Sympathetic Behavior in Young Children

Using three stratified random samples of thirty-two teachers each from grades 2 through 5, a 3-group posttest-only control group research design was employed to determine the effectiveness of an in-service program utilizing simulation techniques on teacher awareness of pupils’ instructional reading levels. Pupils were selected randomly from each teacher’s classroom. Differences between the grade level of pupils’ readers and their performance on McCracken’s Standard Reading Inventory constituted the measure of teacher awareness. The importance of teachers’ grade level assignments and the time of year when this in-service training is conducted were also evaluated.

Findings indicated that this in-service program is effective only when conducted before school begins. There was a significant difference in teacher awareness among grade levels but a contravertible one between primary and intermediate levels.     

A formal mentoring program in a University Library: components of a successful experiment

The LSU Libraries adopted a mentoring program in 1998 to help tenure-track librarians successfully meet tenure requirements. The program was evaluated after the first year and the faculty determined that it was successful; it was implemented on a permanent basis. The program was developed using six basic components. Details are outlined in the article.     

Understanding mathematics textbooks through reader-oriented theory

Textbooks have the potential to be powerful tools to help students develop an understanding of mathematics. However, many students are unable to use their textbooks effectively as learning tools. This paper presents a framework that can be used to analyze factors that impact the ways students read textbooks. It adapts ideas from reader-oriented theory and applies them to the domain of mathematics textbooks. In reader-oriented theory, the reader is viewed as actively constructing meaning from a text through the reading process; this endeavor is shaped and constrained by the intentions of the author, the beliefs of the reader, and the qualities the text requires the reader to possess. This paper also discusses how reading mathematics textbooks is further constrained by the authority and closed structure of these textbooks. After describing the framework, the paper discusses recommendations for future avenues of research and pedagogy, highlighting the importance of teachers' roles in mediating their students' use of textbooks.