Showing papers in "Journal of Educational Research in 1987"
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the effect of perceived parental involvement on grades through TV time and time spent on homework and found that parental involvement has an important direct, positive effect on grades.
Abstract: Current concern with improving student academic progress within American education underscores the need to understand those manipulable influences that can affect academic learning. Parental involvement is considered an important influence on academic progress. Time spent on homework and in leisure TV viewing has an important effect on academic learning. Such time is potentially manipulable through parental effort. Using the massive High School and Beyond data set, the present study examines the direct effects of perceived parental involvement on grades. It also examines the indirect effect of such involvement on grades through TV time and time spent on homework. Parental involvement has an important direct, positive effect on grades. Additionally, parental involvement also leads to increased time spent on homework, which in turn has a positive effect on grades. The effect of parental involvement on grades through TV time appears negligible. In the current push for means to improve student academi...
462 citations
TL;DR: This paper presented a model describing three context variables hypothesized to affect measures of teacher efficacy, including the nature of the student performance outcome, the ability of the students involved, and the scope of influence (single student or group of students).
Abstract: This article presents a model describing three context variables hypothesized to affect measures of teacher efficacy. These variables include the nature of the student performance outcome (positive or negative), the ability of the students involved (high or low), and the scope of influence (single student or group of students). The results from studies investigating the influence of performance outcome and student ability variables are summarized. The present study focuses on the scope of influence variable. Data were gathered from 114 experienced elementary and secondary teachers through attitudinal and perceptual self-reports. Correlational analysis generally supported the model, but factor-analytic procedures failed to yield clearly distinct factor dimensions. Possible explanations and implications are discussed.
234 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the accuracy of principals' judgments of teacher performance as predictors of teacher effectiveness was studied for each of 46 elementary school principals, and correlations were obtained between judgments of effectiveness of teachers in three roles and gains of students in their classes in arithmetic and reading.
Abstract: This is a study of the accuracy of principals’ judgments of teacher performance as predictors of teacher effectiveness. For each of 46 elementary school principals, correlations were obtained between judgments of effectiveness of teachers in three roles and gains of students in their classes in arithmetic and reading. The mean accuracy of judgments of teacher effectiveness in helping students acquire fundamental knowledge was .20, and there were no significant differences in the accuracy of judgments made by different principals. There was evidence the judgments of teachers of grades 3 and 5 were more accurate than judgments of teachers of grades 2, 4, and 6. Possible explanations of the low accuracy of the judgments are discussed.
157 citations
TL;DR: The authors compared students' attitudes and dispositions toward teacher-made essay versus multiple-choice type exams and found that more favorable student attitudes towards multiple choice compared to essay type formats on most dimensions assessed.
Abstract: The major aim of the present research was to compare students’ attitudes and dispositions toward teacher-made essay versus multiple-choice type exams The primary study was conducted on a sample of 174 junior high school students, who were administered a test attitude inventory specifically designed to assess students’ attitudes towards essay versus multiple-choice type formats on a variety of critical dimensions The study was partially replicated on a sample of 101 seventh- and eighth-grade students who were administered a modified version of the test attitude inventory that was used in the first study Overall, the data from both studies were remarkably consistent, pointing to more favorable student attitudes towards multiple-choice compared to essay type formats on most dimensions assessed The practical significance of the results for classroom test construction are discussed and some suggestions are made about potential future applications of test attitude inventories in the classroom setting
156 citations
TL;DR: The attitudes of two samples of adolescents (total N = 2,105) from Victoria, British Columbia, and Shanghai, People's Republic of China, toward computer studies and selected school subjects were surveyed and compared as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The attitudes of two samples of adolescents (total N = 2,105) from Victoria, British Columbia, and Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, toward computer studies and selected school subjects were surveyed and compared. The Chinese students were significantly more positive in their attitudes toward computers, science, and writing than were the British Columbia students. In addition, the students from Shanghai displayed fewer sex or age differences among themselves, except when asked to give opinions about the competence of females with regard to computer use and science. Both samples of females agreed that women have as much ability as men in these areas, whereas males in both countries were significantly more skeptical. The study also supports the validity and reliability of attitude research in a cross-cultural context.
95 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a meta-analysis showed large effects of teacher use of higher order questions on student achievement and contradicted Winners (1979) previous review which showed the research to be inconclusive.
Abstract: A recent meta-analysis showed large effects of teacher use of higher order questions on student achievement (Redfield & Rousseau, 1981) and contradicted Winners (1979) previous review which showed the research to be inconclusive. For this reason, a quantitative synthesis was conducted to estimate the quasi-experimental and experimental effects of teachers’ questioning strategies on academic achievement. Fourteen studies, which contrasted effects of predominantly higher cognitive questions and predominantly factual questions, were examined and were compared with the results of the earlier reviews. Higher cognitive questioning strategies have a small positive median effect on learning measures but not as large as has been suggested by the previous meta-analysis (Redfield & Rousseau 1981). Moderate and even large effects may exist but remain to be demonstrated.
91 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the effects of a year-long word processing program on holistic writing skills were examined, and it was found that word processing alone was of little consequence for able learners, hut proportionately most effective for lowachieving students.
Abstract: In the present study, the effects of a year-long word processing program on holistic writing skills were examined. Learners in the treatment group used a word processor three times per week to complete writing assignments. Students in the control group used conventional pen- and-paper writing techniques to complete their writing assignments. An analysis of writing samples taken upon completion of this study suggested that word processing alone was of little consequence for able learners, hut proportionately most effective for low-achieving students. These effects were found despite logistical problems encountered during the study that probably precluded more dramatic results.
89 citations
TL;DR: The Survey of Achievement Responsibility (SOAR) as discussed by the authors assesses attributions for success and failure in language arts and mathematics/science, and gender differences for the 165 girls and 160 boys did emerge.
Abstract: To examine gender differences in attributions for success and failure across subject areas, the Survey of Achievement Responsibility (SOAR), a school-related attribution scale, was administered to a randomly selected sample from a large urban school district in the Northwest. The SOAR assesses attributions for success and failure in language arts and mathematics/science. Gender differences for the 165 girls and 160 boys did emerge. As the literature might suggest, girls had a more learned-helpless orientation in mathematics/science than did boys. In language arts, however, both were somewhat mastery oriented. Overall, both reflected a more adaptive pattern in language arts than in mathematics/science.
76 citations
TL;DR: The authors investigated changes in students' anxiety, attitude, concerns, and confidence about becoming a teacher during teacher training and whether these changes were related to selected student characteristics such as personality traits.
Abstract: This study investigated changes in students’ anxiety, attitude, concerns, and confidence about becoming a teacher during teacher training and whether these changes were related to selected student characteristics. The subjects were three groups of students (N = 581) at three stages of their teacher preparation: beginning their first required education course, just prior to student teaching, and at the end of student teaching. Significant changes in anxiety, concern, attitude, and confidence about teaching were identified. These changes, however, did not follow the consistent or desirable patterns for each measure or for all sample subgroups that developmental theorists such as Fuller suggested. Changes in anxiety and confidence about teaching moved in a consistently positive direction for the total sample but not for all subsamples, attitude toward teaching changed dramatically and inconsistently among the subsamples but showed no overall change for the total sample, and concerns about teaching te...
72 citations
TL;DR: The role of the principal as leader has been a subject of considerable debate and research in education as discussed by the authors, and many kinds of programs are designed to improve principals' leadership capacity and skills.
Abstract: The role of the principal as leader has been a subject of considerable debate and research in education. Many kinds of programs are designed to improve principals’ leadership capacity and skills. This study examines the leadership behavior and activities currently found among urban high school principals. Interviews were conducted with principals and teachers in a national sample of urban comprehensive high schools. Data were also collected on school size, student composition, and district centralization of decisions. The findings show that principals differ considerably in the degree of leadership they provide in six areas of potential school leadership. Very few were rated as strong leaders in all the areas, but in a minority of urban high schools, principals have taken the initiative to provide leadership in areas such as staff development, involving staff in planning, and improving instruction. The findings also show that district-level and principal leadership are positively related in some a...
69 citations
TL;DR: This paper found that the students who learned in pairs became more prosocially oriented toward their teammates, possessed stronger attitudes toward cooperative learning, and tended to score higher on the achievement test than those who experienced the CAI individually.
Abstract: This study addressed the question of whether learning with a computer in small-group settings would produce higher levels of achievement, attitudes, and prosocial orientation than learning with a computer in individualized settings. Participants were 115 junior high school students who used computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in language arts. One third of the subjects were randomly assigned to the individualized-CAI condition, and the others learned the same program for the same duration of time in homogeneous pairs. Results showed that the students who learned in pairs became more prosocially oriented toward their teammates, possessed stronger attitudes toward cooperative learning, and tended to score higher on the achievement test than those who experienced the CAI individually. The implications for CAI and cooperative-learning methods are discussed.
TL;DR: This paper found no significant differences in accumulated GPA in the two groups and found that non-employed students scored significantly higher on the ACT test than employed students, while the only variable that showed a significant difference in school-related activity was extracurricular activity involvement.
Abstract: Part-time employment is increasing among high school students. Does this phenomenom affect academic performance? In an attempt to examine this relationship, data were collected at Moore High School, Moore, Oklahoma. Information included employment status, number of hours worked per week, extent of extracurricular activities, and ACT test scores of the 477 high school juniors who were enrolled in regular required English classes. The sample included 196 nonemployed students and 281 employed students. This study found no significant differences in accumulated GPA in the two groups. However, nonemployed students scored significantly higher on the ACT test. The only variable that showed a significant difference in school-related activity was extracurricular activity involvement. Employed students had fewer extracurricular activities, with girls reporting less participation than boys. The findings of the study do not show that employment among students has any significant negative impact on academic ac...
TL;DR: In this paper, the influence of supervisory training on the role of a cooperating teacher's role as an instructional supervisor was examined, and it was found that preservice teachers assigned to trained cooperating teachers were significantly more involved with students and received more feedback from their cooperating teachers than did their counterparts.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of supervisory training on the cooperating teacher’s role as an instructional supervisor. Trained teachers were the II cooperating teachers who had completed a 3-hour graduate course on the supervision of preservice teachers; untrained teachers were the 25 who had no previous supervisory training. Data indicated that preservice teachers assigned to trained cooperating teachers were significantly more involved with students and received more feedback from their cooperating teachers than did their counterparts.
TL;DR: In this article, a cross-lagged panel analysis was used to explore possible causal relationships between attitude and achievement in the areas of mathematics and reading in elementary students from the second to sixth grades, concluding that producing changes in one variable will not necessarily lead to changes in the other.
Abstract: Cross-lagged panel analysis was used to explore possible causal relationships between attitude and achievement in the areas of mathematics and reading. The analysis was performed on measures from a total of 1,758 elementary students from the second to sixth grades. No significant predominant causal relationship between attitude and achievement was indicated. Subsequently, it was concluded that producing changes in one variable will not necessarily lead to changes in the other.
TL;DR: The authors identified the school characteristics that are associated with four cognitive achievement measures for students during their last two years of high school using High School and Beyond (HSB) data on 18,684 public high school sophomore students who participated in the 1980 base-year and 1982 follow-up study.
Abstract: This study identifies the school characteristics that are associated with four cognitive achievement measures for students during their last two years of high school. The study uses the High School and Beyond (HSB) data on 18,684 public high school sophomore students who participated in the 1980 base-year and 1982 follow-up study. Over 800 public schools across the country are included in the analyses. This study uses the longitudinal data for the sophomore cohort in evaluating the major factors associated with school variation in verbal, mathematics, science, and a composite performance measure. Results from this study revealed that gains were greater in those schools where a large percentage of students were enrolled in the academic curriculum and in the schools which offered a large number of additional courses beyond the remediation level. The quantity of instruction that a student took beyond the remedial level was positively related to test score gain. The school effects were significant but...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors assessed the personal problem-solving ability (IPS), assertiveness, and self-esteem of 128 boys and 113 girls in fourth to sixth grade and related to competence with peers, teachers, and academic subjects.
Abstract: Interpersonal problem-solving ability (IPS), assertiveness, and self-esteem were assessed for 128 boys and 113 girls in fourth to sixth grades and related to competence with peers, teachers, and academic subjects. A sub-packet factor analysis and a correlational analysis of children’s scores on IPS, assertiveness, and self-esteem revealed assertiveness as a distinct factor with considerable overlap between IPS and self-esteem. Significant positive correlations were found between each factor and grade point average, teacher ratings of comportment, and observations of classroom behavior, but not peer status. These results suggest further research in two areas: (a) the domain specificity of social competence, and (b) analysis of individual children’s profiles of skill deficits and strengths.
TL;DR: For example, the authors found that seven grade students took notes in their usual style; they took notes using a technique in which previously trained; or they listened, not taking notes.
Abstract: Seventh graders heard a lecture. They took notes in their usual style; they took notes using a technique in which previously trained; or they listened, not taking notes. A multiple-choice posttest ...
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of computer-assisted instruction on learners' global self-esteem were evaluated using a two-group pre-and post test experimental design, where experimental group teachers participated in an intensive training course designed to help them acquire skills in using the microcomputer and develop supplementary materials integrating microcomputer activities into the course content.
Abstract: This study evaluates the effects of computer-assisted instruction on learners’ global self-esteem Over 1,000 students enrolled in a home economics course Home and Personal Management, participated in the study A two-group pre- and post test experimental design was used Experimental group teachers participated in an intensive training course designed to help them (a) acquire skills in using the microcomputer and (b) develop supplementary materials integrating microcomputer activities into the course content The supplementary instructional materials constituted the experimental treatment Control group teachers did not use the supplementary materials or the microcomputer They taught the course in the usual mannerStudents completed pre- and posttest questionnaires both of which included a scale to measure self-esteem Analysis of covariance procedures indicated that, after controlling for pretest variability, students who were exposed to the experimental treatment scored significantly higher o
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated one possible reason for the popularity of underlining, namely, test performance outcomes anticipated by students from underlining and found that regardless of study time and reading achievement, underlining is popular because it helps to ensure recall of information from underlined text segments.
Abstract: Underlining is the most popular of the active response study strategies. Unfortunately, research efforts of study strategies do not fully explain this popularity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate one possible reason for the popularity of underlining, namely, test performance outcomes anticipated by students from underlining. Two 2×3 A NOV As were used in a study, review, and test paradigm that investigated underlining performance outcomes with college students. The ANOVA’s used two levels of study time and three levels of reading achievement as the independent variables. The dependent variable in both analyses was number correct on a probed-recall test over the contents of a Scientific American reprint. Results suggest that regardless of study time and reading achievement, underlining is popular because it helps to ensure recall of information from underlined text segments.
TL;DR: The authors hypothesized that peer evaluation as part of the writing process would lead to improved attitude toward writing and increased fluency in a sample of 9th grade students, and they found that the peer evaluation led to an improved attitude towards writing.
Abstract: The researchers hypothesized that peer evaluation as part of the writing process would lead to improved attitude toward writing and increased fluency in a sample of ninth grade students. Seven inta...
TL;DR: In this paper, the impact of staff development on implementation and student achievement is investigated in the context of an English language learner. The Journal of Educational Research: Vol. 80, No. 6, pp. 348-351.
Abstract: (1987). The Impact of Staff Development on Implementation and Student Achievement. The Journal of Educational Research: Vol. 80, No. 6, pp. 348-351.
TL;DR: The authors examined the effects of low and high-prior knowledge and peer and teacher audiences on high school students' writing, and found that students who had high prior knowledge wrote quantitatively more and qualitatively better than those with low prior knowledge.
Abstract: This study examined the effects of low- and high-prior knowledge and peer and teacher audiences on high school students’ writing, Forty high school juniors wrote an essay on a topic on which they had low-prior knowledge (“tobacco price supports”) and 40 high school juniors wrote about a topic on which they had high-prior knowledge (“the problems with teachers”) Half of the students in each prior knowledge group wrote to their peers and the other half wrote to their teacher Students who wrote with high-prior knowledge wrote quantitatively more and qualitatively better They were more involved in their writing, liked their writing more, and found the task of writing easier than students who wrote with low-prior knowledge No significant differences were found in the quantity or quality of students’ writing as a function of peer or teacher audience
TL;DR: The authors compared the system of presenting a portion of the words at the beginning of the week and testing at the end of week with a system that only showed a small increase in spelling performance on the weekly tests.
Abstract: This study compares the system of presenting ail spelling words at the beginning of the week and testing at the end of the week with a system of presenting a portion of the words each day and daily testing. Academic performance of 13 fourth-grade students in a combination fourth- and fifth-grade classroom was measured by recording scores on weekly spelling tests. The results reveal a significant increase in spelling performance on the weekly tests when students receive a portion of their spelling words each day. Questionnaires given to the students and parents indicate that they felt a positive change in both effort and academic achievement when the students were distributed and tested daily on a portion of the words.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors determined the relationship among children's perceptions of their competence, teachers' perceptions of children's competence, and the children's academic performance and found significant, positive correlations between the teachers' ratings of cognitive and physical competence and the MRT measures.
Abstract: This study determined the relationship among children’s perceptions of their competence, teachers’ perceptions of the children’s competence, and the children’s academic performance. Thirty kindergarten children were asked to rate their cognitive and physical competence as well as their perceptions of peer acceptance. Teachers rated the children on the same variables. The Metropolitan Readiness Test (MRT) was given to each child as an objective measure of academic performance.Findings revealed significant, positive correlations between the teachers’ ratings of cognitive and physical competence and the MRT measures. There were also significant negative correlations between the child’s rating of perceptions of peer acceptance and the MRT variables as well as the teacher’s ratings of the child’s cognitive competence.The results confirmed earlier findings that kindergarten children are not very good predictors of their own academic competence. The findings are discussed both from a cognitive as well as...
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of cognitive and behavioral orienting activities and practice on student learning of cued and uncued information were studied. And significant interactions were found between orientation activities and cueing, orientation activity and practice, and orienting activity by cueing by practice.
Abstract: The purpose of this research was to study the effects of cognitive and behavioral orienting activities and practice on student learning of cued and uncued information. The subjects were 54 ninth-grade students: 28 boys and 26 girls. The instructional content for the study was based on the voyages and discoveries of spacecrafts. A significant difference was found between practiced versus nonpracticed items, high-versus low-ability students, and for cued versus noncued items. In addition, significant interactions were found between orienting activities and cueing, orienting activity and practice, and orienting activity by cueing by practice.
TL;DR: The authors found that spatially organized illustrations facilitated recall of related prose content and that the mimetic symbol illustration groups outperformed the labels groups in terms of instructional variables for severely handicapped youths.
Abstract: Sixty-eight learning disabled and reading disabled junior high school-aged youths participated in two experiments. In Experiment 1, learners were required to study either a spatially organized illustration or a randomized (list format) illustration prior to hearing a related prose passage. Illustrations contained both mimetic (representational) symbols and referent labels. In Experiment 2, learners were required to study either spatially organized illustrations with or without mimetic symbols or randomized illustrations with or without mimetic symbols. All students were asked to recall the passage information and reconstruct the illustration. Results from both experiments indicated that spatially organized illustrations facilitated recall of related prose content and that the mimetic symbol illustration groups outperformed the labels groups. Results are discussed in terms of instructional variables for mildly handicapped youths.
TL;DR: This paper surveyed teachers in Texas to determine their attitudes toward basal readers as a teaching method; the extent of their use of basal reader programs; and their perceptions of statewide reading textbook adoption policies.
Abstract: Elementary school teachers in Texas were surveyed to determine (a) their attitudes toward basal readers as a teaching method; (b) the extent of their use of basal reader programs; and (c) their perceptions of statewide reading textbook adoption policies. Proportional random samples from small, medium, and large school districts were drawn statewide. Double sampling was employed, drawing a second proportional random sample of nonrespondents for comparison to the original respondents. Comparisons yielded no significant differences and revealed no nonrespondent bias. Results indicated that although teachers rely on basal readers extensively, this reliance may not be as complete as is sometimes assumed. Supplementation of basal programs was reported as widespread, particularly in the areas of decoding and children’s literature. Concerns were voiced about the correspondence of basals with state curriculum guides mandated as part of the school reform movement. Teachers also believed that their input was...
TL;DR: The authors examined individual differences among young children in the extent of use of alternative cognitive processes for word reading and found that boys, of the same reading attainment level as girls, tend to rely more than girls on access to phonological segments of words.
Abstract: Three studies were conducted to examine individual differences among young children in the extent of use of alternative cognitive processes for word reading The expectation was that boys, of the same reading attainment level as girls, tend to rely more than girls on access to phonological segments of words In Study I a predicted pattern of gender differences was tested with 87 seven-year-old children reading pseudohomophones graphemicalty different and graphemically similar to lexically matched words In Study II predicted differences were tested with the same children reading words of regular and exception grapheme-phoneme relationships For 84 six-year-old children in Study III predicted differences were examined in the relationship of word reading accuracy to phonological consistency of initial segments of words The results of the three studies supported the expectation
TL;DR: The relationship between word frequency and reading vocabulary was investigated in this paper, with particular attention to the lognormal model of word frequency distribution and the concept of family frequency, and the relation between the two was investigated.
Abstract: The relationship between word frequency and reading vocabulary was investigated, with particular attention to the lognormal model of word frequency distribution and the concept of family frequency....
TL;DR: This paper investigated the influence of a student's individual psychological test performance (learning disabled vs. normal) and the achievement level of the child's school (below average, average, above average) on their special education classification decisions.
Abstract: Forty-five classroom teachers participated in a study designed to investigate the influence of a student’s individual psychological test performance (learning disabled [LD] vs. normal) and the achievement level of the child’s school (below average, average, above average) on their special education classification decisions. The achievement level of the school did not influence the teachers’ decisions to identify a child as handicapped. The student’s psychological test information did. For the LD case study, the teachers were more likely to have lower academic expectations and to diagnose the child as LD. In contrast to the findings of other studies, teachers were not likely to diagnose the normal case study child as handicapped. In short, these teachers did not ignore individual psychological information but rather utilized the information appropriately in their decision making.