The term "open education" has often been confused with the concept of open area classrooms, not only among educators and the public, but in research as well. The effects of these two concepts were tested in a study of 56 teachers and their students in fifth- and sixth-grade classes in British Columbia. The results showed classroom types…

As part of the instrumentation to assess the effectiveness of the Schools Without Failure (SWF) program in 10 elementary schools in the New Castle, Pa. School District, the Pennsylvania Educational Quality Assessment Attitude Toward School instrument was administered in grades 4-6. With over 20,000 grade 5 pupils, this instrument had shown a…

As part of the instrumentation to assess the effectiveness of the Schools Without Failure (SWF) program in 10 elementary schools in the New Castle, Pa. School District, this 30-item School Attitude Scale was developed to measure children's attitudes toward school in grades 4-6. A verbal response form was used. This form showed a reliability of .91…

Nonhandicapped (N=126) and learning disabled (LD N=20) elementary grade students were interviewed regarding their knowledge and perception of the special education resource room. Both groups had similar perceptions; most non-LD students ranked the resource room as a desirable place; primary LD students perceived it less positively than…

The production activities of a video club for grade 5 students includes a daily news show and video documentaries. This program helps students to use their creative talents, gain interaction skills, and develop more positive attitudes toward learning. Equipment used for the project is described, and eight references are listed. (MES)

Responses of educable mentally retarded (EMR) intermediate students awaiting placement were compared to responses offered by EMR students assigned part-time to regular classrooms. Data indicate a range of worries related to academic performance, social interactions, a transitions. Significant differences between groups were reported with…

A unit on the study of Helen Keller is outlined to create awareness in gifted language arts students (grades 4-6) of the efforts and accomplishments of disabled individuals. (CL)

Dull classroom environments, poor students' attitudes and inhibited conceptual development led to the creation of an innovative mathematics program, the Class Banking System (CBS), which enables teachers to use constructivist ideas and approaches. To assess the effectiveness of the CBS, actual and preferred versions of the Individualized Classroom…

In the early 1990s good readers in low-achieving countries saw reading mostly as a difficult, effortful process while those in high-achieving countries saw reading more as a pleasant, imaginative activity: for them reading was first and foremost enjoyable. This paper attempts to elucidate this concept of reading as enjoyment and tries to determine…

The marked increases in standardized achievement testing have raised concerns of the educational community regarding the value of standardized testing programs and their potentially harmful effect on students. This study incorporated student perceptions and their views of standardized testing and combined this information with their performance on…

In teachers' classroom utilization of certain means of social influence, coercive power was found to produce the least cheating and the most favorable student attitudes, compared to reward and five other power base strategies utilized. Precautions as to the interpretation and possible application of the findings are discussed. (Author/CM)

The assertion that the guaranteed anonymity of the respondent is an essential aspect of the accurate measurement of attitude by means of questionnaires was tested among children in relationship to a questionnaire measuring attitude towards religion. No significant difference in attitude scores was found. (Author/GK)

Results revealed that college students were significantly more punitive toward a child labeled "mentally retarded" than were fourth graders, the labeled child received a significantly less severe punishment than did the nonlabeled child, and the child received the most severe punishment when s/he reacted defiantly and obtained a reward when s/he…

Effects of perceived similarity on 96 fifth- and sixth-grade children's attitudes toward mentally retarded peers were examined. Results showed that children responded more positively toward a retarded target who was depicted as similar to them than toward one who was not. (Author)

Describes how a fourth-grade teacher made poetry part of the daily ritual of her class. Describes how students began to read poems, write poems, and love poems enough to work persistently at reading and writing them. Describes a poetry festival that the class prepared. Describes the many effects, both cognitive and affective, of daily poetry. (SR)