The purpose for this study is to look at the effects of a specific comprehension strategy---Reciprocal Teaching (RT; Palincsar & Brown, 1983,1984) on the performance of intermediate elementary students in the intermediate elementary grades on a standardized literacy assessment. The study was carried out in two implementation stages: a pilot…

Teachers can potentially address reading comprehension deficits in a content area, such as science, by using the students in their classrooms as resources. We examined the effects of a class-wide partner reading intervention with science reading materials on a measure of content comprehension skills. A total of 65 fourth-grade students and 61…

Tracking individual reading behaviors is a difficult task, as is carrying out real-time recording and analysis throughout the reading process, but these aims are worth pursuing. In this study, the reading rate is adopted as an indicator to identify different reading behaviors and comprehension outcomes. A reading rate tracking technique is thus…

The math achievement of students is low in a small rural district in Colorado. The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of a summer third through fifth grade math program in improving math scores. Piaget's theory of cognitive development was used as the theoretical foundation for the math instructional resource delivered to the…

This article examines the impacts of summer instruction and test-based grade retention in New York City. We use a research design that exploits test score cutoffs used in assignment to these treatments. We find modest positive effects of summer instruction on English language arts (ELA) achievement for students assigned to summer instruction…

Although several different reading fluency intervention approaches appear promising for adolescents who are struggling readers, few studies have directly compared various approaches. The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) to determine the relative effects of word-oriented, fluency-oriented, comprehension-oriented, and multi-component…

This study tested the acceptability and efficacy of an innovative intelligent tutoring system (ITS), "Adventures Aboard the S.S. GRIN," that translates the evidence-based in-person Social Skills Group Intervention (SSGRIN), into an interactive game-based social tutorial. This randomized controlled pilot trial tested the first half of the…

A longitudinal study of the influence of education on children's ability to define and explain astronomical concepts was conducted with 20 students aged 10 and 11. At 2 months after the lessons, students recalled the explanations they were taught, but 4 years later they provided only everyday and inaccurate explanations. (SLD)

To determine whether cooperative learning methods could be used to replace traditional methods, the simultaneous use of three student team learning methods with fourth and fifth grade students was evaluated. This involved students working in teams to master academic materials. Positive outcomes resulted from intensive use of these methods.…

This study focused on the relationship of seven characteristics of effective schools (instructional leadership, environment, expectations for student achievement, schoolwide instructional goals and objectives, classroom practices, monitoring of student progress, and home-school relations); six demographic variables (school size, student…

This paper describes the development, validation, and analysis of a classroom learning environment questionnaire that uses parent perceptions in conjunction with student perceptions in investigating classroom learning environments in grades 4 and 5 in a South Florida school. Two modified versions of the What Is Happening in this Class (WIHIC)…

Investigated the impact of the 14-week Purdue Creative Thinking Program on learning disabled intermediate grade children. Found pupils in the experimental group made significantly higher scores on the creativity variables of the verbal subtest of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking. (Author/JAC)

Investigates the relationship of psychomotor skills instruction on student attitudes in grades 4-6 towards singing and general music instruction. Finds females have more positive attitudes, interest declines as grade-level increases, group vocal instruction may produce more positive attitudes, and a positive relationship between liking to sing in…

This book presents findings of the second phase of a study conducted by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). Specifically, the study sought to identify the educational programs and leadership practices that were used in successfully restructuring middle schools. Of 46 principals at middle schools that met the NASSP's…

This study assessed the effects of an activity-centered health education program on the general health beliefs and self-reported behavior of fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. This program and a more traditional, science text-based program, were compared. Methodology and results are reported. (JL)