Two groups of junior high teachers were identified as being more or less effective in their classroom management practices. Observational data collected from these teachers in the first three weeks of the year indicate that the beginning of the year is a crucial time for establishing effective classroom management. (Author/BW)

In Australia, outside inspectors no longer assess teachers for promotion and advancement, but public concern has stirred interest in new forms of teacher evaluation. More teachers now accept the desirability of being observed by fellow teachers. (Author/JM)

Observational data were collected on 10 industrial education student teachers in laboratory settings. Successful classroom management practices were judged as those in which a maximum amount of time is spent with students actively working on the tasks set by teacher. (SK)

The shortcomings of the three main approaches to measuring teacher effectiveness (systematic observation, participant observation, and questionnaires) are discussed and problems of research design and analysis considered. The development of better measures of educational benefits to complement the emphasis on test scores is suggested. (Author/SK)

This report is based upon three weeks of intensive observations of Polish classrooms from primary to university mathematics. A high level of mathematics content compared to North American schools, a high level of teacher dominance, and the use of specialists in grades 5-12 were among the points noted. (MP)

Investigated through direct observation in the home whether mothers socialize differently boys and girls growing up as opposite-sexed twins, triplets, and quadruplets as a function of their different genders. Children and mothers were rated on behaviors about which contradictory evidence had been reported in the literature. (Author/DB)

Observation data from 46 classrooms demonstrated the importance of context in understanding teacher behavior. Student-teacher interactions for explaining and giving directions occurred a statistically different number of times in self-paced and other-paced (group or interactive) settings. (Author/GDC)

Reviews the results of a study which examined verbal classroom interaction between White teachers and their Black and White students. Suggests that, although on most measures teachers did not differentiate their behavior between Blacks and Whites, differences which did occur indicate that White teachers have significantly lower expectations of…

Focusing on the question, "Can chimpanzees produce new sentences or merely sequences?" Terrace describes his efforts to teach the chimpanzee Nim to communicate through sign language. From his results, and the Gardners' experiments with Washoe, he concludes that no proof yet exists that chimpanzees can use language as humans do. (SJL)

Two basic ethical questions--informed-consent and the risk-benefit equation--are examined as they apply to the data collection, analysis, and publication strategies of qualitative family research. Suggests the distinctive features of family life warrant a special discussion of the ethical dilemmas inherent in the qualitative study of families.…

A national study was designed to examine open-space education in Great Britain. The study's purpose was to provide an accurate, comprehensive description of the teaching-learning processes within such schools and their administrative and architectural services in order that policy implications could be delineated. (Author/DB)

A number of classroom environmental experiences are presented: indoor and outdoor listening, observation, classification, vocabulary, and role playing. The experiences are outside the realm of science and are adaptable to various grade levels. (Author/SJL)

The thought processes involved in students' answers to different kinds of teachers' questions were investigated using data obtained from a previous study. It was found that the chances are about even that there will be a correspondence between the cognitive level of the question and of the response. (Author/GDC)

Explanations are offered for observed discrepant and null findings in the area of predictive information about teacher effectiveness. It is argued that if tautologies are to be avoided, only product variables are appropriate criteria of success. Some recommendations regarding future research are offered. (Author/GSK)