Study assessed the opinions of sophomores and seniors in teacher education and practicing teachers about the use of classroom and standardized tests. Survey results indicated preservice teachers had less favorable attitudes toward classroom testing and more favorable attitudes toward standardized testing. There were no differences between…

Study examined whether adaptive and maladaptive functioning related to academic achievement in African-American and white students. Parent interviews indicated adaptive and maladaptive behaviors predicted grade point average and achievement test scores for white students, but only maladaptive behavior predicted scores for African-American…

Study examined the relationship between future teachers' reflections and growth in their teaching abilities in an early field placement. Analysis of data gathered over one semester from reflective journals and multiple observations indicated teacher preparation programs should foster reflective thinking as an important facet of growth in teaching…

Critiques Klingele and Warrick's (1990) use of stepswise regression to understand the effect of independent variables on measures of student achievement, and challenges the assertion in Penny and Bond's (1991) reply that ethnicity should not be included in models of achievement. (SM)

Study examined the relationship between elementary students' perceptions of instructional behaviors and use of cognitive strategy during reading comprehension. Students read, then answered questions about, strategy use and teacher behaviors. Teacher behaviors created conditions that influenced strategy use; student interpretations of certain…

Reports a study which examined the effects of direct instruction on the think-aloud protocols of ninth grade readers. Students made think-aloud protocols on two stories before and after instruction. Although the instruction did not substantially affect students' interpretive operations in reading, some students were less submissive to the text.…

Reports a longitudinal study of the link between home variables (mainly maternal support), cognitive prerequisites of preschoolers, and later school achievement (spelling, reading, and arithmetic). Maternal support significantly affected competencies and academic achievement. Cognitive competencies predicted later academic achievement; achievement…

Reports a study of classroom environmental variables related to students' views about science. Environmental and attitude scales indicated a wide variety of science classroom environments, teaching philosophies, and teaching expertise. In classrooms with significant student involvement, teacher support, group affiliation, organization, and teacher…

The effectiveness of two spelling software programs on the weekly spelling performance of underachieving elementary students was studied. Students learned the programs, and data were collected over the school year. Data analyses indicated both programs generated higher accuracy in spelling than traditional procedures. Students sustained the…

Survey examined 1,244 elementary principals' understanding of current issues in elementary reading instruction and information sources they used to learn about issues. Principals reported awareness of current reading issues. They did not have enough confidence in their understanding of issues to give a reasoned rationale for taking one particular…

An integrative and critical review is provided of the guidance available for conducting validity inquiry in the context of performance assessment. Reviewed studies focus on philosophical underpinnings and practical guidelines for conducting validity inquiry. Sections describe the emerging consensus on validity inquiry, components of validity…

Practitioners and theorists do not articulate the purposes, theory, and practices of social studies adequately because they lack a basic understanding of the historical background. Examples of myths that hinder research and the development of social studies as a field are given as the field's history is traced. (SLD)

Reviews issues related to transfer and knowledge specificity as articulated in psychology, theory and research in composition and literary understanding that parallel the debate in psychology, three positions that have emerged in literary debates (cases for general knowledge, task-specific knowledge, and community-specific knowledge), and…

The meanings that prominent educational researchers give to beliefs, and how this differs from the meaning of knowledge providers, are discussed; and a synthesis is offered about the nature of beliefs. It is argued that teachers' beliefs should be an important focus of educational research. (SLD)

Considers the general meaning of equal educational opportunity and its meaning in the context of specific policies, with an eye toward providing a philosophically grounded examination of equal educational opportunity as it applies to multicultural education. Describes how progressive liberal educational theory can meet the challenges of…