For more than two decades, the concept of student engagement has grown from simple attention in class to a construct comprised of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components that embody and further develop motivation for learning. Similarly, the goals of student engagement have evolved from dropout prevention to improved outcomes for lifelong…

This fourth volume of a six-volume study of a school district code-named "Milford" provides an ethnographic account of Kensington School today. Tracing the school's development through the 1979-80 school year, the study's central metaphor is of a ship on a perilous journey. Chapter 1 describes the school's opening day and "Crosscurrents in…

Outlines a study of two teachers' image of "the classroom as home" illustrating how personal and professional experiences are expressed in their classroom practices. Offers a theoretical concept of "image" as knowledge incorporating theoretical, practical, objective, and subjective experience. (MD)

Discusses theoretical perspectives for improving teachers' understandings of task assignment in classrooms, and presents evidence from two British studies that highlight both the extent of the task assignment problem and possible causes. (SKC)

Argues that classroom learning inevitably requires adaptive responses by students, and that teachers should deliberately promote the development of students' adaptive learning within a supportive classroom environment by emphasizing the constructive benefits of functional failure and the limited benefits of uninformative success. (SKC)

Describes a study of Eugene, Oregon, secondary school students which was conducted to determine patterns of microcomputer usage at home and at school; microcomputer activities engaged in at home and at school and time spent on each activity; and relationship between home and school use of microcomputers. (MBR)

The experiences of a teacher for Distance University Education via Television (DUET) at Mount Saint Vincent University in Nova Scotia are related in this conference paper. The format used is that of a hypothetical conversation with a DUET faculty member, and the content is based on a series of structured interviews in which actual faculty members…

A study of the effects of microcomputer use in classrooms and homes on the growth of school-readiness skills of kindergartners used pre- and posttested experimental and control groups to assess reading readiness, mathematics readiness, Piagetian operations, and keyboard knowledge. Teacher implementation strategies and techniques used by nonreaders…

Offers a descriptive theory of the nature of classroom tasks. Describes the interplay among (1) the conditions under which tasks are set; (2) the cognitive plans students use to accomplish tasks; and (3) the products students create as a result of their task-related efforts. (SKC)

Examined classroom task environments and their relation to elementary students' task-related beliefs. Found two dimensions of teachers' practice associated with desirable patterns of student beliefs: (1) extent to which information is structured to make it predictable and comprehensible; and (2) frequency of opportunity for students to regulate…

A field experiment was conducted to determine whether descriptive-correlational results from classroom management research could be implemented by junior high school teachers, and whether such implementation would result in improved classroom management. An experimental group (18 teachers) received management manuals developed by researchers, and…

Reports on a study of the classroom environment and student attitudes in 38 secondary Chinese classrooms. Finds that, despite considerable cultural and political differences, the classroom environment in social studies is remarkably similar to that in the United States. Concludes that diverse activities and active student involvement are related…

Surveying a project that was conducted through the Center for the Study of Writing at Carnegie Mellon University, this book details the classroom inquiries conducted during the 4-year project (1988-1992) by 33 teacher-researchers from secondary and postsecondary classrooms. The articles and their authors are: (1) "Teachers as Theory…

This report reviews research that demonstrates how gender inequity is not only learned and accepted in the socialization process that starts at home, but is also present in the school environment from the very early years, consciously or unconsciously, reinforcing sex stereotypes. Findings are examined in three areas: (1) interactions in the…

This study investigated the seating patterns of target students in science classrooms to see if there was an action zone or t-zone present. Fifty-six physical science and chemistry classes were observed using the Brophy-Good Teacher-Child Dyadic Observation System. Target students were identified and their interactions were compared to non-target…