The 99 observation systems described in this anthology describe measurable categories of behavior, rather than global concepts. These systems function as a meta-language--a language for describing communication. Each represents one or more of seven major categories: affective, cognitive, nonverbal, activity, content, sociological structure, and…

The rationale of the Observation Schedule and Record (OScAR) is described, and research is reported to show the extent to which the form fulfills its purposes. In order to provide objective, reliable, and valid information about the teaching process, this classroom observation schedule is used to record the frequency of occurrence of 42 teacher…

This project investigated patterns of parental authority among Berkeley preschool children and the processes by which these parents contributed to the development of children's social responsibility and individuality. Subjects were 140 families from city-sponsored, private cooperative, and university-operated nursery schools. Eight constructs were…

To explore why teachers rejected videotaping as an observation and coaching method, researchers interviewed 29 teachers enrolled in teacher supervision classes to determine the human and the technical issues involved. About one-quarter of the problems were technical malfunctions and limitations, and the rest resulted from human responses to…

Although one-to-one tutoring has often been regarded as the most effective method of teaching, surprisingly little is understood about tutoring expertise. This paper describes initial attempts to study one-to-one tutoring. The goal of the research was to construct a detailed cognitive model of the reasoning and knowledge of an expert human tutor.…

D. B. Rubin's model for causal inference in experiments and observational studies is enlarged to analyze the problem of "causes causing causes" and is compared to path analysis and recursive structural equations models. A special quasiexperimental design, the encouragement design, is used to give concreteness to the discussion by…

This research employs a mixed theoretical perspective drawing on elements from interactionism and social constructivism. In this study, a discourse analysis is performed on conversations among intra- and inter-institutional mathematics and science teaching faculty participating in reforming content classes for teacher candidates in the Maryland…

A year-and-a-half of ethnographic fieldwork in a primarily African-American neighborhood suggests that praxis and ethnographic methods can be stirred together to produce empowering literacy artifacts and discourse in the community. Originally a Marxist notion, praxis requires researchers to understand how people characterize their own situations…

Two education professors conducting research on the curriculum planning at a high school near Boise (Idaho) found that their status as observer and/or participant in discussions among teachers, administrators and parents made things more difficult. Usually in ethnography it is assumed that the hard part is to achieve insider status--to be accepted…

A composition scholar conducted a study of peer response groups in a freshmen composition course to determine what leads to conflict among students in these groups. In the course of her study, however, she found herself deeply perplexed by conflicting roles she had to play as a participant/observer. The ethnographer as a participant/observer is,…

The Comer School Development Program is a reform model aimed at creating a positive school climate. Research has confirmed that specific Comer characteristics, such as an orderly, well-maintained facility, classroom diversity, and staff friendliness, can be observed. This study uses the Comer Visitor Observation instrument to determine whether…

The affective relationship between six male and one female preschool-aged autistic children and their parents was studied by employing a method enabling systematic analysis of parent/child interaction. Children ranged in age from 3 years, 7 months to 6 years, 4 months. Through use of the Bank Interaction Coding System (BICS), behaviorial sequences…

To determine how parent behaviors affect children's anxiety and coping responses, and to assess how children's behaviors affect parental functioning in stressful medical settings, 50 children between 4 and 10 years of age, who were seen as outpatients in the Pediatric Clinics at Shands Teaching Hospital at the Unviersity of Florida, were…

A step-by-step primer is presented that introduces the reader to ethnography and its practical applications, then guides the reader through each stage of the ethnographic inquiry process (initial steps, observation, interviews, data analysis, leaving the site, and reporting the findings). The concrete guidelines and suggestions help the reader…

The Canadian College of Family Physicians has conducted certification examinations in which instructors observed physicians interviewing patients in another room equipped with one-way mirrors. An experimental study comparing evaluations of physicians by this method with those in which examiners sat in the same room revealed no differences between…