This study observed the spatial distribution of activity in a second-third grade informal classroom and tested the general hypothesis that changes in the physical setting could produce changes in students' behavior. The experimenter observed for two weeks, using a time-sampling-by-child instrument. The activities and locations of the subjects were…

There are many barriers that present real problems in the process of documenting the development of a course, but if the system is kept simple and straightforward, documentation should give the professional information which will result in a better course. Documentation techniques used during the development of a course on the cultural history of…

An investigation to compare systematic behavioral observations made live with those made on television was conducted. The study was designed to answer three questions: (1) Is there a difference in the agreement between observers (Os) when both view an event Live and when both view the same event on Television? (2) Is there a difference in…

In recent years there has been an increasing demand for accountability and evaluation of teachers. One nonthreatening method that might be used by teachers to evaluate and improve their classroom performance is self-appraisal. The experiment in this document uses the Teacher Self Appraisal (TSA) observation system which divides the teaching act…

This group of papers was presented as part of a symposium entitled "Classroom Observation of Students and Teachers (COST): A Multiple Payoff Approach to Inservice Training." The first paper, "Films for Inservice Teacher Training: A Miniworkshop," outlines the rationale and development of the film series of which the film, Consequences of Behavior,…

Presented is a 60-item rating scale for measuring teacher and pupil performance on the Social Learning Curriculum (a program designed to improve culturally disadvantaged and developmentally disabled primary students' critical thinking and independent action). Scale items are explained to be observable classroom behaviors whose frequency and…

The increased emphasis on having individual developmental disabilities diagnosed by interdisciplinary teams of professionals has raised complex problems involving time and expense in evaluating a child in his home situation. The John F. Kennedy Child Development Center has a plan to avoid moving professionals to observe a child or to having a…

The research methodology of this study is at least as important as the actual findings. For certain types of information seeking, directed conversations, or interviews, seem most desirable. Yet, although such conversations are easy to carry on with teachers, they are difficult to manage with 6-year-old children, especially when the interviewer is…

This paper reports the development of a classroom observation instrument designed to broaden and extend the power of existing tools to provide a balanced, reciprocal perspective of both verbal and nonverbal communication. An introductory section discusses developments in communication analysis. The Miniaturized Total Interaction Analysis System…

A category system was developed to describe verbal and non-verbal classroom behavior of junior high school science students. The category system contained two major sections: communicative (symbolic) behavior and non-communicative (non-symbolic) behavior. The instrument was used in conjunction with a teacher behavior category system (developed in…

A category system was developed for describing the classroom behavior of earth science teachers. Video tape recordings were made of a random sample of 16 junior high school science teachers in Franklin County, Ohio. Classification of behaviors resulted in four major dimensions: Content Development, Management, Facilitating, and Classroom Climate.…

Far too many teacher training programs fail to prepare teachers properly to translate theory and beliefs concerning teaching effectiveness into practice at the classroom level. To improve this situation, professors of education need to be innovative and to take purposeful steps to develop new programs with fresh approaches that will succeed in…

A study was made of the Institute of Lifetime Learning in Washington, D.C.; data were gathered by observation over an 11-month period and through interviews with 19 instructors. An analysis of the findings indicate the following: (1) The institute's philosophy is the provision of non-threatening education for older or retired adults; (2)…

With reference to the need for delineation of parameters operative in children's play, the position preferences of four groups of nursery school subjects were studied in a laboratory playroom. A large and small trestle were interchanged between center and corner positions in a series of play sessions. The frequency with which the subjects used…

This paper describes the development of a research instrument designed to reveal student assessment of teacher behavior and to determine whether this can be correlated to student gain, as evidenced by pre- and posttest scores in the BSCS Third Quarterly Chievement Test. The experiment was carried out with ninth and tenth grade public school…