Paradigm Case Analysis (PCA) is a method of increasing instructor effectiveness through the gathering of narratives of critical teaching incidents and experiences from proficient instructors and their analysis in group discussions. Critical Incidents (CI's) may include those in which the instructor's intervention made a significant difference in…

Six teachers from small and rural schools throughout the Northeast were selected as the 1990-91 Laboratory Fellows by the Regional Laboratory for Educational Improvement of the Northeast and Islands. These teachers were chosen for their exceptional strategies for incorporating multilevel grouping in their classrooms, grades 6-12. This publication…

Research on teaching does not play a significant role in the practice of teaching in schools despite the fact that the first scientific studies of teaching were reported nearly 90 years ago. Although there is clear evidence that practical classroom experience unaided by research is not a sufficient basis for effective teaching, it is also true…

The performance of 20 experienced elementary and secondary school teachers was measured and compared with similar data collected about 336 student teachers at the University of Toledo (Ohio). The two observation inventories used were the Classroom Observations Keyed for Effectiveness Research (COKER) and the Teacher Performance Assessment…

The question of evaluating effective teaching in light of the fact that teaching is still the principal function of the university is addressed. Most faculty receive very little specific training in teaching, even though the skills involved are complex and sophisticated. There is a dual responsibility for evaluation of teaching by faculty and…

Investigated in this paper is the extent to which variables used in two major research approaches explain differences in the effectiveness of teachers in improving the vocabulary skills of inner city black children in four elementary grade levels. The two approaches investigated, educational production function research and process-product…

To determine the extent to which new knowledge from educational research is put into practice in the classroom, a questionnaire was sent to English teachers in 13 Indiana public school systems to survey (1) the teachers' acceptance and use of selected classroom practices found in research and professional writings, (2) their awareness of the…

Data obtained from 44 vocational teachers and 519 adult students included measures of student verbal gain, manual gain, satisfaction, and persistence, and of teachers' educational level, experience teaching adults, years of trade experience, age, mental ability, subject matter knowledge, teaching style, and number of teaching techniques used. The…

This digest examines research on indicators of teacher quality. While research on the value of a teacher's advanced degree is mixed, all studies suggest that teachers with degrees in subjects different from the subjects they teach have little impact on students. There is no strong consensus about the value of pedagogical preparation for teachers,…

This publication presents evidence that low-income and minority children are more likely to be in schools with unqualified and ineffective teachers than their white and more affluent peers. A growing body of research claims that this lack of qualified teachers in high-poverty schools is more critical in explaining the underachievement of…

A Web-based survey examined student rankings of teacher-student and student-technology interactions in distance education courses. Respondents were 61 students taking undergraduate or graduate distance education courses in special education at a Carnegie Research I university. Five instructors taught these courses. Three were full-time faculty…

Concerns about the quality of the nation's public education system have drawn attention to key elements of teacher effectiveness (Darling-Hammond 2000; Lewis et al. 1999; Mayer, Mullens, and Moore 2001; National Commission on Teaching and America's Future 1996). While there is little consensus on what constitutes high-quality teachers, past…

Assesses the use of clinical experience to improve the classroom performance of teachers and discusses in detail a research project at the University of Alberta that sought to identify effective teaching skills and to measure behavior changes of student teachers during their practicum experiences. (Author/WD)

Using the Personal Teaching Efficacy Scale, a study investigated the comparative efficacy of six groups of educators with varying levels of experience. Efficacy scores were higher for experienced educators in some simulated classroom situations and for preservice students in others. No pattern of situation types resulted in differences among the…

Examines the question of Russian teachers' attitudes toward the profession and toward the work in a specific educational institution. Finds that teachers' sense of social well-being results from the perception of their social position, whereas their sense of professional well-being is discussed in terms of self-assessment of personal and…