Data collected from students in grades four, seven, and nine indicated that student motivation, teacher quality, and social-psychological and management-organization variables were most consistently related to social studies attitudes for each grade level and gender. (Author/RM)

Describes a method of peer group teaching that stresses group responsibility and awareness of goals. (JL)

This introductory paper identifies critical issues related to organization of caregiving environments for young children with handicaps, including physical and programmatic features, transitions between activities, transition between special preschool and kindergarten settings, classroom organization, the social-physical environment, the home…

Examines the theory of a causal relationship between classroom environments and junior high school students' attitudes towards the social studies, replicating the research methodology of a high school study. Environmental dimensions found to be related towards positive attitudes include teacher support, affiliation, innovation, and involvement,…

An ethnographic study examined the organization of work and play in a kindergarten fostering spontaneous play in the generation of work, as inspired by Froebel and Dewey. Found that the dominance of structures favoring work in the use of time, product tracking, and instructive language severely reduced the time, social relationships, and…

Explores the nature of indigenous extended family relationships and determines its potential for designing new classroom structures in bicultural schools. Reports supporting views from the work of several educators in bicultural schools. Shows that children in family-based schools had fewer late, absent, and dropout incidents than those in…

Presents a case study of three experienced teachers' perceptions of appropriate approaches for management of their classroom environments, comparing their views to those of their students. Data from interviews and questionnaires highlighted differences in teachers' decision making about classroom environment which related to pedagogic style. There…

Describes one teacher's inclusion of the Morning Meeting concept in her third-grade classroom and relates student success in standardized testing to its implementation. Provides detailed information on Morning Meeting including its structure, rationale, and influence; includes an argument for immediate implementation. Concludes by asserting that…

A program was implemented for improving student's motivation in order to increase their performance and self-esteem. The targeted population consisted of primary grade students in middle-class communities within the southwest suburbs of Chicago. Analysis of probable cause data revealed students' lack of skills related to organization,…

Classroom management is defined as the organization of the classroom as a learning environment; the management of student discipline, order, and care; the grouping of students for different tasks and patterns of interaction; and the individualization of student learning. This paper reports on two Swedish case studies of contrasting classroom…

This ethnographic study investigated the process of rule-making in two public kindergarten classrooms in Korea. Two teachers and 38 children, ages 5 and 6 years old, participated. Analyses of observation field notes and videotapes showed teachers making weekly rules for classroom, activity centers, and special activities, using both whole-group…

This paper examines the methods used in designing school and classroom environments. The tools are labeled: (1) discipline-centered schooling; (2) empirical-naturalistic schooling; and (3) great works schooling. First, the outline endeavors to reveal the essential elements of the three tools that represent images, structures, or "maps" of…

A total of 20 first- and second-grade classrooms were observed to determine the nature of their behavior settings, and to ascertain teacher goals and values implicit in the classroom organization. Observation revealed strong differences among subject areas in both time allotment and variety of resources and activities. Language arts occupied the…

This guide provides specific information on designing and implementing a reading program. The guide is divided into the following six parts: (1) "Planning for Instruction," including sections on setting ideal goals, establishing a "reality base," and organizing a work flow; (2) "Content Organization," including sections on the structure of…

This paper raises a series of questions about the nature of classroom instruction, in general, and about mathematics and reading instruction in the lower elementary school grades, in particular. It focuses on such aspects of the social organization of instruction as (1) the diversity of student populations, (2) the motivating force behind…