Preliminary evidence supports the construct validity of two versions of the Simulation of Interactive Decision Making (group tests of interactive teaching competencies that simulate classroom decision making processes more realistically than traditional tests). Evidence of construct validity reflects differences among subjects with various amounts…

A study investigated the effect of reward on sixth graders' self-correction inaccuracy and monitored the effect of improved self-correction on mathematics homework achievement. There was a low baseline rate of student self-correction inaccuracy. Offering a reward for improved accuracy caused the rate of inaccuracy to decrease significantly.…

Two types of instructional adaptation were explored: routine adaptation (the extent to which teachers establish initial routines to facilitate ongoing adaptation) and specialized adaptation (how teachers modify instructional plans in light of student difficulty). Participants were 110 general educators. (Author/SM)

This study examined the effects of school learning variables (quality, motivation, academic coursework, and homework) on high school students' grades across five ethnic groups using data from a national longitudinal study. Results indicated that the variables were important to students' grades. Asian-American students' learning was strongly…

This study investigated kindergartners' awareness of how they learned to read at home and at school. Children (n=56) from schools using different methods were asked to tap their awareness about learning to read. Parent questionnaires assessed home support. Results indicated that students could describe how they were learning to read at home and at…

This study examined school characteristics linked to student achievement and the relationship between achievement and background, educational expectations, and classroom participation among African-American and white male students in 76 elementary schools. Though the factors were similar in both groups, the manner in which they related to academic…

Presents results af an exploratory study of the role of contextual and personal factors in modifying principals' administrative behavior. Of the personal characteristics, principals' goals, particularly those of providing leadership had the most influence on administrative behavior. Of contextual influences, the district's psychological…

Study investigated the detection of teacher expectancy effects across language and cultural boundaries. Students and teachers rated taped samples of foreign teachers talking about or to high-expectancy and low-expectancy students, focusing on facial expressions and body language. Teachers had distinctive nonverbal styles, even when language and…

Researchers examined the effects of student-generated knowledge maps as a learning strategy. Eighty-one college students learned to make knowledge maps then participated in in-class and out-of-class testing sessions. Mapping positively affected their performance on recognition and recall tests, positive effects which were maintained. (SM)

Elementary teachers completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory and identified four school culture variables leading to burnout: drive toward measurable goal-achievement behavior imposed by administrators; inadequate trust in teachers' professional adequacy; circumscribing school culture; and disagreeable physical environment. Age, sex, education…

Explored the effect of topic-related attitudes on sixth graders' learning and remembering. Students in control, favorable-attitude, or unfavorable-attitude instruction groups heard neutral, positive, or negative passages read aloud. Results suggest experimentally created topic-related attitudes do not interfere with the immediate recall of…

Researchers examined student listening and reading performance to determine weaknesses in listening and reading comprehension, questioning whether performances of students with such problems suggest differences in processing strategies. Results showed significant between-group listening and reading differences. Using listening to measure optimal…

Study investigated the effects of retelling practice sessions on the prose comprehension of fourth grade proficient and less proficient readers. For four sessions, they read silently, rendered free recall, then retold if desired. Researcher assessments indicated such practice in retelling caused significant improvements in quantity and quality of…

Researchers examined Black and White fifth graders' perceptions of teacher treatment and found no significant differences between the groups. Analysis by sex indicated differences between Black males and subgroups of White males, Black females, and White females. They perceived teachers treated them in ways teachers treat lower achieving students.…

Study evaluated a program to modify school attendance for 20 special education high school students. A treatment group received social and tangible rewards for good attendance, and their parents received notices about absences. They showed no decline in attendance over a semester, whereas control group students showed significant declines. (SM)