Showing papers in "Journal of Education in 1972"

The Effect of a Series of Special Lessons on Indian History and Culture Upon the Attitudes of Indian and Non-Indian Students. Final Report.

Abstract: Traditional social studies programs in elementary schools give little recognition to the contribution of the American Indianto our culture and heritage. This researcher found this to be particularly true in both offreservation and on-reservation schools of Maine. It was found that Indian and non-Indian children alike had lillie concept of the major role the Indian had played in our history and of his potential in today's society. In an effort to change the attitudes toward the Indian of Indian and non-Indian children, a series of special lessons were prepared by this researcher. These lessons consisted of 8 mrn, color, sound-film, slide-tape presentations, and some commercial material. These lessons emphasized the positive aspects of the Indian and, more ~'mponantly, brought out little known aspects of the contributions of Indians to our an, cultural heritage, and contemporary society. These lessons make great use of media and stress involvement on the pan of the students. The discarding of inadequate textbook material and traditional classroom approaches certainly did a great deal to gain acceptance of the special lessons. In order to measure the effectiveness of the special lessons, an experiment with a control group and an experimental group was conducted. The control groups received only the preand post-testing; they did not receive exposure to the special lessons. One Indian school and one non-Indian school composed the control group. There were ninety-one youngsters in the control group. The experimental group consisted of seventy-two youngsters in an Indian school and in a non-Indian school. These students received the preand post-testing and also received the exposure to the special lessons.

A Cause Analysis of the Emigration of Highly Trained Manpower from Poor to Rich Countries.

Abstract: The emigration of trained manpower from one country to another, popularly known as the brain drain, is perhaps the most unobtrusive phenomenon related to the entire process of what is called \"development.\" Like the weather, some people talk about it, but nobody does much about it. It is often an embarrassment: those countries which \"receive\" the brains usually make good use of them cheaply. So they keep it quiet; unconsciously if not consciously. The situation can be likened to the manager of a large assembly hall who does not publicize the fact that he is using a Japanese-made sound system for a D.A.R. rally. By the same token those countries-particularly underdeveloped countries-which \"lose\" the brains are not inclined to talk about their loss. They are cenainly sorry to see their trained manpower go, and after all, if you produce something that is generally good, and are not able to use or consume it yourself, there is some cause for hankering after it. It is not unlike the situation with Colombian coffee or Irish whiskey. Both products are internationally recognized as being of the highest quality; however their quality for local consumption is below-par when compared to that for expon. The matter of embarrassment over brain drain may be more significant than just for making jokes however. It should be seriously considered. There is a dearth of statistics available for seriously studying the phenomenon of brain drain-vital information such as numbers and types of \"Ieavers \" and \"returnees\" is simply lacking-and apparently not enough serious effortsare being made on a scale necessary to correct this shoncoming. It is not far-fetched, I think, to connect this lack of statistics with the feelingsof embarrassment. After all, good statistics may expose a problem which is more serious than it now seems. Hence the risk of funhering the embarrassment for both sides is increased. It should also be

Commonalities of Science Interests Held by Intermediate Grade Children.

Abstract: One of the problems confronting education today is concerned with the search for effective ways of teaching science in the elementary school. It has become increasingly apparent, for example, that young children require an understanding of certain simple scientific principles to use as they attempt to solve the alarming environmental problems that threaten the existence of life itself. As science takes its place as an integral part of the elementary school curriculum, it is imperative that every effort be made to discover rather precisely the nature and scope of the interests that children display in particular areas of science. A fair uniformity exists in the thinking today that learning is likely to occur more deliberately and more readily when a child accepts as useful and important those learning activities in which he is expected to engage. The improvement of science education in the United States has, in the past, been thwarted simply because basic statistical data about the nature and scope of science interests held by elementary grade children are surprisingly lacking. The problem: A study was undertaken to determine the particular areas in science which are of common interest to intermediate grade boys and girls from three different environmental settings. The following specific problems were examined as they developed from the larger central purpose of the study:

The Expectations Crisis.

Abstract: A CERTAIN degree of conflict between the expectations and needs of an institution and those of individuals inhabiting the institution will always be present, and may always be desirable. There comes a point, however, at which the conflict between individual and institutional expectations may be of such magnitude that the system, composed of these two conceptually independent but operationally interrelated components, literally grinds to a halt. The schools of this nation have increasingly over the past five years approached that point. Parent and student boycotts, student and teacher strikes, public refusal to approve necessary financial support are but a few symptoms of the conflict inherent in the social system of the school. To expect those directly affected by the conflicts between individually and institutionally prescribed behavior to systematically address causes rather than symptoms would be unrealistic. Those who are held accountable for the crises confronting the schools may by virtue of their own history be least qualified to assess the several dimensions of individual conflicts. By the same token, the ultimate resolution will have to be effectuated by all parties affected by the resolution. It is contended that the application and testing of various theoretical constructs upon the phenomena occurring by those not directly affected might provide a means to organize the data emanating from the various crises in a manner conducive to the development of strategies appropriate to the parameters of the problem. The various models emanating from Parson's social system theory (1) suggest one viable approach for assessing the current state of the schools. Using this approach, the point of departure becomes the testing of the hypothesis that the increased degree of conflict affecting school operation is a product of the increasing dissonance between the nomothetic and ideographic components of the system. The phenomenon of conflict between individual and institution and institution and the

Reexamining Teacher Education.

Abstract: ALTHOUGH a survey of the research on teacher effectiveness shows a dearth of answers concerning the nature of effective teaching, various competencies of the teacher are considered to be significant variables. Unfortunately, more money and time are presently engaged for research on other school related factors in the learning process such as per pupil expenditure, physical structures, uses of technology, etc., than are allocated to studies of the teacher as a singular variable and as a variable in the related factors. A glance through such sources such as the Encyclopedia of Educational Research or The Journal of Teacher Education indicates that even less time is involved in research on the education of the teacher. Silberman's recent book, Crisis in the Classroom s has documented, on a more extensive scale, the imperfect state of knowledge which exists in teacher education. Institutions responsible for the education of teachers at the local, state, and national level need to dedicate this decade to carefully designed experiments of alternative teacher education programs and subsequent follow-up studies of the teacher. Granted this would call for longitudinal studies; however, it might also serve to provide educational researchers with data concerning the relationship between certain teacher behaviors and their effect on the learning process. These conclusions, in turn, could serve as a foundation for building a theoretical or conceptual framework for designing teacher education programs. Teacher education suffers greatly from a lack of such a framework. Sarason, Davidson, and Blatt in their book, (1) The Preparation of Teachers: An Unstudied Problem in Education, point out that the education of teachers from the time of the Oswego movement has been designed not from theory but in response to the needs of public schools. The curriculum has stressed the more technical aspects of teaching with a minimum of time devoted to theories or research in education. Perhaps more importantly, teacher education during its institutional development had little contact writh or relation to the academic orientation of the universities.

Behavioral Objectives Writing Skills Test.

Abstract: Since 1918 the relevance of utilizing behavioral objectives in classroom planning has been a source of debate among educators. Some authors (Morrison, 1965; Wittrock, 1969; Eiss, 1970) have suggested that a clearly stated objective may positively influence the instructional process. Others (Anderson and Gates, 1950; Krathwohl, 1965) cite various levels of specificity that may be obtained when behavioral objectives are a primary foundation of the instructional process. Evaluators (Tyler, 1951; Ammons, 1962; Michael and Metfessel, 1967; Popham and Baker, 1970) suggest that the behavioral objective may be relevant in classroom measurement. While the behavioral objective has been applauded by some, others (Eisner, 1968; Ebel, 1970; Macdonald and Wolfson, 1970) have evidenced much skepticism regarding this issue. In reviewing the vast body of literature dealing with this topic, the author became extremely interested with articles dealing with the training of teachers to utilize behavioral objectives in classroom planning. While many authors (Baker, 1967; Gilpin, 1962; Bemis and Schroeder, 1969; Openshaw, 1965; Hite, 1968) have suggested ways of educating the teacher in the development of behavioral objectives, few cited ways to measure this knowledge. Therefore, the Behavioral Objectives Writing Skills Test (BOWST) is designed to provide an estimate of the elementary teacher's ability to write behavioral objectives. This instrument, which requires the teacher to develop three behavioral objectives for each of four hypothetical classroom settings, has wide utility as a teacher training tool. It may be administered as both a preand post-test in either in-service or pre-service programs which attempt to measure the ability of teachers to write behavioral objectives. The BOWST has the following advantages as a measuring instrument: ( 1 ) extensive preparation is not needed for its administration or scoring; (2) it is untimed and therefore is not a speed test; (3) no oral response is required; and (4) alternate forms of the test are provided to facilitate repeated measures.

The Relationships of Imitation to Children's Ideational Fluency.

Abstract: The Problem This experiment is based on (I) an extrapolation of the findings on imitation. It seems reasonable to assume that if children imitate gross acts, subtle behaviors and single words, they might also imitate whole ideas. (See Table I.) The research is also based on the (2) heuristic argument that if exposure to and use of language increases one's fluency with language (John, 1964), then exposure to and use of ideas should result in greater fluency with ideas. The question is this: do children imitate other children's ideas? If a child does imitate other children's ideas, will he become more fluent with ideas himself? The following experiment was designed to provide information on these questions.

A Curriculum of Priorities.

Abstract: WITH the realization that teacher educational institutions are being urgently challenged by social and political agencies to prepare highly qualified educational workers for the educational system, a committee* composed of members of the School of Education at Boston University met to renovate the existing undergraduate teacher education program. This committee set as its goal the development of a curriculum that would enable the graduate: to evaluatively deal with the problems and challenges that he may encounter in his professional life; to foresee the implications that such encounters may have upon the teaching-learning act; and to implement and evaluate change where it may be needed. The development of this curriculum had as its philosophical /psychological bases the teachings of such men as Dewey and James.

Federal Aid to Education, 1867–1971 Assumptions, Needs, and Behavioral Objectives

Abstract: Martin L. Kaufman, Ed.D. Perspective A century ago the United States was, as it is now an immense, sprawling conglomerate of highly diverse and sophisticated political, social, and economic constituent components, Each component interacted with each other component to create a multi-level and fluid group of constituent matrices. These matrices often produced points of view so in opposition to one another that the resultant legislation surrounding these points of view was unclear as to purpose and unfulfilling as to national needs. Educational legislation during the past one hundred odd years has been based upon vague assumptions as to what schooling can actually accomplish. National and regional needs were, as they are today, assessed from a predominantly ideological viewpoint with very little research to support the realism of the assessed needs. The implied behavioral objectives I of federal legislation during the past century have been, at best nonspecific. The task of this analysis is to examine the underlying assumptions, assumed needs, and implied behavioral objectives of federal legislation since 1867 in an historical perspective.

A Case Study Analysis of Several Children's Responses to Metaphorical Experiences.

Abstract: For many centuries great thinkers, scientists, and inventors have commented and reflected upon the unusual power of metaphorical thought. For example, Edison described his insight into inventing the telephone in terms of a metaphorical thought. He commented on how the bones of the human ear were large as compared with the delicate thin membrane that operated them. This made Edison think that perhaps a thicker and stouter piece of membrane could move his piece of steel. And, of course, the telephone was invented. 1 Another example is that of Kekule, who by associating himself with a snake swallowing its tail began to think of the benzene molecule as a ring rather than a chain of carbon atoms.2 And Brunei's solution to developing an underwater construction was solved by watching a shipworm tunnel into a timber. "The worm constructed a tube for itself as it moved forward, and the classical notion of caissons arose."3 Bruner is one scholar who has attempted to describe and analyze metaphorical thought. In his book, On Knowing, Essays for the Left Hand, he talked about the creative experience as being an act that produces "effective surprise." One type of effective surprise was "metaphorical effectiveness." It involved the connection of domains "of experiences that were apart, but with the form of connectedness that has the discipline of art . . . Metaphoric combination leaps beyond systematic placement and explores connections that before were unsuspected.4 However, although there has been some effort to describe how adults think metaphorically, there has been almost no effort made to discern how children use metaphor and if children can be helped to use metaphor beyond its random occurrence to induce innovative thinking. Gordon has developed materials to encourage creative thinking in children based upon his metaphorical approach.5 However, his exper-

Institutional Partnerships: A New Challenge.

Abstract: AN EXAMINATION of the ten models of teacher education, funded by the United States Officeof Education, demonstrates the contributions made by theory and technology to the organization of experiences in teacher education since Cyrus Pierce's normal school in 1839. (2) All of the models, however, address themselves to the same basic problem in teacher education which confronted Cyrus Pierce: that of relating academic learning and theory to the role of the teacher in a practical situation. The solutions provided by the models to this basic curriculum problem are varied but most assume a closer partnership than previously existed between the teacher education institution and the schools.