This study of two preschoolers having difficulty with on-task behavior during independent tasks found that the children could respond to self-monitoring training and that on-task behavior increased when they used the strategy. (Author/DB)

Describes study that examined how Australian distance education students use and learn from textual materials. Text processing strategies and rates of progress are examined; textual features including study guides, table of contents, cross-referencing, and visual aids are considered; and recommendations for improving learning from textual…

Reports on the productivity of different modes of classroom talk: whole class, pair work, and individual. Pair work was shown to provide the most optimum conditions for participant effort and productivity of ideas; however, each type of talk offers distinct benefits to teachers and students. Contains 25 references. (Author/WRM)

Recommends strategies to engage students in science tasks including match games, scavenger hunts, and science songs. Uses an interdisciplinary approach in the science activities. (YDS)

Examines the relationships among possible selves, academic performance, motivation, self-esteem, and persistence on task by analyzing the questionnaires of 289 high school students. Reveals that the students who referred to positive selves outperformed the other groups in academic achievement as measured by grade point average and showed more…

This study investigated student academic responding time as a function of time of day for 122 students (grades 2-4) with and without disabilities in 10 urban and suburban schools. Student academic responding time was higher when an academic activity was occurring, an active task was underway, and an individual rather than a group structure was…

A study evaluated the use of a situational assessment for identifying work task preferences among three individuals with multiple severe disabilities. The assessment involved systematically observing indices of happiness and unhappiness while participants worked on different tasks. Work engagement was most frequent when workers worked on their…

This comparative analysis examined effects of direct instruction, cooperative learning, and independent learning instructional practices on the classroom behavior of four third graders with behavior disorders. In the direct instruction condition, students displayed higher rates of on-task behavior and lower rates of disruptive behavior relative to…

Evaluates adapted classroom arrangements, assesses the additional impact of a form of structured peer interaction between a subset of emergent writers and older children with writing delay, while controlling for time on task. Indicates significant improvement for all emergent writers and increased gains for those also experiencing the structured…

Reviews research that finds teachers assigned to smaller classes do not significantly alter the instructional methods they used in larger classes. (PKP)

Describes how Warner Middle School in Westminster, California, went from an underperforming school to a California Distinguished School and winner of a Title One Achieving School Award in 3 years. (PKP)

Many struggling learners resist academics, thinking that they lack the ability to succeed, even if they expend great effort. In other words, these struggling learners have low rather than high self-efficacy for academics. It is widely believed that without sufficiently high self-efficacy, or the belief that they can succeed on specific academic…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate intervention procedures to teach conditional use of a communicative request for assistance and independent task performance. A 40-year-old man with autism and severe mental retardation with a history of escape-related problems was taught to use a graphic symbol to request assistance and to engage…

The authors extend the standard education production function and student time allocation analysis to focus on the interactions between student effort and performance over the semester. The purged instrumental variable technique is used to obtain consistent estimators of the structural parameters of the model using data from intermediate…

The effects of praise on student on-task behaviour, academic self-concept and numeracy enjoyment were investigated. Four year four classes and their teachers participated. Two teachers were instructed to use specific praise and two to use positive praise. Classes were independently observed on four occasions, twice before and twice after the…