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 …

The purposes of this study are to describe the past and the present system of secondary education in Western Nigeria; to examine the goals, achievements, and failures with special consideration for three distinct periods: (1) prior to the arrival of the British people in Western Nigeria, (2) between 1842 and 1960, and (3) between 1960 and 1976; to formulate generalizations about secondary schools, and to offer suggestions for the improvement of the secondary educational system in Western Nigeria. One recommendation that the study makes calls for mass secondary education, not education of the elite only. The recommendations call for programs that would lead to industrial and technological progress.

The problem of this study was to examine the effect of reading preference on reading comprehension of low socioeconomic high school students. Subjects were 61 participants in the Upward Bound program at a major southwestern university; they represented urban high schools with high proportions of students of low socioeconomic status. Subjects completed cloze procedure reading passages in four categories: high preference independent level, high preference frustration level, non-expressed preference independent level, and non-expressed preference frustration level. From the results gathered, it was recommended (1) that reading ability assessments include measuring performance with high preference materials, (2) that instructional personnel ascertain and utilize student preferences as foundations for reading instruction, (3) that reading material not be withheld from students on the basis of difficulty, (4) that high preference reading materials be used in reading instruction by secondary reading and content area teachers, and (5) that school patrons be made aware of the value of free preference reading in reading skill development.

This study reports on an investigation of the effectiveness of the "Positive Approach to Discipline" (PAD) system for classroom management. The data from the study were analyzed by the analysis of variance with repeated measures. The data indicate several implications for the utilization of the PAD system for classroom management. The findings of the study indicate that, 1) teachers utilizing the PAD system significantly reduced the number of students referred to administration, and 2) teachers utilizing the PAD system significantly reduced the number of Black students referred to administration, and 3) the PAD system was effective in reducing the number of students suspended from school.

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 problem of this investigation was to identify the persuasive speaking techniques of private Black college and university presidents in their fund-raising efforts to support the educational programs of Negro colleges and universities. This study did not seek to defend nor justify the arguments for the existence nor nonexistence of these institutions. It focused on techniques of speaking whereby men attempted to alter reality by adjusting ideas to people and people to ideas. The evidence tended to support the conclusion that there is some relationship between speaking and fund-raising. The speeches probably produced some effect on the audiences. They (1) provided a voice to make the appeals for funds, (2) defended the posture of private Black colleges and universities, (3) provided a primary source of information about these institutions, (4) reinforced common beliefs, and (5) provided impetus for the like-minded to persevere.

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.

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.

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 problem of this study was to investigate the strategies used by high school students of limited estimation ability for the estimation of the answers to computational problems. The Assessing Computational Estimation Test was administered to 460 students, and 40 of them were selected for interviews. Each student interviewed was asked to estimate the answers to fourteen computation and application problems.

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.

Teachers use student grouping to reduce the complexities of the classroom. Grouping has been credited with making behavior more predictable, improving interpersonal skills, and making instruction easier by increasing homogeneity. Research suggests that teachers' grouping decisions are influenced by characteristics of the student, the teacher, the task, and the environment. Research on grouping has centered on elementary classes, with little investigation of secondary classes. The purpose of this study was to describe the influences on secondary laboratory teachers' grouping decisions in a naturally occurring secondary school setting.

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.

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.

An examination of the composing processes of blind writers was conducted to determine the strategies used by these composers. Two individuals blind from birth and two persons blinded later in life participated in the study. Using participant observation and stimulated recall, the researcher examined the composing processes of these subjects. Each individual participated in four writing sessions and used the compose-aloud technique where by the composer repeats orally any thoughts that occur during writing. In addition, an interview was conducted with each participant which provided a writing history, attitude toward writing, and composing strategies. Results of the research indicated that blind writers use the same basic processes of writing as reported for sighted writers. Blind writers in this study did not make written plans prior to writing and spent between one and four minutes in prewriting. Planning was an ongoing feature of the composing process. The writers in this study demonstrated the recursive feature of composing. Rescanning was a continual part of their composing sessions . Three of the subjects reported using rescanning for planning and editing. One individual reported using rescanning for editing only. Some differences were found in the blind writers as compared to the research on sighted …

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.

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.

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.

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.

This study developed propositions concerning the nature of academic tasks as they are experienced in classrooms. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to analyze academic task structures in two language-arts classes, one designated as average-ability and one designated as high-ability. Few studies have concentrated on tasks as they are experienced in classrooms. While propositions concerning task systems are sparse in any curriculum area, language arts classes would seem to be particularly appropriate for supplying information about a wide range of task types. The present research thus described the nature of tasks in two junior high language arts classes.

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.