Frequency of on-task behavior during cooperative leisure activities was increased under two treatment conditions for two adolescents who functioned in the severe range of mental retardation. Results indicated that restructuring environmental conditions (i.e., pairing students together) can facilitate the on-task behavior of adolescents with severe…

A study of ontask behavior in classrooms in an elementary school system is presented. Findings show that detailed classroom studies help determine instructional needs. (MD)

This study follows from the premise that there is a positive and substantial correlation between achievement and instructional time. Specifically, the author describes multivariate relationships existing between proportions of time spent on instruction and behavior in the classroom, and six potentially important contextual variable subsets. For a…

To assess the effects of enthusiasm training for teachers on students' academic performance, teachers were randomly assigned to training and no-training conditions. All teachers taught the same curriculum unit following training. Students of trained teachers did not achieve more than other students but were observed to be more often on-task.…

Reviews the findings of studies conducted on students' time on task in school, noting especially the factors influencing students' total time in school and their time engaged in learning. Draws implications for schools' use of instructional time. (JW)

Traces the origin of the Carnegie Unit (that measures seat time in the classroom) and its application to educational equivalency, suggests that technology has changed equivalency, proposes Capabilities-Based Educational Equivalency Units as an alternative, and illustrates its use in a graduate program at a university that offers distance education…

This study examined compliance parameters for 18 children (ages 2-10) who had been referred to a clinic for behavior problems and for 35 non-referred children. Although there were significant differences for percentage compliance, there were no significant differences between the referred and nonreferred in terms of initiation or completion…

Investigates how much time primary schools spend on science, what should count as science, and what the different ways are that science appears in the curriculum. Uses findings from a survey conducted with schools in the Victorian Science in Schools (SIS) research project as well as case studies. (KHR)

The authors report on a study of 120 secondary schools and 893 related classrooms that compared instructional approaches used in vocational and nonvocational classes. Results suggest that vocational classes offer alternative approaches to instruction that differ from those employed in academic settings. (Author/CH)

Using 17 female and 33 male Yale undergraduates, the relationship between the ability to cope with relative novelty and intelligence was assessed. Results of subjects' performance of novel and non-novel versions of a sentence-verification task indicated that the relationship was positive. (TJH)

One primary class moved from seating in rows to groups to rows, the other from groups to rows to groups. In both, on-task behavior was higher in rows. In a second study using rows for individual work, time on task increased substantially and, for a target group of three disruptive pupils, it increased dramatically. (SK)

This study found that use of music as a reinforcer was highly effective in increasing productive and decreasing nonproductive behavior of 6 competitive swimmers (ages 12-16) during the dry-land portion of a practice session. Subjects rated the musical reinforcement favorably and elected to have the procedure continued. (Author/DB)

Entertainment is a valid instructional strategy to which students respond. Both traditional and high-tech methods of task engagement can motivate students without sacrificing rigor. Interesting topics can be taught by interesting instructors in interesting ways. (SK)

Two experiments analyzed the single-alternative form of the matching law as a description of student behavior. Four students (ages 8-10) exhibiting off-task behavior were exposed to variable-interval schedules of social reinforcement contingent on academic engagement. Results provided evidence that subject behavior was under control of the…

In most cases, suspension represents playtime. In a Louisiana middle school, suspended students are given one of many books (related to their offenses) to read. If students fail a comprehension test, they must read the book during in-house detention. Suspension becomes both punitive and productive, since the books and accompanying exercises are…