It has been noted that students have an influential role in determining the nature of classroom events in the middle grades and that their teachers adjust their classroom behavior in response to the characteristics of students in the class. This paper analyzes instruction as discourse between teacher and students and the collaborative nature of…

The three reports in this collection are based on research reviews and original research from both published and unpublished sources, covering the years 1986 through 1990, and they reflect the broad array of factors that determine the effectiveness of technology-based instruction. The first report discusses research studying the effects of…

This narrative recommends a communication design for educators to use during a variety of interactions. The strategy consists of nine components: (1) greeting/introduction (the speaker's introductory remarks should establish physical comfort, a pleasant feeling, and a professional tone); (2) anticipatory set (establishing a mind set for content to…

A study of the behavior of children working on mathematics drill and practice on one of four Israeli computer-assisted instruction (CAI) systems--Mashov, Semel, Tapuach 1 and 3, or Toam 2--was carried out via observations in a sample of 21 computer rooms throughout Israel, and in a computer room operated by research staff. These observations…

This review of the research literature on the interaction between humans and computers discusses how man machine systems can be utilized effectively in the learning-teaching process, especially in secondary education. Beginning with a definition of man machine systems and comments on the poor quality of much of the computer-based learning material…

This study compared the effects of interactive video instruction on learner performance and attitude with the effects of conventional computer assisted instruction (CAI) and stand-alone video. Based on pretest scores, 134 junior high industrial arts students designated as relatively high or low in prior achievement were randomly assigned to one of…

This review summarizes and synthesizes the research literature on teachers' thought processes from about 1970 to 1983. The literature is organized under four major headings: teacher planning, teachers' interactive thoughts and decisions, teachers' attributions, and teachers' implicit theories. The paper also includes a theoretical model of the…

To accomplish successful communicative foreign language teaching, a teacher needs more than a sound command of the language and thorough training in communicative methodology. He or she also needs training in self-presentation, exposure to situations in which the importance of non-verbal behavior is made clear, and discussion of the fundamental…

A number of researchers, as well as practicing teachers and administrators, have reached similar conclusions about what makes a school effective: (1) the behavior of teachers, administrators, and students; (2) the quality, as well as the quantity of effort, materials, and time; and (3) the curriculum--both what is taught and how it is taught. The…

This study compared the achievement of low and high ability eighth grade students working cooperatively during computer-based instruction. Students were grouped either homogeneously or heterogeneously on ability, and received identical instruction on a fictitious rule-based arithmetic number system. No significant differences in achievement were…

Using recent theory and research on individual differences, learning, and instruction, this paper attempts to answer the following two questions: What criteria should be used to select students to receive services under Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (1981) and what kinds of chapter 1 services should be provided to…

The paper looks at rules for discourse in the classroom and how they may complement or conflict with each other in facilitating the learning of language disordered children in the classroom or therapy session. Six critical skills are identified which children need for a good teaching-learning interaction. They are: attention, turn taking,…

A comparative analysis is presented of adolescent participation in three-person family problem-solving groups, involving five families with an adolescent diabetic and three families with an adolescent with no diagnosed illness. Observation and interaction analysis of family problem-solving in a laboratory setting were used, as families were asked…

This paper examines aspects related to the validity of process-product research involving classroom observation and teacher effectiveness. Differences in categories, terminology, and definitions of five classroom observation instruments are delineated and discussed in relation to their various effects on the validity of process-product research…

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the item characteristics of the General Educational Development Tests (GED) for specific subgroups of students. The method employed was the approach suggested by Linn and Harnisch in which the three-parameter logistic model is used for detecting interactions between item content and group…