The problem of this study was to analyze the effect that a legislature-mandated quarter system was having on certain selected middle schools in the State of Texas, Some educators have claimed that the quarter system makes it possible to add flexibility to school programs. This study, therefore, was an attempt to find out if local school districts were taking advantage of this opportunity. A second goal of the study was to determine how principals, teachers, and curriculum directors felt about the manner in which schools were implementing certain teaching strategies which experts in this field have recommended for use in middle schools. It was concluded that the schools were not taking advantage of the quarter system in order to more nearly approach the middle school concept. Educators do not seem to be against the innovations proposed by middle school authorities so it would seem that the time is right for a full commitment to the area of schooling for the middle years. The support of the general public then will be a key factor in the success of the middle school. Educators must make an effort to keep the public better informed about the way children learn and grow if …

Test items supplied with seven textbooks approved for use in Computer Science I and II curricula in Texas public schools were categorized by Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives. Eating was done by a panel of ten judges selected from a group of participants at a taxonomy workshop. The selection criterion was demonstration of at least 80 percent competency in item classification. Judges received a small stipend for completing the rating task. Of 2020 possible items, 998 were randomly selected for analysis. Equal percentages of items from each text were then randomly assigned to each rater. All statistical analyses were computed using SPSS/PC+ (version 2.1). In both courses, CLD frequencies decreased through the three lower levels. The percentage of questions falling in these levels was approximately 83 percent for both courses. However, the higher-level course contained almost 10 percent more Knowledge level questions than did the lower course. At the higher taxonomic levels, the decline was roughly five percent per level in CS I but erratic in CS II. Analysis by book also revealed wide differences within each course.

The problem of this study was the determination and analysis of perceptions of selected educators in the State of Texas with regard to current in-service education programs in the public secondary schools. Conclusions were, (1) differences appear to exist in the perceptions of personnel who represent large-, medium-, and small-school districts, (2) teachers' needs, such as motivation, seem to be good staff improvement topics, (3) there appears to be substantial differences in the perceptions of administrators and teachers in the organizing and conducting of programs, (4) current programs and ideal programs appear to have differences in such areas as selection of activities, and (5) programs are not as effectively planned and organized as they should be.

The purposes of this study were (1) to determine if the culture of the student's first language was a significant variable in field-dependent-independent cognitive learning style, and (2) if a student's second language achievement has a significant relationship to variables of grade level, sex, time in an English as a second language (ESL) program, second language proficiency level or cognitive learning style. It was hypothesized that (1) there are significant positive correlations between field-independence and the variables of achievement, proficiency level, and grade level, (2) there are significant positive correlations between second language achievement and proficiency level, grade level and time in an ESL program, (3) there are no significant differences in field-dependence between the sexes or the four cultures of Laotian, Spanish, Tongan, and Vietnamese, and (4) there is no significant difference in the mean achievement score between the sexes.

The purposes of this study were: 1. To determine the effect of levels of questioning used on secondary public school students in social studies, as measured by (a) their achievement scores, and (b) their critical thinking ability; 2. To determine the effect of feedback to student teachers on their patterns of asking convergent and divergent questions, as measured by coding frequencies of each type on an Observation Schedule and Record form? 3. To draw conclusions from the findings--and develop implications concerning levels of questioning used by teachers and the use of feedback from college supervisors to student teachers.

This qualitative case study provided a narrative portrait of 12 students in the 11th grade in one north Texas district who failed the initial administration of the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) exit-level test. It also presented an account of their perceptions of the test and their efforts to overcome this educational hurdle. The following conclusions were drawn from the study. Limited English proficiency (LEP) students had difficulty mastering the language arts section of the test. A majority of the students reported that TEAMS failure had no social impact. Most of the students declined district-offered remediation. Students tended to perceive the test as a personal challenge. Those students who attended remedial tutoring sessions performed better on the following retest than those who declined remediation. Hispanic and Asian students expressed additional study as being the key to passing the test. Black students felt that the key to passing was to spend sufficient time while taking the test. Those students who were more verbal during their interviews tended to be more successul in passing the language arts section of the TEAMS. The following recommendations were made from the study: (a) students who fail the TEAMS by minimal margins should be …

The dual role of classroom teacher and athletic coach is commonly combined in public school systems, often resulting in job related conflicts. The purpose of this study was to examine the job attitudes of teacher-coaches as perceived by teacher-football coaches (n=283) and high school principals (n=43) and identify areas where role preference occurred. The teacher-coaches and principals responded to a job attitude instrument designed to measure attitudes concerning job related tension, participation in decision making, job involvement and job satisfaction during the roles of teaching and coaching.

The problem with which this study is concerned is to conduct an analysis of the secondary teacher education program at Texas A & I University at Kingsville in determining the extent the program meets the needs of its graduates and to recommend improvements based on these findings. The purposes of this study are to investigate the effectiveness of the program in providing educational theories and practices, subject area knowledge and general knowledge to enable its graduates to function effectively in their societal roles as individuals and teachers. It is also a purpose of this study to solicit the graduates' opinions concerning the program's strengths and weaknesses.

The purposes of this study were threefold: (1) to examine the effects of time spent on CAI on student attitudes, (2) to examine the effects of time spent on CAI among ability groups, and (3) to determine whether initial attitudes would be maintained throughout a school year, and if not, determine variables associated with an attitude shift.

The problem of this investigation is to determine the relationships between certain cognitive, conative, and demographic variables and student ratings of instructors and introductory economics courses at North Texas State University. In addition, the study seeks to determine whether significant, interactive effects exist among the seventeen main variables: pretest, posttest, sex, age, college major, required course, actual grade, residence, SAT, socioeconomic class, Opinionation, Dogmatism, instructor, course rating, instructor rating, expected grade, and attitude. The principal sources of data are students' test scores on the Test of Understanding in College Economics, Rokeach Scales of Opinionation and Dogmatism, Modified Purdue Rating Scale, Personal Data Sheet with Hollingshead Index, and Questionnaire on Student Attitude Toward Economics-Revised. The organization of the study includes a statement of the problems, a review of the literature related to student ratings of courses and instructors, the ethodology used in the statistical analysis of the data, an analysis of the data, and the findings, conclusions, implications, and recommendations for additional research. Chapter I introduces the background and significance of the problems. Hypotheses are stated in the research form, terms in the study are defined, and limitations are delineated. Chapter II is a topically-arranged review of the related literature, including …

The problem of this study was to investigate the effect of an in-service program utilizing Benjamin S. Bloom (Ed.) and others' Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: Cognitive Domain (Bloom's Taxonomy) on (1) the self-concept of experienced secondary English teachers and social studies teachers, (2) the cognitive level of test items on teacher-made examinations, and (3) the attitude changes toward school subjects as rated b students.

The purposes of this study were (1) to determine the scores on the quantitative portion of the SAT for 110 students and these students' math teachers' ratings on the TTAS, (2) to determine the nature of the relationship of the students' SAT scores to their teachers' TTAS ratings, and (3) to determine the nature of the relationship of the students' SAT scores to their sex. It was hypothesized that (1) there would be no significant relationship between a student's math score as measured by the quantitative portion of the SAT and the effectiveness of the student's math teacher as measured by the TTAS, and (2) there would be no significant relationship between a student's math score as measured by the quantitative portion of the SAT and the student's sex. The 110 subjects (60 males and 50 females) In this study took the quantitative portion of the SAT during the 1986-87 school year. This sample was drawn from a large suburban high school in the North Texas area. The effectiveness of the math teachers who taught the 110 students was measured by the Texas Teachers Appraisal System (TTAS). The statistical analyses indicated that (1) there was no significant relationship between a …

The purposes of the study were (1) to determine the perceptions of high school principals and special education directors toward the participation by mentally retarded (MR) and learning disabled (LD) students in extracurricular activities in small, medium, and large schools, (2) to compare the perceptions of high school principals and special education directors, (3) to determine the perceptions of high school principals and special education directors toward the mandates of Public Law 94-142 which deal with extracurricular activities, (4) to compare the perceptions of principals and special education directors in regard to those mandates, (5) to compare the perceptions of high school principals in the three school sizes, and (6) to compare the perceptions of special education directors in the three school sizes. Based on the findings of this study the following conclusions are presented. 1. It appears that working closely with the special education program may help to improve perceptions toward students and laws affecting them. 2. It appears that principals’ perceptions may be improved through a more personal relationship with and awareness of MR and LD students and the laws affecting their education. 3. Low scores in regard to Public Law 94-142 may indicate an intolerance and lack …

This investigation is concerned with the identification of creative students in the classroom. One purpose of the study is a search of the literature to determine the emphasis given to creativity in education today. A second is to determine if a measure of creativity given to a group of students would reveal a discrimination between the students. The measure of creativity used in this study was the Christensen-Guilford Fluency Tests. The sample group for the study included fifty-two male and fifty-three female students in the ninth grade of the Richardson Independent School District in Dallas', Texas. This study concludes that measurements of mental abilities must include measurements of creativity as well as intelligence if the more gifted students are to be recognized.

The problem with which this investigation was concerned was that of determining the practices utilized by college supervisors of secondary student teachers in Kentucky. A mailed questionnaire was employed to determine the emphasis of practices of the college supervisor pertaining to student teachers, cooperating teachers, and cooperating school administrators. The purposes of this study included the following: 1. To determine the status of Kentucky college and university supervisors of secondary student teachers. 2. To compare the practices of Kentucky college supervisors with practices recommended by national authorities in the field of student teaching. 3. To compare the practices reported by general supervisors with practices reported by special supervisors. 4. To compare the supervisory practices as reported in Texas in 1968 to the practices reported currently in Kentucky. The findings pertaining to the status of the Kentucky college supervisor included the following: 1. Seventy-one percent of Kentucky college supervisors reported having a total of more than ten years teaching experience at different levels. Twenty-eight percent had more than twenty years full-time teaching experience. 2. Sixty-four percent of the supervisors reported twenty-one or more student teachers as a full supervisory load. 3. Fifty-four percent of college supervisors at state schools and 39 …

There has been extensive criticism of schools for allowing counselors to be used for duties that lie beyond defined counselor roles. The purpose of this study was to determine if counselors are still being misused today as they have allegedly been in the past. The problem was divided into nine questions in order to ascertain differences in actual and ideal roles of secondary school counselors as perceived by counselors, principals and counselor educators. The study was limited to secondary schools in the Region X Education Service Center in Texas. The study included brief definitions of roles and an extensive review of literature. Twenty-three schools from the Region X Education Service Center in Texas were chosen using a random, stratified selection process. A counselor and the principal from each of these schools were interviewed using a Q sort. Three counselor educators were randomly selected to participate from each of three universities in the area. The Q-sort technique was used in order to determine differences in actual and ideal perceptions of the counselor's role as held by counselors, principals, and counselor educators. Cohen's equation for Q sorts was used to establish correlations between the different perceptions. A t distribution for correlation was …

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships that exist between cognition, attitude and level of commitment to Plan A based on the respondent's first, second or third year of involvement in Plan A special education.

The problem of this study was to survey and report the perceptions of superintendents of school districts in Region 10 regarding programs of service offered by Region 10 Education Service Center. The superintendents of all public school districts in Region 10 were included in the survey study. All school districts concerned were grouped into one of three categories, according to size. The primary purpose of the study was to determine the perceptions of superintendents in Region 10 regarding programs of service offered by Region 10 Education Service Center, and to make the results available for use in planning future center operations.

This investigation sought to determine how seventh-grade social studies teachers perceive TAAS objectives for social studies, language arts, and mathematics and how they apply them in the classroom. A detailed questionnaire was submitted to fifty teachers in the Dallas metropolitan area; a 72 percent. return was received. Though teachers expressed a favorable attitude toward emphasizing the higher-level thinking objectives, many indicated that their lesson plans and teaching methods have remained unchanged in the past year. The data suggests that teachers want and need additional training and teaching resources to satisfy the call for incorporating performance-based assessment into the classroom curriculum. TAAS standards cannot drive the intended curriculum improvements without a model for reorienting instructional practices.

In mandating new curriculum, state legislatures frequently have opted to require school districts to "infuse" new content rather than adopt a new course. The lack of procedural guidelines in these legislative mandates leaves curriculum specialists to struggle with an "infusion dilemma," the problem of implementing the new curriculum without knowing how it should appear, once implemented. The purpose of this study was to examine interpretations of infusion held by persons responsible for operationalizing an infusion mandate. The interpretations of "infusion" held by people concerned with the implementation of the 1977 Economic Education Act in Texas were investigated. Selected legislators, state agency personnel, curriculum consultants, economics educators, and classroom teachers were interviewed about the concept and process of infusion.

The problem of this study was to compare the achievement and attitude of students in an individualized biology program, modeled after parts of the Proposed Texas Science Framework, with the achievement and attitude of students in conventional biology classes. The subjects used for the study were tenth grade, first year biology students in three high schools in a large North Central Texas city. Each of the three high schools was selected to represent a particular category of high schools. The categories were based upon the mean achievement scores for the students within a school. The categories of schools were above average, medium low, and very low. In each of the schools the classes and teachers in the experimental group and the control group were matched as closely as possible.

The problem of this study is differences in perceptions of priorities in selected areas of student teaching existing within the governance set, i.e., university directors of student teaching, public school administrators charged with implementing Senate Bill Eight, and presidents of local units of the Texas State Teachers Association. Six areas were chosen as the focal point of the study: selection of student teachers, selection of cooperating teachers, selection of college coordinators, placement of student teachers, evaluation of student teachers, and expenditure of Senate Bill Eight funds designated for the support of student teaching programs. The study concluded that the governance set is in overall agreement concerning the ordering of priorities. However, some significant differences were manifested concerning the implementation of specific priorities. Disagreements were noted in the following areas: selection body for student teachers, selection body for cooperating teachers, selection body for college coordinators, minimum grade point averages in education courses, and minimum grade point averages in major area courses.

The purpose of this study was to identify and compare specific writing assignments provided in the four basal mathematics textbook series, grades six through eight, accepted by the state of Texas in 1990. The student and teachers' editions by each publisher were analyzed (1) for the total number and types of writing assignments provided, (2) to compare how the writing assignments compared with the four purposes of writing mandated in the English Language Arts Framework, Kindergarten through Grade 12 for the state of Texas, (3) to compare how the writing assignments compared with the recommendations for communication opportunities stated in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics for grades five through eight, and (4) to compare the number and types of writing assignments among the four publishers. The total number of writing assignments varied among publishers ranging from 151 to 316 in the student editions and from 147 to 523 in the teacher's editions. The findings of this study indicate that from 80 to 98 percent of the writing assignments in the student editions and from 72 to 96 percent of the writing assignments in the teacher's editions corresponded to the Informative purpose …

The problem with which this study is concerned is that of analyzing the implementation of the stated purposes of Lon Morris College of Jacksonville, Texas from 1847 to 1973. Histories and journals of the period, records and publications of the school and other institutions, and oral interviews of persons involved in its development provide data for the study. As a historical analysis, the study is divided according to successive periods in the school's development.