Explores the contribution of participant observation as a research method to the study of childhood. Discusses how participant observation permits a more comprehensive understanding of the process of friendship making than traditional sociometric techniques, and shows that, for the researcher, remembered experiences of participation and…

Demonstrates that when children select library books, there is a generalizable routine or pattern learned and followed by most children--refinements or elaborations on that routine, however, are best demonstrated by "outlier" behaviors atypical to the basic routine. Shows that children typically select books based upon the book's…

Barbados secondary school teachers (31 with bachelor's degrees in English or science, 38 who also had teacher training diplomas) were observed teaching. There were only small differences in instructional organization and development and subject-matter presentation between those who had been trained as teachers and those who had not, regardless of…

Examines whether observers perceptions differ if they were informed of the proximal instructional goals than if they were not informed. Classifies music education majors written statements (n=120) after viewing one of three randomly assigned stimulus tapes. Found non-informed subjects wrote more teacher-directed, inferential, and positive…

Recounts a teacher's initiation into the process of documentation over several weeks as she joined toddlers on a "fishing trip." Draws on Piagetian and Vygotskian theories to understand and enhance children's play. Discusses how documentation is used to communicate and converse with children and offers teachers opportunities to…

Explains that Girlfriend Theology is a method of religious education by which women who have found power, voice, and authority might nurture resilience in adolescent girls within faith communities. Relates one ninety-minute story session and addresses seven theoretical assertions that arose during four other Girlfriend Theology sessions. Includes…

This article shows how teachers can implement behavioral observation and assessment using a structured rubric narrative log format to understand a student's problem behaviors and find ways to encourage more positive behavior. Advantages of narrative observations for functional behavioral assessments are specified and include exploring one's own…

Discusses a case study that investigated situational mechanisms of peer group interaction in collaborative activity. Aims to highlight the processes and conditions for meaning-making and to characterize the relationships of social and cognitive processes in peer-mediated collaborative learning. Explains that twelve year olds (n=20) participated in…

A study of verbal interaction between mothers and children in 24 poor families in Santiago, Chile, focused on the number and type of conversations, the times they began, their length, the number of subjects discussed, and the mother's role in them. Results indicate that the quality of interaction between mothers and children in poor homes can be…

Reviews cooperative learning theory, listing areas of improvement for both disabled and regular students. Explains how cooperative learning can be used to help mainstream students into social studies classes and gives guidelines for implementation. Points out that success depends on teachers' planning, implementation, and correct evaluation. (GG)

Describes how two four-year-old boys, who stand out as leaders in their preschool classroom, interact with their peers and their teachers. (PCB)

Discusses the value of setting-specific research for action research in social psychology. Discusses the following concepts: (1) local variation; (2) seeing the general in the specific; (3) connectedness as the fundamental law of ecology; and (4) the value of field stations for community research. (JS)

Compares teachers' estimates of spontaneous language with direct observations of performance of developmentally delayed preschool children in classroom situations. Teachers tended to be more accurate in their estimation of children with higher spontaneous language frequencies and to underestimate the frequency of spontaneous language in other…

Twenty rehabilitation patients were assessed on their activities of daily living using the Barthel Index, and were also observed by two occupational therapists in a simulated home unit. Results indicated good inter-observer reliability, and good agreement between asking the patient and professional observation of the patient. (JDD)

The article describes the pilot testing of a direct observation procedure for observing social interactions of mentally retarded and non-retarded workers in supported work settings. The instrument was found to be capable of assessing such interactions and was readily utilized by practitioners. (DB)