To assess the educational effectiveness of open plan schools, a standardized test of reading, spelling, and mathematics achievement was administered to grade 2 pupils in two open plan and ten conventionally constructed schools. Scores on all three measures, plus the average attained scores on an academic ability test, were not significantly…

This study compared the time use and perceptions of schools, teachers, and friends of approximately 290 demographically matched students in Montessori and traditional middle schools. We used the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) and questionnaires and conducted multivariate analyses showing that the Montessori students (a) reported more positive…

This study compared the effects of multi-age classroom strategies to those of traditional classroom strategies on the academic achievement of fourth grade students in reading and math. Standardized test scores from 20 fourth-grade students in two multi-age third- and fourth-grade classrooms were compared to the scores of 20 students from 7…

A study compared performances on a test of selective auditory attention between students educated in open-space versus closed classroom environments. An open-space classroom environment was defined as having no walls separating it from hallways or other classrooms. It was hypothesized that the incidence of auditory figure-ground (ability to focus…

A total of 59 Senegalese adult and college students filled out a questionnaire in a study designed to gather data about their reading habits. The 15-item instrument, written in English and French, required yes or no responses to questions that described students' satisfaction with reading ability, types of materials read, perceptions of reading…

As a part of a longitudinal study of learning in open plan and conventional design classrooms, the present study focuses on school design and its influence on selected behavior of pupils and teachers. The behaviors of pupils and their teachers in eleven learning areas of open plan and seven of conventional design were observed. Among the 18…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were significant differences in the academic achievement of children attending three different types of school: a model "open" school, a comparable "traditional" school, and a traditional school with a student population from a higher socioeconomic area. Data based on…

TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE GRADUATES OF MELBOURNE HIGH SCHOOL, IN BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA, WERE SUFFICIENTLY DIFFERENT FROM GRADUATES OF ANOTHER HIGH SCHOOL IN THE SAME DISTRICT TO WARRANT FURTHER RESEARCH, A PILOT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED. MELBOURNE HAS RECEIVED ACCLAIM FOR ITS NONGRADED, CONTINUOUS PROGRESS, INNOVATIVE CURRICULUM AND FOR THE NUMEROUS…

This paper, which presents a comparison of informal and formal preschool programs, describes the arguments used by proponents of the formal, more structured, teacher-centered programs and the informal, more child-centered, programs. Some of the evidence for the effects of early experience on child development and for the effects of teaching style…

Ten hypotheses were tested to evaluate the effects on pupils and teachers of open space construction. Over 2,000 students in open and traditional schools were selected for experimental and "control" groups. Grades 4 and 7 pupils were selected specifically since major data indicative of academic achievement were drawn from the County…

In the spring of 1973, a standardized test of reading and mathematics skills was administered to 564 grade 3 pupils distributed among two open plan schools (155 pupils) and seven conventionally constructed schools (409 pupils). The groups were matched on IQ, geographic location, the academic qualifications of their teachers, and average class…

Based on primary research relating to the theoretical framework of alternative schools, this study investigated teachers' and students' perceptions of instructional practices in alternative and conventional public schools to determine if differences in actual teaching practices do occur between the two types of schooling. Ten high schools…

Teacher achievement expectation effects were investigated for third- and fourth-graders (24 boys and 24 girls, each grade) in open and traditional classrooms. The main and interaction effects of teacher achievement expectation (High/Low), class type (Open/Traditional), sex of child and grade level on students' behavior and teacher-student…

A comprehensive evaluation of the characteristics of students attending a public alternative school revealed marked differences between the experimental group (the alternative school) and a control group (students attending a regular public school). Alternative school students showed significantly lower achievement and ability on all measures,…