Because certain teacher behaviors which maximize student engagement in learning have been found to increase student achievement, the sources of those behaviors provide an important focus for research on teaching. The finding that teachers treat children of different gender, race/ethnicity, or ability in ways that may have deleterious consequences…

A number decomposition game (DECO) was investigated in two versions of the game using the same arithmetic operations but differing in their structure of interdependence. The structure of interdependence is defined as the relationship of competition or cooperation between players and the criteria for successful attainment of game goals as defined…

This paper set describes the implementation and evaluation efforts associated with the Richardson Independent School District's elementary science program which has been recognized as a Texas state exemplar in the National Association for Research in Science Teaching's (NSTA) 1985 Search for Excellence. Part I of the paper set outlines the network…

Although the divorce rate in Canada is growing, little Canadian research has studied the effects of family separation on children. To examine the effects of family separation on children in school-related areas, data were collected on 1241 students in kindergarten through seventh grade. Teachers completed an 11-item questionnaire for each student…

Over a decade of research findings representing the work of more than 100 scholars are contained in the growing body of knowledge about effective schools. This report summarizes the results of studies that focus specifically on the characteristics of effective principals, classrooms, and teachers. The report also offers notes of caution to users…

To establish effective school discipline policies, educators need to understand (1) the nature of and reasons for misbehavior, (2) social and legal attitudes toward the school's disciplinary function, (3) acceptable responses to disciplinary problems, and (4) what effective policies cover. This booklet's first chapter considers the need for…

This longitudinal study tested the hypothesis that maternal characteristics and maternal behavior with a child during infancy predicts the child's grade retention during the early elementary school years. In addition, teachers' ratings of the behaviors of children who are promoted or retained were analyzed to determine whether differences exist in…

A study was conducted to determine the effects of student locus of control on perceptions of and resistance to teacher influence attempts. Subjects, 302 college students, were provided with 22 sets of Behavior Alteration Messages and were instructed to rate on a 1-5 scale "how frequently your teacher uses statements of each type to get you to…

The study evaluated the reliability and validity of SCAN, a measurement technique for assessing class involvement in the learning process (classroom climate for learning). Concurrent validity was investigated by comparing SCAN ratings to a point-sampling of on-task performance behaviors. The Engaged Time Observation Instrument (ETOI) was used to…

Silent students are often actively involved in classroom learning despite appearances to the contrary, and teachers can use special instructional strategies to guide them to overt participation. Students with "communication apprehension" are often assumed to have low intelligence, but they may suffer instead from shyness, various…

A survey of public high school principals asked which policies, programs, and practices designed to improve learning were currently in operation at their schools, and whether these policies were instituted or substantially strengthened in the past 5 years. These policies reflect the school-level recommendations for education reform made in "A…

Interactions between teachers and multiply disabled students were videotaped, and procedures were developed to analyze the interactions, in order to assist the teachers in evaluating the relationship between their own and their student's communicative behavior. Coding categories were prepared to identify characteristics of the student's…

According to a recent model of alcohol use (Hull, 1981), individuals moderate their sensitivity to the implications of success and failure by drinking following personal failure to reduce self-consciousness and not drinking following success to remain self-conscious. To test the hypothesis that adolescent alcohol consumption would be a joint…

Focusing on the improvement of discipline skills and management strategies for classroom teachers, four major intervention and management techniques used in classroom discipline are reviewed: (1) Teacher Effectiveness Training, a course focusing on teacher-student relationships within the framework of effective human relations and recognition of…

The Beltman multi-media traffic safety program was evaluated as an instructional tool in grades K-3. The foremost objective of the Beltman program is to develop the habit of wearing seat belts and to develop positive safety attitudes. Three study groups made up of 550 second grade students were divided into one control and two experimental groups.…