Examining student reactions to teachers' comments on themes, this study aimed to determine the effects of various combinations of reinforcement upon three dependent variables: (1) student perception of comments as positive or negative, (2) student satisfaction with comments, and (3) student confidence in writing ability. Six intermediate and…

The major objective of this study was to determine the effect on academic performance of the 12th year English background of students in college freshman composition. Student survey forms were given to 415 students enrolled in their first college English course in order to assess their past writing experiences, and questionnaires were sent to…

This study attempts to determine relationships among the understanding of English syntactic patterns, reading achievement and grade point average among students at Bronx Community College (New York). The students used in the study were 124 entering freshmen who scored below 60 on the Nelson-Denny Reading Test, and who were enrolled in the reading…

Research designed to discover the effect of individual instruction and team teaching upon the academic growth of students in high school English during a six weeks summer school session is discussed. Two control and experimental groups were used. Results are given in tabular form. (CK)

The importance of state academic standards soared in January 2002 with passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Not only does that milestone law require all states to have demanding academic standards in place and to demonstrate steady student progress toward academic proficiency as set forth in those standards, it also links states'…

A study attempted to determine if block scheduling in secondary schools affected curriculum and student achievement in English courses. Interviews were conducted with 22 teachers, 4 principals and 1 former principal; questionnaires were collected from 44 students. Of these, 10 teachers, 3 principals, and 23 students were in schools with rotating…

This study investigated the effect of curriculum modifications in the English 3 (11th grade) program on at-risk students. A literature review revealed that programs including curriculum modifications have been implemented by various school systems to help reduce dropout problems and/or to assist students who are at risk of failing. This study used…

Arguing that our democratic society needs citizens with advanced language and thinking skills, this paper invites readers to take part in a Literacy Compact in their communities. It first discusses what a Literacy Compact is, describing it as a pact between students, English language arts teachers, parents, school administrators, and communities…

Explores the gender differences in achievement in New Zealand secondary schools within English, mathematics, and science. Examines the achievement of girls in single-sex versus coeducational schools. Utilizes data from a longitudinal study of 37 schools and national-level data from the New Zealand Ministry of Education and the National…

Methods that have been linked to improvements in student performance are used by a parent/teacher educator to analyze the poor teaching methods and questionable class activities of a semihypothetical ninth-grade English teacher. The article argues that if these methods can move students up two percentiles, the methods used by this teacher can move…

In 1998, California voters approved Initiative 227, requiring that all limited-English children be provided an English-immersion program for 1 year or longer as needed. Hispanic parents are leaders in the movement. Dire predictions that bilingual children in English-language classrooms would fall behind have not materialized. (Contains 18…

Teachers have been under pressure in the United Kingdom to devise pedagogic strategies to raise boys' achievement. This article reviews the emergence of the concept of a "setting" from within the sociocultural literature as the basis for considering the interaction between gender and learning. The second section reports findings from an…

A modified multiple baseline across behaviors design was used to evaluate the effects of an interdependent group contingency program with randomly selected contingency components on the academic performance of an intact middle-school class serving five male students with serious emotional disturbance (SED). During the initial intervention phase,…

This document presents the proceedings of the 17th Annual Research Forum held June 29, 2012, at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Included herein are the following 25 action research papers: (1) "Reading and Writing": A Study Comparing the Strengths of Peer Review and Visible Author Writing Strategies (Elizabeth Behar); (2)…

This study examines the impact of 2 professional learning community (PLC) classroom practices on the English Language Arts achievement of California's most at-risk subgroups between selected higher- and lower-performing elementary schools in a southern California school district. The conclusions from this study agree with the body of research,…