This report describes initial steps taken in a research project aimed at gaining insight into the nature of effective foreign language teaching. Two systems for observing and describing classroom behavior of teachers and students were developed in this experiment. These systems were used to observe university-level French classes. Data collected…

This study investigated the relationship between teacher behavior and pupil reflective dialogue in the classroom assuming that social problems provide a natural springboard for inquiry through classroom discussion. It was hypothesized that different teacher strategies promote different types of class interaction. Discussion styles were to be…

Because of their enormous memory banks, computers can be of great help in planning curriculum and instruction. After a teacher has determined the subject and objectives of a course unit, computers can retrieve a list of resources appropriate to the particular subject matter and to the students (e.g., materials, activities, teaching procedures, and…

The feasiblity of an observational rating scale which would provide objective, reliable and quantifiable measures of social and affective behavior was investigated. The Observation of Socialization Behavior (OSB), focusing on peer-group behavior of pre-school children and designed for use in unstructured situations was developed. Two forms of the…

Project Search for Preventive Approaches hypothesized that the development of cognitive competence in adults and in youngsters, using non-curriculum-oriented materials, and deriving pleasure from an intellectual experience, could be posited as a necessary prerequisite for preventing or curbing maladaptive behavior in the ghetto child, and…

Communication between students and teachers is a basic requirement for learning to take place in a classroom. Like words and phrases, behaviors carry specific meanings which may vary across cultures. When teachers are not aware of cultural differences, when they assume that a behavior has a particular meaning while students assume it has another,…

This study, one of a series investigating dyadic infracommunication in natural, academic, and laboratory settings, utilizes a simple observation technique such as that employed by anthropologists living among members of a society or subcultural group, observing and recording their behavior patterns, including their communication modes. Subjects…

This paper discusses the use of process-oriented research in early childhood programs. Process analysis is contrasted with outcome-oriented evaluation, the latter seen as prevalent in current research practice. Four functions of process analysis are: to describe current teaching practices, to train teachers, to monitor instructional programs, and…

This study presents evidence that differences in mathematical career outcomes of males and females are the result of early socialization in the family. One reason fewer females than males elect to take high school mathematics courses is that during middle school years females perceive low parental evaluations of their mathematical aptitude and…

Although it deals with both years of the program, this report is primarily concerned with the second year of Project ORDER. The program's objectives were to improve the general school atmosphere, including teacher, student, and parent attitudes toward the school; to show continued significant improvement in pupil behavior; and to substantially…

The study of teacher effectiveness is confronted by a number of problems that are generally associated with the conduct of behavioral research. It is possible in some instances to resolve or circumvent some of the current methodological stumbling blocks that tend to reduce the credibility of research findings. This paper discusses three…

This study demonstrated that, although standard instructional design revisions of a traditional textbook chapter had no effect on teacher attitudes toward adoption of the material, the revised version of the chapter significantly improved student performance. Teacher and student participants in the study were from the St. Petersburg…

The Citadel, a state institution, has attempted to push for a broad-based education in languages, history, and literature while maintaining its 145-year-old tradition of military discipline and training. An incident with a black cadet has brought on a barrage of public criticism. (MLW)

Procedures for using the Interactive Teaching Map to collect data and construct reliable measures of program implementation and outcomes are illustrated using data from the Delinquency Research and Development Project. Implementation analysis incorporating measures from classroom observation data can add to traditional experimental control group…

Discusses research on foreign study and foreign students. Includes a bibliography of approximately 700 monographs and articles published between 1975 and November 1983 and divided into 33 categories pertaining to foreign study. (SB)