This document examines the differences of cognitive styles and how they pertain to student performance and effective teaching. Persons identified as "field-dependent" people are particularly attuned and differentially attend to the social dimensions of their environment. Due to this orientation, these persons appear to be more skillful at learning…

The Conceptions of Reading project is examining the role of teacher beliefs and predispositions within the classroom, a complex task that has required modification of both conceptualization and research methodology. This paper discusses the original goals of the project, changes that have resulted from the first year of pilot studies, and proposed…

The major findings of this study were as follows: (1) beginning teachers relied on experienced teachers to define for them appropriate standards for student achievement; (2) experienced teachers, in general, were hesitant about offering assistance to beginners for fear of appearing interfering; (3) beginning teachers asked for assistance only when…

This issue of Investigations in Science Education contains articles about attitude research in science education. It contains the critiques of nine articles about attitude research as well as three responses to critiques. One response relates to a critique published in an earlier issue while the other two responses are paired with the critiques…

A study was conducted to identify effective instructional strategies being used to teach reading at the secondary school level. In the first phase of the study, researchers observed 43 secondary school remedial reading classrooms to determine the relationships between teaching processes and students' gain in reading. In the second phase, the…

This observation manual is meant to be used by English as a second language teacher-trainees observing classroom teachers at a college or university and by the teachers being observed. In the introductory material some of the literature on teaching effectiveness and coding procedures is discussed. It is noted that most educators who have been…

A report is given of a comprehensive review of research on inservice education. The review process began with 6,000 abstracts and references. About 150 of the documents reported some quantitative findings. Fifty-nine studies met topic criteria and also had statistics which could be synthesized. These studies were sorted into four categories of…

A brief explanation of the factors associated with the "pygmalion effect" is presented and focuses on how teacher expectations of high or low student performance in a physical education class may influence the student's actual achievement. A model identifying four areas of teacher student interaction that differ with regard to high and…

The literature of teacher supervision assumes that supervision should focus on the teacher and teacher behavior within the classroom setting. The administrative model of supervision, however, focuses on pupils and pupil learning and takes the school system as its setting. It makes teachers and supervisors partners in deciding how well the…

The interaction of teacher, learner, content, and instruction is the process of teaching and learning, a single activity. The theoretical and the practical elements of this process are examined in the context of a model that explains the key elements of the process: identification, prescription, application and evaluation. These elements are…

Teaching styles can be considered from two approaches--the life style approach and the spectrum approach. The first is a relatively static approach borrowed from management research and organizational development. It identifies teaching styles based on Maslow's (1970) hierarchy of human needs. Teaching styles are seen as the interpersonal styles…

Focusing on managing reading instruction related to the range of differences in the classroom, this paper includes a historical review of managing instruction beginning with examples from the 1800s. It offers a selective review of the literature on managing reading instruction and explores the following: (1) studies of organizational plans such as…

A system of identifying teacher and student interactions as they relate to discipline problems was developed and validated as a method of resolving disruptive classroom behavior. SOBAD (Systematic Observation of Behavior with a Focus on Academic Disruptions) involves the use of trained observers who code and record student and teacher interactions…

The Classroom Organization Study, conducted in Austin, Texas, was designed to answer some very specific questions about establishing and maintaining classroom organization in low socioeconomic status elementary schools that results in greater student time on task, exposure to content, and achievement. The ultimate purpose of the study was to…