Details the results of four tests comparing the French and English achievement of francophone, anglophone, and mixed subpopulations of fifth-grade students in Edmonton Catholic School System French immersion programs. Discusses the behavioral, cognitive, and academic correlates of language competence of the three subgroups. (SB)

Study data indicate that secondary school students lacking the presence of both parents exhibit higher risk health behaviors than do students with both parents. Variables such as smoking behavior, blood pressure levels, and weight gain and loss were studied. (CJ)

A longitudinal investigation is being conducted to examine commitment to science (attitudes) and science achievement among adolescents (N=4,500) in relation to individual/family/school influences. Addressed are the investigation's theoretical framework and major variables. Data analyses will serve to explain relationships among…

Degree of lesson complexity was examined and related to the type of approach used by eighth grade teachers. Results indicated that teachers adapt to the perceived complexity of class activities and to students' behavior cues, using direct instruction more frequently in mathematics and science than in the humanities and language arts. (Author/PP)

A study investigated the amount of academic learning time students at several Quebec elementary and secondary schools made use of during regular physical education classes. It further explored three major time-related variables: (1) specific content area; (2) learner time engaged with relevant material; and (3) student success rate. (Authors/PP)

A self-awareness checklist is provided for teachers to assess the safety of their classroom environment. Aspects of school safety included in the checklist are: student behavior policies, teacher responsibility, facilities and equipment maintenance, and planning for emergency procedures. (FG)

Investigated, with a sample of 49 regular class children, test-retest stability for domains and subdomains of the AAMD Adaptive Behavior Scale, Public School Version. Findings suggest that Part One scores are stable but Part Two domains may lack discriminative power and stability with regular class children. (Author)

Assessed the effects of changing the kindergarten school day. Studied two school systems, with the experimental groups attending a full-day, every-other-day program. Found no significant differences on measures of school achievement and behavior. Parental dissatisfaction appeared to increase in the experimental program. (Author)

Use of the Teaching Strategies Observation Differential (TSOD), a 10-category system for observing and classifying teacher classroom behavior, is discussed as it relates to training preservice elementary school science teachers. Contends that skill in the use of TSOD helps preservice teachers become more effective in bringing about desired pupil…

Observations indicated that, in contrast to children attending preschool half-days, preschool children attending full-days spent significantly more time on tasks directed and guided by teachers, interacted more positively with peers, and engaged in more physical activity. Teachers rated full-time students, especially boys, as more aggressive and…

Presents journal entries concerning the methods, classroom illustrations, conversations, and results of teaching fiction writing to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students at a New York City junior high school. (RL)

Classroom behavior was observed over a six-month period in 68 junior high school classes to determine (a) the temporal stability of the behavioral indexes and (b) reliable trends over the school year. A certain deterioration occurs in late spring and observations obtained in midyear are less likely to be distorted. (Author/GK)

The author describes how, since the youth disruptions of the "Gang of Four" era, the Chinese Communist Central Committee has more closely monitored moral behavior, promulgating a code of conduct for elementary and secondary students. The objectives of Chinese ideological and moral education and selected instructional procedures are…

A 27-item measure assessed college peer environments in terms of friends' interests as perceived by individual students. Four dimensions of interests were identified in cluster analyses: collegiate activities, intellectual pursuits, apathy or alienation, and traditional adult orientation. These dimensions were related to social, psychological, and…

An inventory of public school teachers revealed a consensus of what they considered the primary sources of stress. As a result of the survey, a cooperative program of stress reduction was organized focusing on stress-producing problems and developing strategies to overcome them. (JD)