William Channing Woodbridge led a movement to incorporate vocal music in the Boston public schools. A model of the political process underlying this movement generated hypotheses about the political process underlying public school music innovations in politico-organizational environments where executive responsibility for public education is…

Suggests that serious problems exist with a moral education program built around Lawrence Kohlberg's approach of analyzing predesigned moral dilemmas. The dilemmas are often unrealistic. Although students usually try to find alternatives to the situation, as one would do in real life, teachers discourage them from doing so. (Author/KC)

The author notes the lack of theory-relevant research in social education. Four types of sociological theory as determined by Zetterberg (1965) are paralleled to social education: theory as classics, as criticism, taxonomic theory, and scientific theory. (KC)

Presents a model for curriculum selection which will assist the teacher in making well-grounded curricular decisions. The model incorporates Desired Outcome Validity, Student Related Validity, Intellectual Support Validity, and syllogistic reasoning. (KC)

Results of a study to determine adolescents' feelings of political alienation are reported. The study measures: powerlessness, discontentment, cynicism, detachment, hopelessness, elitism, and democratic deficiency. Results of the random sample of 269 high school students indicate high levels of alienation. (KC)

Performance preferences and students' ideas of "correct" performance were affected by appropriate and inappropriate models. There was a slight difference between boys and girls and an overall preference for fast/loud music over slow/soft music. Correlations between verbal and behavioral preference indications were low but positive. (Author/SJL)

Results of this five-year study indicated that tonality, in the singing of scales and songs, is a "learned" concept, not related at a significant level to voice range. Differences between the study groups are discussed. (Author/SJL)

The investigation concerned the construction of a test of musical creativity that would assess the hypothesized divergent production abilities of music fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration, and quality in school instrumental music students. The developed test, measures of musical divergent production (MMDP), was based on models of…

Subjects (96 undergraduate music students) were given freedom to alter pitch levels, tempos, and timbral qualities of tape recordings of 12 familiar and unfamiliar piano solos. Subject responses were analyzed for accuracy, as well as for preference directions. (Author/SJL)

This study demonstrated that an individualized technique was as effective as the more traditional types of ensemble instruction in developing music reading skills for beginning instrumentalists. Differences between teachers and differences in the sex or socioeconomic status of students had no significant effect on achievement or dropout from the…

Examines why social science/social studies educational research does not generate theories. The author concludes that the subject matter of this kind of research--human beings in their sociocultural milieu--makes it difficult to make objective observations from which theoretical principles can be derived. (AM)

Examines the contributions of the "Frankfurt School" members to the development of critical theories of social education in the United States. Drawing from their sociohistorical analyses, Horkheimer, Marcuse, and Adorno theorized that the dominance of scientific, rational thought in the twentieth century was leading to highly technological,…

Examines the causes of student passivity in social studies classes. The need for more classroom discourse and free-flowing, critical inquiry into controversies is stressed. Strategies for improving classroom conditions to promote discourse are described. (AM)

Argues that there has been a tendency to limit claims of generalizability to educational research studies which could demonstrate an appropriate use of sampling theory. The results of field studies based on precise consistent observation can be used to interpret more general social behavior. (AM)

Explores the connections between language, curriculum theory, and social studies. Six language modes--descriptive, explanatory, controlling, legitimating, prescriptive, and affiliative--are defined, and their use in classrooms and social studies curricula discussed. The author suggests that this type of linguistic analysis be used as a basis for…