This thesis resulted from an examination conducted to determine teacher ability to identify individual student capability based on rapport between the two parties.

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 problem of this study was to analyze the effects of a human relations component in an introduction to education course on the self-concept and interpersonal relations of secondary education pre-service teachers. The purposes of this study were (1) to develop a human relations component to be used in an introduction to education course; (2) to utilize the component in an actual teaching situation; and (3) to examine the effects of the course on the self-concept and interpersonal relations of secondary education pre-service teachers. The results of the statistical analyses revealed that the differences between the experimental and control groups on measures of the self-concept and interpersonal relations were not statistically significant. No significant gains were made by the experimental group on both criterion measures. Findings derived from personal observations indicated that the experimental group became aware of the affective dimension of the teaching-learning process. It was also evident that factors in addition to increased scores should be considered in research concerning enhancement of the self-concept and interpersonal relations.

This study addresses the attitudes of counselors, teachers, and administrators toward competency testing programs in their districts. ten districts from each of the four states --Arizona, California, Michigan, and Oregon-- were randomly selected to participate in the study. A total of 247 educators responded to the survey. The following conclusions were made on the basis of the findings: (1) The competency programs have the support the teachers, counselors, and administrators who work with them; (2) They are perceived as being effective in identifying students in need of remediation; (3) They are perceived as being most beneficial to the deficient student, but the setting of minimum standards had not lowered the expectations of the average and above average student; (4) They have not eliminated any programs or courses from the curriculum; (5) They have not limited the parameter of course content guides to concepts covered in the competency test; (6) They are perceived as nor being expensive to the district; (7) The competency program does add a burden of extra paperwork for the groups surveyed, especially the counselors; (8) Most competency programs involve teachers, counselors, and administrators in the planning; (9) Improvements in the quality of education and in student learning …

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.

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.

This study compares results of sighting, control, suppression and wink tests of visual dominance with a dissociation test administered to 240 high-achieving (ninetieth percentile and above academically) and low-achieving (twenty-fifth percentile and below academically) students at grades four, eight, and twelve. The study examines differences between visual dissociation and other visual-dominance tests. In so doing, the study tests the proportion of consistent dominance revealed by each test among underachievers with a high incidence of dominance variations, examines possible influences on choice of dominant eye, and compares distributions of dominance functions in high- and low-achieving populations.

The purposes of this study were (1) to determine the difference between the cognitive style of low and high achieving students in an algebra course in a traditional high school and the cognitive style of low and high achieving students in an algebra course in a high school for dropouts, and (2) to determine the difference between the cognitive styles of low and high achieving males and females in an algebra class in a traditional high school and in a high school for dropouts. It was hypothesized that (1) low achieving mathematics students are more field-dependent than high achieving mathematics students in both the traditional high school and in the high school for dropouts, (2) female students are more field-dependent than male students in the mathematics classes of both schools, and (3) there will be a significant interaction on the achievement variable and the sex variable with respect to field-dependence in both schools.

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.

This research sought to discover whether minority and economically disadvantaged students are underrepresented in gifted and honors programs. Another goal was to ascertain attitudes of students and teachers currently participating in gifted and honors programs regarding: admission criteria; adequacy of teacher preparation to meet special needs of gifted and honors students; levels of needs satisfaction of gifted and honors students; perceptions of students and teachers about program modification.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of using verbal analogies in teaching ninth-grade physical science. The experiment is designed to determine if teaching by analogies is more effective than conventional methods of teaching, and to ascertain the effect of analogies on achievement for different ability levels in different subject areas of physical science.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect on selected Upward Bound students' vocabulary retention rate and attitude toward computers when using color in a computer assisted instructional (CAI) program. Past research on the use of color in the educational process does not answer questions about possible effects it may have when used in CAI programs. Specific areas addressed by this study include: (1) differences in color computer assisted instructional software and achromatic versions of the lesson, (2) differences in the short-term vocabulary retention rate for color versus achromatic versions, (3) differences in the long-term vocabulary retention rate for color versus achromatic versions, (4) differences on the affective attitude scale for color versus achromatic versions, (5) differences in short-term memory based on gender and computer experience, (6) differences in long-term memory based on gender and computer experience and (7) differences on the affective attitude scale based on gender and computer experience. Subjects in the experiment were high school students participating in Upward Bound programs at Texas Christian University and the University of North Texas. A pretestposttest design was used and data were obtained from seventy-one students. A CAI program presented students with twenty words and definitions via a …

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 …

This study has two purposes. The first is to compare the academic skills achievement in reading and mathematics of students participating in a performance contracting program with the academic skills achievement of students not participating in the performance-based program. The second is to determine whether those students participating in the performance contracting program show a significantly different level of achievement (higher or lower) than the control group approximately four months after the conclusion of the program.

This qualitative study seeks to assess the effectiveness of homeschool collegiate preparation through the eyes of homeschool alumni. Four alumni who are current college students participated in the study. A triangulation of methods, which included surveys, open-ended questionnaires, and interviews, ensured reliability and validity. Although the students represented a wide range of varied homeschool experiences, the perceptions of all the students were that their environments prepared them for collegiate-level work at levels that are above average.

This study investigated whether Reality Therapy classroom management techniques could be used effectively to improve teacher attitudes, student attitudes, student achievement, and student classroom behavior. The findings of the study support the following conclusions. 1. Reality Therapy inservice education and implementation of Reality Therapy Teaching techniques in classrooms produce significant changes in the way teachers regard student discipline. 2. implementation of Reality Therapy practices in junior high classrooms produces positive changes in attitude toward school environment. 3. Implementation of Reality Therapy techniques in junior high classrooms does not seem to be effective in producing changes in student attitude toward self. 4. Implementation of Reality Therapy techniques in junior high classrooms can be effective in producing higher student grade point averages. 5. Reality Therapy techniques in junior high classrooms are not effective in producing lower rates of student misbehavior.

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.

This study is an evaluation of the programs in fourteen selected Texas colleges and universities to prepare undergraduates for teaching careers in physical education. The study uses its analysis of current programs as a basis for recommending improvements in them.

Even though the Youth Opportunities Unlimited program has been in effect for ten years, there exists no current, comprehensive, effectiveness research on YOU. Such analysis is needed to determine the value of the YOU program. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the YOU program. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are used in this study. Quantitative analysis is provided through factual data collected through an alumni survey. Qualitative analysis is provided through personal opinion information obtained from YOU alumni through the survey and by personal interview. The YOU program at UNT is a successful compensatory education program that helps improve the education and the lives of America's at-risk students.

This study investigates various factors related to North Texas State University graduates who were certified to teach and obtains those graduates’ appraisal of the extent to which the teacher education program is meeting their needs. The purposes of this study are to determine the extent to which North Texas State University teacher education graduates are carrying out the personal and professional activities for which they were prepared and to determine the effectiveness of selected aspects of the teacher education program. It is also the purpose of this study to solicit opinions of the graduates concerning the strengths and weaknesses of the program. The findings of the study support the following conclusions: 1. A majority of the graduates are well prepared by the teacher education program to enter the teaching profession. 2. Teacher education graduates have a positive self-concept concerning their success as teachers and they are highly satisfied with teaching as a profession. 3. Student teaching is considered by the graduates to be the strongest and most important course in their preparation for the teaching profession. It was also considered to be the most valuable course by those who are now teaching. 4. Earlier and more frequent classroom observations and …

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent specific ergonomic factor implementations in computer and video display terminal (VDT) installations for student use in middle school classrooms. The data interpretations using existing furniture without modification or adaptation. Of all the seating observed, 75% of the seating met standards for middle school students. Keyboards and video display screens had been placed on existing tables and were all higher than ergonomically desirable for middle school students or adults.

The purpose of this study is to describe the historical development of secondary education in Eastern Nigeria, taking into consideration the following periods: (1). before the coming of the British, (2) from 1842 to 1960 when Nigeria received her independence from Britain, and (3) from 1960 to 1986. The period between 1960 and 1986 is further subdivided into (a) 1960 to 1967 when the civil war began, (b) 1967 to 1970 when the civil war ended, and (c) the post-civil war era—1970 to 1986.

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of general impression scoring by teachers and students, and to compare the criteria used in evaluating student writings. Subjects for the study were 40 eighth grade and tenth grade students of varying reading ability in regular English classes in a suburban school district. Teachers and students evaluated two sets of writings in the narrative, classificatory and descriptive modes, generated by ninth grade students in regular English classes in the same school district. In addition, a comment, citing criteria upon which evaluation was based, was made on each writing. The design for this study was an extended factorial analysis. A three way analysis of variance was computed for ability and grade for each level of quality of writing in each mode of discourse. Six hypotheses were tested. Hypotheses one and two dealt with comparison of ratings by students who differed by ability and grade. No significant differences were found. Hypotheses three and four dealt with interaction between grade, ability and mode of discourse. No significant interaction was found. Hypotheses five and six dealt with differences in evaluations between teachers and students of varying ability. A significant difference was found in how …

The State of Texas implemented the No Pass-No Play Rule within House Bill 72 in the spring semester of 1985. The addition of this section to the state education code was a part of the state's efforts toward educational reform. The perceived rationale implied in House Bill 72 is that extracurricular activities can inspire student motivation and increase student achievement. The No Pass-No Play Rule seems to imply that there is a relationship between student achievement and extracurricular activities, and further implies that a student can be motivated to achieve by the desire to continue to participate in extracurricular activities. The problem of this study was a comparison of academic achievement for high school pupils involved in extracurricular activities and those who did not participate in extracurricular activities under the Texas No Pass-No Play Rule. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of extracurricular activities on the academic achievement of high school students, specifically looking at the years 1983 through 1986, when the No Pass-No Play Rule was implemented. This study was an ex post facto study with data obtained from a cooperating Texas school district. Students were matched on critical variables, and their scores on a …