This study examined the effects of increasing task difficulty when inadequately challenging tasks are assigned. Jason, a 10-year-old, typically developing Caucasian boy, attended a fourth-grade general education classroom at a public elementary school. During independent academic assignments in math and reading, Jason often talked with other…

Educational theorists and researchers have long considered time a key component of individual learning. Caroll, in his classic model of school-based learning, conceptualized achievement as an outcome of two time variables: first, the amount of time a learner is engaged in learning; and second, an individual's learning rate. Caroll's ideas…

Five elements in a lesson will motivate students to become and remain engaged in learning: (1) teachers must ensure that students see some value in the content of the lesson; (2) students must believe that they have the potential to be successful in the activity; (3) teachers must communicate to their students that they care about them as…

Written dialogue journals are intended to improve writing and encourage positive social skills by promoting individualized written discussions between a teacher and students' emotional and behavioral needs. This study investigated expressive writing using dialogue journals with five elementary students with emotional and behavioral disturbance…

The present study examined children's cognitive engagement with television as a function of the continuity of central or incidental content and whether this varied with age and clinical status. In Experiment 1, 9- to 11-year-old children's response times on a secondary task were slower the later a probe occurred in a sequence of central events,…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

Primary school languages education continues to be a challenging issue for all states in Australia. In Victoria, LOTE study is provided at the primary level to address the needs of linguistically diverse communities, as well as to provide an enriching learning experience for monolingual speakers of English. The challenge remains to ensure that…

The Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) field continues to experience increased valuing of experiential practitioner knowledge. A welcome result of this evolution has been the broadening of research perspectives. The 16 practitioner narratives in "Insights on Teaching Speaking in TESOL" are written by…

This study examines the effects of using response cost in combination with positive reinforcement procedures in helping two second grade students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder maintain their attention in the classroom. This involved the loss of reinforcers/points contingent upon inappropriate behavior in the classroom, in addition…

Studies comparing computer-assisted instruction with traditional print were reviewed in order to determine what researchers have discovered about using computers in reading. The research findings were then compared and integrated through using the following five categories: interaction, attitude, instructional control, time on task, and…

In response to legislative mandate intended to curb a national trend toward students taking longer than the traditional two- and four-year time frame to complete educational degrees, the Minnesota State Board for Community Colleges conducted a study of factors in this trend; options for encouraging students to carry full credit loads; and…

This policy brief was written to provide the North Carolina State Board of Education with a summary of research on enhancing effective instructional time. The impetus for extending school time appears to stem from two primary sources: international comparisons, and research on the relationship between time and learning. Research findings indicate…

A description is given of the Classroom Organization and Management Program, designed to help teachers in grades 1-9 and staff developers improve their overall instructional and behavioral management skills through planning, implementing, and maintaining effective classroom practices. It also seeks to improve student task engagement and reduction…

This literature review briefly lists the findings of studies on effective schools. The findings are organized under the following categories (which correspond to the Indicator of Quality Schools Assessment instrument categories): curricular congruence, assessment, leadership of the principal, high expectations, school wide norms, school climate,…

The study examined how adding students with learning disabilities (LD) to regular education classrooms changed the behavior of nonhandicapped students and their teachers. Initial observations were of mainstream classes containing no learning-disabled students. Observations were again conducted after LD students had been mainstreamed for 8 months.…