An example of a unit of study in social studies for the middle school using learning center experiences to enhance and enrich the learning process is provided. In the learning center approach to individualizing instruction, the teacher facilitates and guides, but the students are ultimately responsible for their own progress. This unit, intended…

Competence feedback has been found to increase intrinsic motivation, defined as those behaviors that are motivated by the underlying need for competence and self-determination. In a study investigating competency and intrinsic motivation, 120 high school males received three types of competence information: (1) expectancy (information that they…

A classroom organization plan known as the "open concept" that includes individualized instruction, small and large group instruction, and performance contracting enhances language arts skills.

Businesses use both classroom and facilitation forms of leadership development. In this article I describe over 20 leadership-development methods, placing them in either of two categories, classroom or facilitation. I then provide the results of a quick survey of leadership development companies on the Internet, over 200 in all, about which group…

The primary pedagogical principle of Reader's Theatre is that it "dramatizes" literature to provide both a visual and an oral stimulus for students who may be unaccustomed to using their imagination to experience literary works like novels, poems, essays, or short stories. Promoting a suggestive, "theatrical mind" approach to…

This paper presents a model of professional development using collaborative coaching and networking which has been used to improve online instructor effectiveness. Components of the model are presented in the context of a ten-year-old faculty development program at a private university in the Southeast. A collaborative coaching checklist is also…

The study examined performance of limited-English proficient Hispanic students on a battery of psychometric instruments designed to appropriately assess linguistic minority students. Subjects consisted of three groups: 44 nonhandicapped, 45 learning-disabled, and 39 mildly mentally retarded elementary-level students. Instruments included the…

This study was conducted to address the question of how teacher written comments affected students from elementary school to college and to see if there were any differences within and between these groups. Twelve students, five male and seven female, from elementary, high school, and college (including some education majors), were the subjects of…

An instrument was developed to identify the needs and concerns of graduate students enrolled in the College of Education of the University of Tennessee (Knoxville). The instrument was designed to measure students opinions, perceptions, and needs. Issues addressed were: perceived quality of instruction; perceived quality of the administration of…

The theme of the 1983 Australian and South Pacific External Studies Association concerned developing efficient teaching-learning systems and efficient management systems. Such an emphasis on efficiency was symptomatic in the United States' educational arena to a commitment to the practices of scientific management. The central role accorded to…

Factor analyses of student evaluations of teaching effectiveness were conducted for 24,158 courses at the University of Southern California and for each of 21 different subgroups derived from the total group. All classes evaluated by six or more students were included in the study. The subgroups were designed to differ in terms of instructor level…

This paper focuses on a critical analysis and reanalysis of two earlier multisection validity meta-analyses of student ratings of instruction. The reanalysis is based on a sharpening of criteria for: (1) including studies in the meta-analysis; (2) defining key study characteristics that influence results; and (3) calculating the correlational…

Study skills research has progressed within the past ten years from primary concern with overt and observable study behaviors to an examination of cognitive and motivational processes underlying student learning and achievement outcomes. However, there is still need for a more comprehensive approach which integrates the behavioral, cognitive and…

Characteristics that distinguished "best" and "worst" clinical teachers as perceived by baccalaureate nursing students and faculty were identified and comparisons were made of student and faculty perceptions. Twenty-eight clinical teachers and their 173 undergraduate students participated in the study, which was conducted at…

To gauge the impact of after-school student detention on punctual completion of homework, on detained student grades, and on student self-esteem, fourth- through sixth-grade students from a school with an after-school detention policy for late or incomplete assignments were studied. Interviews were conducted with the four fourth-, fifth-, and…