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 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 …

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 classroom communication behavior of preservice teacher education students was the focus of this research. The study was designed to provide descriptive and empirical data for teacher educators to use in designing preservice and in-service training in classroom communication. Additionally, an interdisciplinary focus on research from the fields of interpersonal and instructional communication as applied to teacher education was emphasized. The sample for the study included 30 secondary and 29 elementary preservice teacher education students. The sample was stratified on the basis of the level of communication apprehension. A total of 30 high level apprehensive and 29 low level apprehensives were identified. The Personal Report of Communication Apprehension-24 (PRCA-24) was administered as a pre-posttest measure. Scores from the Communicator Style Measure (CSM) were analyzed with the PRCA—24. University supervisors and public school cooperating teachers completed a modified version of the CSM on two separate observation occasions.

The purpose of this study is to develop a set of behavioral objectives for the Second Year Chemistry Course in Kuwait Secondary Schools. This set of behavioral objectives will help school teachers to choose their activities, teaching methods, questions, and evaluation procedures; it will be useful in the preparation and use of behavioral objectives in their other courses. As a conclusion, the Chemical Education Material Study (CHEMS) appears more beneficial than the traditional chemistry course by its effect on student achievement and the stimulation of the cognitive abilities such as application and analysis processes. The present Kuwaiti chemistry course appears more organized than previous courses and the movement is toward the modern approach. Use of behavioral objectives appears more effective than the use of general objectives (or no objectives) in the area of students' achievements and attitudes, in the area of course content, and organization of complex cognitive processes. Recommendations for improvement of the Kuwaiti chemistry course and for further studies on behavioral objectives are listed.

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 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.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether any differences in academic achievement existed between full-day and half-day kindergarten students at the end of their kindergarten and first-grade school years. Two public schools considered comparable in size, philosophy, and socioeconomic levels of a large school district in Texas participated in the study. One of the schools provided a full-day kindergarten program; the other school provided a half-day kindergarten program. Kindergarten students from each of the two schools were match-paired according to birthday and sex. The total sample size was fifty students. All students were tested in December, 1985, with the Metropolitan Achievement Test. Preprimer Level, and in May, 1986, the end of the kindergarten year, with the Primer Level of the Metropolitan Achievement Test. The Metropolitan Achievement Test. Primary I Level, was additionally administered to the subjects in April, 1987, at the end of their first-grade school year. During each testing period, the subjects were administered the Reading, Language, and Math subtests of the Metropolitan Achievement Test. The following supplemental data also were gathered on the students: The Metropolitan Readiness Test II scores and the TEAMS test scores. The data obtained from the testing batteries were statistically analyzed using …

In an era of accountability and increased state control of curriculum, curriculum guides have become important legal documents, and many local districts seek to produce documents as a framework for both district and state objectives . Such curriculum development is a complex process. This study examined the curriculum procedures, roles of the participants , decision-making processes, and perceptions of the resulting documents in five school districts. Qualitative data collection included taped interviews using a focused in-depth interview schedule, field notes, observation, and document collection. The study included central administrators, building administrators, and teachers. Data Analysis was an interative, on-going process using a constant-comparative analysis of coded categories emerging from the transcribed data. This comparison examined curriculum models, curriculum trends, and teacher and administrator perceptions. The study of the curriculum processes in each district resulted in the development of a five-step curriculum model: pre-planning, planning, writing, implementation, and revision. Naturalistic models developed in each district as the curriculum was impacted by various pressures and influences. Within the five areas of each curriculum model, several patterns emerged. Each district had some impetus for a new curriculum direction. All districts reported some kind of data gathering within the planning stage and intensive training …

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 determine if the teachers of Algebra I rated highest and lowest according to the Texas Teacher Appraisal System differed significantly in a measure of achievement. The analyses indicated that there were significant differences in achievement between the classes taught by the highest and lowest ranked teachers.

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 twofold. The first is to discover in what ways are physics teachers and counselors in large Texas public secondary schools encouraging students to take physics, and second, what are their perceptions of reasons for student avoidance of physics. The population consisted of physics teachers and counselors in large (1,310 minimum enrollment) high and low percentage physics enrollment schools. Percentage enrollment in physics is defined as the number of students enrolled in physics compared to total twelfth grade enrollment. Thirty high (above 8.9) and thirty low (below 8.0) percentage enrollment schools comprise the sample population. Data were collected using separate questionnaires that related to (a) school, (b) physics teacher, and (c) counselor variables that could affect physics enrollments. The questionnaires addressed to perceptions of both physics teachers and counselors covered (a) the exchange of physics course information between students, teachers, and counselors, (b) the method of exchange of physics course information, and (c) the extent to which the physics program is sold to the student body. Also elicited were eleven responses from both physics teachers and counselors that pertain to perceived reasons for student avoidance of physics courses. A statistical analysis was made between physics …

The problem of this study was an analysis of the effects of a selected strategy for bringing about changes in stereotypic sex role attitudes of teacher trainees during their teacher education program. The major purposes of this investigation were to (1) develop a preservice treatment program, characterized by the persuasive communication approach, to modify students' stereotypic sex role attitudes, (2) determine the effectiveness of the strategy in modifying students' attitudes, and (3) examine student factors that influence reception and yielding to a persuasive message.

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 describe factors affecting the use of instructional ideas by secondary teachers in the academic year following a series of staff development sessions designed to present information on effective teaching practices. The research questions addressed the characteristics of information selected for use in classroom practice and the characteristics and relative degree of influence of salient factors affecting the use of ideas. Ten teachers from a large suburban school district in North Texas were selected for this study. Qualitative techniques were used to collect data. Each teacher was interviewed three times and observed in the classroom setting. Documents such as lesson plans were analyzed as a third source of data. Several factors evolved from the data. In varying degrees, these factors predicted teacher use of new instructional practices. Some factors dealt with the teacher's level of understanding and internalization of the information. These factors were labeled as instrumentality, congruence, and analytical thinking. Two other factors which were fairly strong predictors were labeled cost and intrinsic motivation. Cost concerned the amount of time or effort required to implement new ideas versus the perceived benefit to either teacher or student. Intrinsic motivation concerned the personal desire a …

The selection of course content has political and sociological implications as well as educational significance. Since local curriculum development is increasingly prevalent, description of teachers' content decisions is an important concern. This study examined the content decision making of four Family Living teachers in a natural school setting.

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 study has a twofold purpose. The first is to compare the priority order of the seven fundamental areas of skill among the three sample groups, The second is to compare the differences between actual and ideal teacher performance in the seven fundamental skill areas. The conclusions are generalizable only to the population of Texas teacher educators, members of the Texas Science Supervisors Association and members of the Science Teachers Association of Texas, All of the groups had basic agreement as to the priority order of the science teacher competencies being demonstrated by teachers, The profession's success in educating teachers in the content areas is reflected by the priority of the rankings. The position of the science supervisors' ratings of teacher performance between teachers and teacher educators indicated that supervisors have the most accurate view of teacher performance, The least discrepancy among groups occurred in the ideal rating of teacher performance, indicating general agreement as to the level at which teachers should be demonstrating skills, The greatest discrepancy occurred in the identification of actual level of teacher performance.

The problem of this study was to determine if study habits can be used to predict academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between selected study skill habits and attitudes and achievement of secondary students in English, mathematics, and spelling. The sample for this study consisted of 82 secondary school students participating in Upward Bound programs at two universities in the north Texas area in a six week period during the summer of 1988. Eighteen different high schools were represented in the study. The sizes of the schools ranged from small to very large. Instruments used were the Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes, (SSHA) the Stanford Test of Academic Skills, (TASK), and the Otis-Lennon Mental Abilities Test (OLMAT). The statistical analysis indicated that the four subscores of the SSHA are not accurate predictors of academic achievement. However, some of the correlations among the subscores for the SSHA and the TASK were significant. Most noteable of these were work methods and mathematics, teacher acceptance and mathematics, and work methods and spelling. The recommendation is made that the SSHA should not be used to predict academic achievement in Upward Bound programs. Improving study habits and attitudes …

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.

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 high school research paper is a task which consumes instructional time, requires considerable student effort, and places a high demand on school library resources. Little research has been conducted on how students accomplish this task. Academic task research indicates that in classrooms, tasks are defined by students in terms of (a) the nature of the products the teacher will accept and (b) the operations allowed and the resources available. Here the product is the research paper; the resources available include those found in the school library. The purpose of this study was to determine what strategies students use to perform the library-related task.

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.