The Use of Direct Observation to Study Instructional-Learning Behaviors in School Settings.

This monograph comprises five papers presented at a symposium whose primary purpose was to discuss the role of direct observational techniques in the study of certain learning outcomes and of certain learning and instruction process variables in school settings. Each study represents an attempt to apply direct observational techniques to the investigation of the instructional-learning processes and to use the observational data for evaluating and documenting a wide range of learning outcomes. The first two papers, each examining a different technique, focus on how observational techniques are used as an evaluative instrument to study classroom behaviors across diffuse geographical locations and/or across different educational programs. In the three succeeding papers, the authors report studies designed to focus on certain instructional-learning behaviors for a particular purpose other than for the evaluation of classroom behavior in a summative sense. The last section contains two discussions that offer critical comments on the studies reported and suggest implications for further research. A "Description of the Learning Research and Development Center's Individualized Instructional Programs"; definitions; and a description of the observational instrument and techniques, data recording forms, and the criteria for their use are appended. (PD)