Problems encountered in evaluating the effectiveness of an English elective program indicated the need for the development of a criterion-referenced diagnostic test for determining students' knowledge and understanding of certain basic language concepts in the field of English. A survey of 76 English elective programs throughout the United States…

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the current practices in freshman English in Oklahoma colleges. The population in this study included all Oklahoma institutions of higher education fully accredited by the state as of July 1, 1972, and extending through June 30, 1973. Some of the findings were: three-fourths of the senior colleges and all…

Combining academic prose, some narrative, a poem, and some literary criticism, this project paper presents a theoretical framework for the literature base of the curriculum the teacher hopes to make operational on various levels over several years. The first section of the paper discusses the goals and various approaches of multicultural…

Ninety-one teachers in three elementary schools, kindergarten through sixth grade, participated in a study of the relationships between teachers' educational preparation in the area of children's literature and the role of children's literature in their classrooms. Each teacher completed a questionnaire about educational preparation, reading of…

This study compared three instructional approaches used in freshman composition courses: a writing-practice approach, a rhetorical technique approach, and a traditional grammar approach. An interview, classroom observations, and a questionnaire were used to analyze the instructional approaches of ten instructors. Two paragraphs on assigned topics…

A sample of 412 secondary school English teachers from 42 schools participated in a study of the effect of selected mechanical errors on teachers' evaluations of nonmechanical aspects of students' writing. Three revised versions of a student's paragraph were prepared: in the first, all mechanical errors were removed; in the second, the student's…

The two primary objectives of this dissertation were to describe the 48 novels taught in English classes in a specific secondary school in Pennsylvania and, through a survey, to determine whether these novels were unique or representative of novels taught in other Pennsylvania schools. The description of each novel includes a critical summary, the…

This study investigated certain characteristics of the attitudes of classroom teachers of English toward written student response to literature. Specifically, the study attempted to determine the preference or lack of preference for categories of student response to literature, using four categories: engagement-involvement, perception,…

The purposes of the study were (1) to ascertain how public high school teachers of English in New England are teaching drama and using drama activities in their classrooms; (2) to design a set of guidelines for the teaching of drama and the use of drama activities; (3) to discover how teachers of English in New England public schools are prepared…

The rhetorical model for improving the basic writing skills of college students is presented from three perspectives. As a diagnostic tool, the model isolates five areas of concern for the developing communicator: surfacing tacit awareness, broadening perception, broadening the communicative repertoire, developing analytical and evaluative skills,…

This study develops historical and theoretical context and presents empirical support for a personal growth model for teaching English in secondary schools, one that centers the English program around instruction in writing or composition. The model is intended to facilitate development in many overlapping and mutually intensifying ways, always…

The purpose of this study was to come to a greater understanding of contemporary high fantasy for children by analyzing in depth the nature and functions of four key motifs of this sub-genre of fantasy. These motifs are created worlds, time displacement, quest, and combat between good and evil. The 47 books chosen for analysis were recommended in…

The purpose of this study is two-fold: it determines and describes quantatively the current status of multiple-elective programs in English in the public schools of New Jersey, and it analyzes and appraises qualitatively--using case study--two-semester elective programs for grades 11 and 12, the predominant pattern of course offerings of New…

This investigation is concerned with teachers' attitudes toward activities students engage in before writing, the purpose of students' writing, and their motivation for writing. The findings of the study indicate that classroom discussion seems to be teacher-centered, with very little action taking place among the students; most of the teachers…

This study was conducted to extend the present state of research involving independent study as a teaching and learning methodology in the 2-year community college. A stratified random sample of 241 subjects was organized into six day and two night sessions of freshman English at Prince George's Community College, Largo, Maryland. Four instructors…