The Journal of Educational Research

doi: 10.1080/00220671.1986.10885676pmid: N/A

Grant, Carl A.; Koskela, Ruth A.

doi: 10.1080/00220671.1986.10885677pmid: N/A

AbstractThis study examines the implementation of education that is multicultural (EMC) in a teacher education program. It also examines the relationship between EMC learned on the campus and EMC implemented in the school. Interviews and field observations were used to collect data. The results show that students were receiving some information on EMC in their classes on campus; however. the information they were receiving was not comprehensive and was often repetitious. Students saw little EMC being implemented by teachers. and students did not try to implement the EMC concepts they learned on the campus when working in the school.

Koziol, Stephen M.; Burns, Patricia

doi: 10.1080/00220671.1986.10885678pmid: N/A

AbstractTeacher self-reports, although a costeffective and flexible procedure for monitoring classroom instruction, yield what have generally been considered unreliable or "inaccurate" results. Focused teacher self-reports specify the subject matter, the class group, and the time frame for retrospective reporting. This study examined the accuracy of focused teacher self-reports compared with observer and student reports. Nine secondary English teachers and their students in one class reported on four to six weeks of instruction, and trained observers completed one or two weeks of detailed observation reports during the reporting period. Teacher accuracy, as determined by percentage of agreement and kappa coefficients for teachers and observers and for teachers and students, was high, suggesting that focused teacher self-reports can gather reliable data on instructional practices. Also, consistently higher agreement for the second teacher-observer reporting period suggests that teacher selfreporting accuracy is enhanced with repeated use of the same inventory.

Pratton, Jerry; Hales, Loyde W.

doi: 10.1080/00220671.1986.10885679pmid: N/A

AbstractThe effects of active participation on student learning of simple probability was investigated using 20 fifth-grade classes randomly assigned to level of treatment. Five trained participating teachers taught a lesson to four classes (two with and two without active participation). Lessons were video and audio taped and checked for instructional bias; time expended on lessons was monitored. The dependent variable measure was a IS-Item multiple-choice test administered immediately following the lesson. Class means served as the measurement unit for analysis using an independent samples t test; the statistical hypothesis was rejected at the .05 level. It was concluded that active student participation exerts a positive influence on fifth-grade student achievement of relatively unique instructional material.

Helfeldt, John P.; Henk, William A.; Fotos, Angelica

doi: 10.1080/00220671.1986.10885680pmid: N/A

AbstractIn seeking a more valid and reliable doze test format, a repeated-measures design was used to compare performances of sixth-grade readers on a traditional and three alternative types of cloze tests. Significant main effects were found for deletion pattern and cue-condition factors. The most accurate performance occurred on the total random deletion plus word length and initial-letter cue format. Validity coefficients for all three alternatives were at least comparable to the traditional cloze format, and each of their reliability coefficients surpassed the traditional form. Results confirm and extend the findings of earlier studies investigating cloze alternatives. Psychometric and psycholinguistic advantages of the alternate cloze forms are discussed.

Carrier, Carol A.; Davidson, Gayle V.; Williams, Michael D.; Kalweit, Carrie M.

doi: 10.1080/00220671.1986.10885681pmid: N/A

AbstractThirty-seven sixth graders were assigned to one of two computer-based treatments to learn about the propaganda coordinate concepts of bandwagon, transfer, testimonial, and repetition. In both treatments, students were allowed to choose to see additional instruction in the form of paraphrased definitions, additional expository and practice instances, and analytical feedback. In one treatment, general statements of encouragement to select options were included. In the second treatment, no such encouragement was included. Scores on the Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test and the Internal Achievement Rating Survey were collected for all students. Students who were shown encouragement statements did elect to see more options than did those without encouragement statements. No differences were found on the posttest scores for the two groups. Consistent with findings from earlier studies, students who chose to see one type of option also chose to see other types.

Sears, Nedra C.; Johnson, Dale M.

doi: 10.1080/00220671.1986.10885682pmid: N/A

AbstractVisual imagery as a factor relating to spelling performance and retention was compared with auditory and kinesthetic factors among upper elementary students. When pretreatment achievement differences were controlled, significant effects of treatment on both spelling performance and retention were obtained.A posteriori pairwise comparison of adjusted means revealed that visual imagery was superior to auditory for both spelling performance and retention. The results support the hypothesis that visual imagery is an important factor in spelling performance and retention, particularly when coupled with appropriate imagery suggestions that serve as visual memory locations for the visual code.

Lathrop, Robert L.

doi: 10.1080/00220671.1986.10885683pmid: N/A

AbstractIn many practical settings, test results are used as a basis for making decisions of a categorical nature. Students are judged to have mastery if they score above some predetermined cutoff score. Teachers are eligible for merit pay if they score above some designated point on a performance measure. Students are allowed to graduate from high school if they demonstrate minimum math and language levels on a functional test.In these and numerous other examples, decisions are made based on assessment devices that are known to be less than perfectly reliable. For most examinees, the unreliability of a well-designed assessment device is not sufficient to lead to misclassification. For a significant portion of examinees who have scores near the cutting score, however, the risk of misclassification is substantial even for instruments with relatively high retest reliability. Several practical suggestions are made for minimizing the risk of misclassification of examinees with scores near the cutoff score.

Schunk, Dale H.; Gunn, Trisha P.

doi: 10.1080/00220671.1986.10885684pmid: N/A

AbstractThis study determined how task strategies and attributions for success during mathematics learning influenced children's self-efficacy and skills. Children who lacked division skills received training and practiced solving problems. Children's use of effective task strategies was determined from recordings of their verbalizations while they solved problems. Attributions of problem-solving success to high ability exerted the strongest influence on increases in selfefficacy. Higher self-efficacy and use of task strategies promoted children's division skills. Future research should determine the relationship of strategy use and self-efficacy at different times while children are learning. Implications of this study for teaching are discussed.

Ross, Steven M.; McCormick, Deborah; Krisak, Nancy

doi: 10.1080/00220671.1986.10885685pmid: N/A

AbstractStrategies were examined for adapting the context of mathematical materials to student interests. In the learner-choice adaptive strategy, word problems were presented in contexts that individuals selected from four options: education, medical, sports, and abstract. In the standard adaptive strategy, context was selected for subjects according to academic major. Nonadaptive strategies consisted of administering either individuals' least preferred contexts or abstract contexts. Two experiments, using nursing majors and education majors as subjects, favored adaptive contexts on a variety of achievement and attitude measures. No differences, however, occurred between the learner-choice and standard adaptive strategies. Implications of results for increasing students' confidence and proficiency in solving word problems are discussed.