A Comfortable Start for Everyone: The First Week of School in Three Multi-Age (K-2) Classrooms

This article describes the start of the school year in three multi-age classrooms where 8 new kindergarten children join 16 returning first and second graders. The authors (professor/observers and teachers) describe what happens during the first week of school in this setting where the students remain with their teachers for 3 years. They explain what the start of the year is like for the returning students (first and second graders), the new students (kindergartners), the parents, and the teachers.     

Building school support systems for parents of handicapped children: The parent Education and Guidance program

The Parent Education and Guidance Program was motivated by the belief that the fostering of a positive, ongoing relationship between the school and home can have a significant bearing on the development of family strengths for coping with a handicapped child. The training program utilized parent support groups and professionals from various fields to involve parents of handicapped children in group process directed toward the holistic approach to meeting the child's social, emotional, and intellectual needs. During the course of the program it became apparent that parents needed the help and support of other parents who shared similar difficulties related to having a handicapped child in the family. Issues related to developing personal awareness as well as interpersonal skills were dealt with at the parent meetings. An atmosphere of mutual understanding and support between members of the Child Study Team and parents developed as a result of less formalized and more relaxed contact during the 8-month program.     

Teaching peer-tutoring behaviors in first- and third-grade classrooms

Peer tutoring programs represent an innovative approach for optimally utilizing resources existing within classrooms. While most tutoring programs have been aimed at helping tutees or tutors with academic difficulties, the present study involved all children in two classrooms in a peer tutoring project. A multiple baseline design indicated that prompting was effective in establishing tutoring behaviors among the children. By program end, all children were using corrective feedback, re-presenting questions, and employing contingent praise. Positive findings also were shown in academic, behavioral, and consumer satisfaction indices. In addition, 50% of children reported using peer-tutoring skills outside of the formal program.     

Acquisition of behavioral control by static visual features of an imprinting object: Species generality

Previous work had indicated that after prolonged exposure to a moving object, ducklings will direct filial responses toward that object even if it remains stationary during its presentation. The present experiment demonstrated the wide species generality of this effect by obtaining similar results in newly hatched chickens, pheasant, turkeys, and quail, as well as ducks.     

Simulations in distance education: Progress towards an evaluation instrument

This article reports on a study in which an interactive computer‐based learning resource consisting of a tutorial with a decision support system and simulations, is evaluated in the context of a distance education business degree course. The primary purpose of the study was to develop and test an instrument for evaluation of the learning resource, with particular reference to simulations. The instrument adds further dimensions to factors such as learner support and engagement, to incorporate elements of motivation and transfer. Consequently, the scales that comprise the instrument include three key areas: features of the computer package, the effect on students” motivation, and the impact on their ability to transfer knowledge to the workplace. As a result of the analysis, a reliable and valid evaluation instrument that includes components of these three areas is provided. It is expected that other researchers will be able to develop and refine this instrument to evaluate various forms of computer‐based educational resources.     

The theory of recombination of gaseous ions

The bearing of the recent results of Marshall on the theory of recombination of gaseous ions is discussed. It is shown, by solution of the Brownian movement equation for two ions of opposite sign, in a gas, that the average relative displacement in a time π is little influenced by the attractive forces, except for distances of the order of magnitude of 10^?5 cm. or less, at ordinary temperatures. This conclusion, that in general the motion of the ions relative to each other is largely one of random diffusion, is in good agreement with the interpretation forced by Marshall's study of the variation of the coefficient of recombination α with time and concentration of ions. This also indicates that the theoretical approach of Langevin to the solution of the recombination problem is untenable, while that of Thomson is justified. The theory, of Thomson is discussed and, is compared with observation. It appears to fit qualitatively as accurately as the facts are known.It is then shown how the success of any theoretical treatment is limited due to our ignorance of the nature of the mass of the ion, a condition which, however, enables us to understand the very small range of variation of α among the different gases.