Significant differences based on sex and race, but not on grade level, were found. (TJH)

This study examined the nature of instruction provided in 40 self-contained special classes for students classified as learning disabled, emotionally handicapped, or educable mentally retarded. Few differences were identified in teacher communication patterns, learner involvement, and instructional methods for students with different categorical…

Describes a study that was conducted at Tilburg University (The Netherlands) to test the impact of system and domain knowledge on search behavior in an online catalog. Highlights include time spent on task; the number of search patterns performed; and search patterns used most frequently. (11 references) (LRW)

This study sought to identify the critical factors that differentiated 42 antisocial first grade boys from a comparison norm population. The multimethod approach found three areas of significance: (1) teachers' ratings on measures of aggression, (2) academic engaged time, and (3) negative interactions on the playground. (Author/DB)

This study examined effects of a student-operated business curriculum on the on-task behavior of three students with behavioral disorders in a self-contained middle school class. Results indicated relationships between the student-operated business curriculum and increased time on task in mathematics and improved grades. (Author/PB)

Discussion of how we perceive meaning from graphics highlights a computer simulation model, UCIE (Understanding Cognitive Information Engineering), that simulates graphical perception. An empirical study is described that compared actual performance to UCIE predictions related to the amount of time required to answer a question in various…

Two recent studies have concluded that integrated learning systems have enormous potential but are seldom fully implemented. ILSs can transform classrooms if accompanied by increased time-on-task, computerized learning resources, effective assessment and reporting, guaranteed individualized instruction, and facilitative teachers. Sound…