DOCUMENT RESUME ED 418 942 SP 037 907 AUTHOR McCoy, Leah P., Ed. TITLE Studies in Teaching. INSTITUTION Wake Forest Univ., Winston Salem, NC. PUB DATE 1997-12-00 NOTE 156p.; Papers presented at the Annual Research Forum (Winston-Salem, NC, December 1997). PUB TYPE Collected Works Proceedings (021) Reports Research (143) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC07 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Academic Achievement; Beginning Teachers; Biology; Citizenship Responsibility; Computer Assisted Instruction; Current Events; Discussion (Teaching Technique); *Elementary Secondary Education; English (Second Language); Error Correction; Grammar; Group Discussion; Journal Writing; Mathematics Education; Multiple Intelligences; Oceanography; Poetry; Prereading Experience; Science Education; Scores; Second Language Instruction; Sex Differences; Speech Skills; Student Attitudes; Teacher Student Relationship; *Teaching Methods; Whole Language Approach; Writing Instruction IDENTIFIERS North Carolina; Passive Learning ABSTRACT The 30 papers presented at Wake Forest University's 1997 Annual Research Forum (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) are as follows: "To Sprint or Crawl: The Effect of Classroom Activities on Student Behavior: (R. Allen); "Generating Good Grammar: Traditional and Whole Language Approaches" (D. Alexander); "Effective Teaching Methodologies for ESL Students Learning Secondary Science: Recommendations from the Field"(B. Bautista); "Problem Solving Abilities of Advanced Mathematics Students"(A. Bloom); "The Effects of Writing to Learn on Student's Test Scores"(C. Bolt); "Ocean Knowledge and Attitudes of North Carolina High School Students: Do Coastal Students Know More?" (B. Burkhalter); "Error Correction in the Foreign Language Classroom" (N. Chremos); "The Effect of Database Use on Secondary Achievement and Attitude"(A. Clifton); "Adding Relevance to Poetic Concepts through Modern Song Lyrics"(S. Cooney); "Political Efficacy: Factors Contributing to Civic Confidence" (J. Craig); "Applying Multiple Intelligences Theory in the Elementary Foreign Language Classroom"(S. Decker); "Individual Response Journals vs. Group Response Journals"(K. Else); "What Motivates Academic Achievement?" (C. Gaskell); "High School Students' Perspectives on Good and Bad Teachers"(C. Goodgame); "Controlled Chaos? Teachers' Questions and Students' Behavior in Large Group Discussions"(K. Greene); "Teacher Control and Release and Student Attention" (P. Gruber); "Teaching as Situational Art: An Exploration of Questioning and Analogy in the Secondary Mathematics Classroom"(C. Gupton); "Do Textbooks Stimulate Students? Student Attitudes toward High School Biology Textbooks"(E. Herrin); "Class Discussion: What Helps. What Hurts" (L. Huntley); "Foreign Language Study in High School: Is Two Years Enough?" (R. Jeremiah); "Enhancing Social Studies Learning: What Students Prefer"(L. Martin); "The Role of Current Events in the Social Studies: An Assessment of Student Attitudes and Lesson Composition" (J. McEnaney); "Prereading: What Works?"(T. Moffitt); "Writing Instruction Approaches in the High School English Classroom and Students' Writing" (K. Osterhaus); "Surveying Students' Opinions about Dissection and the Influence +++++ ED418942 Has Multi-page SFR---Level=1 +++++ of Animal Rights Groups and/or Marketing of Non-Animal-Tested Products" (A. Searle); "The Effects of Race and Gender on Students' Perceptions of Social Studies" (D. Shabazz); "Facing the Hurdles: Perspectives of First-Year Mathematics Teachers" (L. Tyler); "Testing What You Teach: Speaking Skills in the Foreign Language Classroom"(E. Waters); "Teaching Methodologies for Special Needs Students in the Foreign Language Classroom"(E. West); and "Passive vs. Active Learning: A Qualitative Study"(J. Zeichner). (Papers contain references.) (SM) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** StudiesonTeaching 1997 Research Digest WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY Research Projects Presented at Annual Research Forum Wake Forest University Department of Education Winston-Salem, NC December, 1997 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS CENTERIC) BEEN GRANTED BY Cl This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it `(\kz,4,1 O Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in ttlisdissir Leah P.McCoy, Editor ONtnal TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES ment do not neCeSSertly represent OERI position or policy. INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) BEST COPY AVAILABLE Studies in Teaching 1997 Research Digest Research Projects Presented at Annual Research Forum Wake Forest University Department of Education Winston-Salem, NC Edited by Leah P. McCoy Table of Contents To Sprint or Crawl: The Effect of ClassroomActivities on Student Behavior Rodney Allen 1 Generating Good Grammar: Traditional And WholeLanguage Approaches Deborah D. Alexander .6 Effective Teaching Methodologies for ESL StudentsLearning Secondary Science: Recommendations from the Field B. Joy Bautista 11 Problem Solving Abilities of Advanced MathematicsStudents Andrew Bloom 16 The Effects of Writing to Learn onStudent's Test Scores Chrissie Bolt 21 Ocean Knowledge and Attitudes of NorthCarolina High School Students: Do Coastal Students Know More? Brenda Burkhalter 26 Error Correction in the Foreign Language Classroom Nikos Chremos 31 The Effect of Database Use on Secondary Achievementand Attitude Andrew Clifton 36 3 Adding Relevance to Poetic Concepts Through Modern Song Lyrics Sean Cooney Political Efficacy: Factors Contributing to Civic Confidence Julia Craig Applying Multiple Intelligences Theory in the Elementary Foreign Language Classroom Susan Decker .51 Individual Response Journals vs. Group Response Journals Kristen D. Else 56 What Motivates Academic Achievement? Christopher R. Gaskell 61 High School Students' Perspectives on Good and Bad Teachers Cathey Goodgame .66 Controlled Chaos? Teachers' Questions and Students' Behavior in LargeGroup Discussions Katherine Greene 71 Teacher Control and Release and Student Attention Petra A. Gruber .76 Teaching as Situational Art: An Exploration of Questioning and Analogyin the Secondary Mathematics Classroom Caroline Gupton 81 Do Textbooks Stimulate Students? Student Attitudes TowardHigh School Biology Textbooks Elise Herrin 86 Class Discussion: What Helps What Hurts Leslie Ann Huntley 91 Foreign Language Study in High School: Is Two Years Enough? Robert A. Jeremiah 96 Enhancing Social Studies Learning: What Students Prefer Leslie Martin 101 The Role of Current Events in the Social Studies: An Assessmentof Student Attitudes and Lesson Composition Jason R. McEnaney .106 Prereading: What Works? Tamara Moffitt 111 Writing Instruction Approaches in the High School English Classroom andStudents' Writing Kirrin Osterhaus 116 Surveying Students' Opinions About Dissection and theInfluence of Animal Rights Groups and/or Marketing of Non-animal-tested Products Alison D. Searle 121 The Effects of Race and Gender on Students'Perception of Social Studies David L. Shabazz 126 Facing the Hurdles: Perspectives of First-Year MathematicsTeachers Lori E. Tyler 131 Testing What You Teach: Speaking Skills in theForeign Language Classroom Elizabeth A. Waters .136 Teaching Methodologies for Special NeedsStudents in the Foreign Language Classroom Erin West .141 Passive vs. Active Learning: A QualitativeStudy Jeremy T. Zeichner 146 To Sprint or Crawl: The Effect of Classroom Activities on Student Behavior by Rodney Allen with Joseph Milner, Ph.D. Wake Forest University Department of Education December, 1997 Introduction This study attempts to discover howthe number of classroom activities per class period impacts student behavior. Is it wiser tosprint through the class period offering students many different activities or to crawl through theperiod presenting one idea and attempting to thoroughly cover that one concept beforemoving on? A teacher may have an excellent grasp of his or her material, yet the class mayremain a chaotic landscape if they are unable to control negative student behavior. My studylooks at classroom activities as one aspect of the classroom that may contribute to an environment moreconducive to learning. Are students more at ease in activity and several activities in each a classroom wherethey are constantly presented with a new period, or is it better to concentrate on one ortwo activities? Do students becomerestless if they overwhelmed by large are provided with oneactivity or concept per class period or are they In choosing amounts of information?These are questions every teacher must attempt to answer. this topic I expected to discoverthat students are more stimulated by a classroomin which the teacher provides a variety of activities to occupythe young student's mind. My theory was that negative behavior would decreasein a classroom in which the teacher providedthe students with numerous activities to occupytheir minds and bodies. Review of Literature I began my review of existingresearch by trying to discover studies similar tothe one I intended to pursue. This proved moredifficult than I anticipated. It appears that such research 1 rn5 does not exist or is well hidden. Thisforced me to alter my approach. I decided to look at