Elementary, secondary, and adult students taking private piano lessons were on task for at least 85 percent of the lesson time. Teachers gave frequent reinforcement for academic behavior. While approval/disapproval ratios were not as high as the recommended 80 percent approvals, no evidence of effects on student attentiveness was apparent. (RM)

This study examined microcomputer use by individual students and groups of two, three, and five seventh- and eighth-grade students to discover any relationship existing between group size and achievement of a correct problem solution, and whether there is a relationship between group size and time to solution. (MBR)

The effects of age; disability (educable mentally impaired, emotionally impaired, and learning disabled); and time interval on the percentage of time spent in the regular classroom were studied over a three-year period. Reading, spelling, and mathematics achievement were also examined. (Author/GDC)

Description of 17 experiments on effects of headings in written text focuses on heading position and form and nature of task (free recall, searching unfamiliar text, and retrieval from familiar text). Results indicate heading position had no effect but both heading forms aided recall, search, and text information retrieval. (MBR)

The reports of four recent reform proposals for American education were analyzed: "A Nation at Risk,""Action for Excellence,""Academic Preparation for College," and "Making the Grade." The authors concluded that the commissions used weak arguments and poor data. Recommendations were made to remedy current…

Provides background and reviews research for "time-on-task" oriented approaches to instructional effectiveness. Following an examination of four possible approaches to increasing a student's active learning time, the author cautions that the relationship of time to learning is a complex one involving a number of variables. (JBM)

The causal effects of time spent in learning (TSL) and time needed for learning (TTL) on the reading and spelling achievement of 171 fourth and fifth grade students were investigated. TTL contributed significantly to achievement, and its direct effect was greater than TSL. Results also support a Carroll's learning model. (Author/BS)

A review of factors diminishing instructional time concludes with the estimate that less than 30 percent of the average school day is devoted to instruction. Rather than extending the school day or year, more efficient time management and reevaluation of the urgency of noninstructional activities are recommended. (MJL)

This brief report contains basic data on the management of pupils' school time in European primary and secondary education. A wide range of aspects are covered, including the duration of compulsory education, the organization of the school year, the distribution of holidays, and daily and weekly timetables. A description is given of each of these,…

This paper examines the implementation of an alternate block (A/B) schedule in three high schools in Irving, Texas. The purpose is to review how time was used in 48 randomly selected high school Algebra 1, Biology 1, English 2, and U.S. History classes. Of the 48 classes, 12 observations were conducted for each course. The findings revealed a…

Eighty-eight seventh grade students were randomly assigned to mastery or nonmastery approaches to learning four hierarchical chapters about sailing. The price of increased achievement benefits of group-based mastery learning seems to be increased time costs of (1) extra remedial time and (2) "wasted time" of faster learners. (Author/PN)

This study examined curriculum materials used by 11-year-olds in schools in six states and categorized the materials according to the Annehurst Curriculum Classification System. Most materials were in the language arts and mathematics fields and were classified as low in the human dimension categories measured by the Annehurst System. (Authors/PP)

Results of modifying mastery learning strategy to two diagnostic cycles with high school chemistry students (N=156) indicated that achievement of mastery learning students was significantly greater than that on nonmastery learning students. Attitudes toward science/science instruction were not significantly different but were positive in both…

Presents the 1979 evaluation of the Peel County (Ontario) late immersion French program, in the context of some current issues in second language education in Canada. These include the comparative effectiveness of early and late immersion, the importance of intense exposure, and total accumulated hours of instruction. (Author/AMH)

Investigated relationships between physics achievement and language of instruction where instruction was in the second language of both students and teachers. Grade 10 subjects (N=176) studied light/sound in either Chinese (N=90) or English (N=86). No differences in achievement, students' motivation, and time spent in physics were found.…