Twenty years ago, anyone proposing to help teachers with the problem of classroom discipline had few resources at hand. It was approximately at that time that Jacob Kounin began a series of investigations that have changed our way of talking and thinking about classroom discipline. He changed our focus from a sterile concern with exercising…

An ethnographic study of 12 student teachers in an elementary school field-based program determined, through observation and interviews, how they reacted to the socializing process that is an integral factor in practicum experiences. Institutional and social forces that shaped these preservice teachers' behaviors and ideas were the elementary…

This paper presents a complex causal model of teacher stress based on data received from the responses of 1,466 teachers from Malmo, Sweden to a questionnaire. Also presented is a method for treating the model variables as higher-order factors or higher-order theoretical constructs. The paper's introduction presents a brief review of teacher…

In an attempt to review and, if necessary, update the curriculum, a study investigated the prevalence of problem-solving and design approaches in the teaching of woodworking courses in secondary schools in Zimbabwe. Woodworking classes in forms one and three were studied in an urban secondary school where woodworking is taught up to form four and…

One of a series of six portraits of high school literature classrooms, this paper gives a detailed, evocative characterization of how one "master teacher" introduced, undertook, and guided the study of literature, focusing in particular on how the teacher interacted with students in the context of discussion of a literary work in class.…

One of a series of six portraits of high school literature classrooms, this paper gives a detailed, evocative characterization of how one "master teacher" introduced, undertook, and guided the study of literature, focusing in particular on how the teacher interacted with students in the context of discussion of a literary work in class.…

Research assessed the effectiveness of the Utah Pupil/Teacher Self-Concept Program in changing specific teacher verbal behaviors related to self concept. Subjects were secondary school teachers in the Logan City and Cache County School Systems, Utah. An experimental pre-post control group design was employed with 12 teachers in the experimental…

The influence of day-to-day variation in teacher performance on the reliability and validity of teacher assessment was examined. An attempt was made to identify and quantify sources of score variation attributable to differences in teacher performance, day of observation, observers, and test subscales; and to determine their effects on reliability…

The effects of faculty training in sex equitable and effective interaction skills were assessed. Twenty-three professors participated in a two and one-half day training workshop that focused on (1) the elimination of sex-biased teacher-student interactions in the classroom; and (2) the distribution, precision, and quality of teacher responses to…

Kindergarten children in three school districts were observed to measure the variance in their abilities upon entering school as well as the variance in the literacy-related instruction they received. The school districts differed in their early childhood education philosophies, as reflected in their kindergarten programs, their choices of…

The results of a three-part study, conducted to present an indepth look at reading comprehension instruction in the middle grades, are described in this report. Four major areas are covered: teacher's verbal reports, program specifications, teaching behavior, and student mastery. The report first describes the research design, or how a profile of…

A three-part study was conducted to present an indepth look at reading comprehension instruction in the middle grades. In the first part of the study, four basal series for grades 4, 5, and 6, were analyzed for clarity of communication, adequacy of skill practice provided, and a number of other comprehension related dimensions. In the second part,…

The paper gives Dutch results and possible implications of three recently completed international evaluation studies. School subjects were mathematics and science at the grade levels 8 and 9 in more than 500 schools. Effect and efficiency of teaching and textbooks in different school types, opportunity to learn, and students' classroom…

Classroom management factors relating to group management of students and cooperation between the student and the teacher are discussed. The definition of classroom management is limited in this discussion to those managerial behaviors related to maintenance of on-task student behaviors and the reduction of off-task or disruptive behaviors.…

The wide variety of contexts in which good teaching takes place, a desirable circumstance from most points of view, creates problems, not the least of which is evaluation. Systematic observation is one measurement procedure that can provide some of the data essential to reliable observation. The fourteenth National Symposium for Professionals in…