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The effects on written composition of two reading approaches--traditional orthography (TO) and the initial teaching alphabet (i.t.a.)--are compared. Two hundred and ninety-three first graders and 391 second graders, half of whom had learned reading with TO and half with i.t.a., were each asked to write two compositions. These essays were rated on length, vocabulary level, originality, emotional content, and overall communication, and the ratings of the i.t.a. and TO groups in both grades were compared. It was found that the first-grade i.t.a. essays were longer, on a more advanced vocabulary level, and more original than the TO group, but that there were no significant differences in the other ratings. In the second-grade group the differences between the i.t.a. and TO groups were not significant. The author points out that the rating scales might not have been appropriate for this particular sample and that a different scale of ratings might produce a different outcome. It was concluded that the causality of written behavior is more complex than simply the medium for beginning reading instruction. Tables and references are included. (AL)

A program for teaching poetry was administered to 82 working class children, testing the suggestion that improved ability in writing poetry would result in improvement in their attitude towards literature in general, and in their ability to write prose. Although limited by the small number of intact groups and possible questions on the validity of the attitude scales, the study concludes that the poetry instruction had beneficial side effects in the suggested areas. (DLG)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of two methods of reading instruction on children's ability to write original compositions. The subjects for this study were 684 first and second graders. Of the 293 first grade children, 130 were receiving their reading instruction in i.t.a., while the remaining 163 children were working in traditional orthography. All of the 391 second graders were in traditional orthography reading programs using a basal reader for reading instruction. All of the subjects wrote two compositions which were evaluated on length, vocabulary level, content, and originality. At both the grade one level and the grade two level, the essays of the i.t.a. sample were longer and at a somewhat higher vocabulary level. Further, in terms of both the Content and the Communication scales, there were statistically significant differences in favor of the i.t.a. group at both grade levels. (Author/WR)

A recent study (Shapiro & Shapiro, 1970) showed that fourth graders from an upper middle class background with varying degrees of intelligence, creativity, and language achievement could be taught to express themselves poetically. The present study was undertaken to replicate these results with children from less advantaged backgrounds. The two alternative experimental programs for poetry writing developed for the initial study were used. Comparison of these results indicate that the methodologies employed are equally effective with both socio-economic groups. The effect of intelligence, creativity, and language achievement differs to some extent; the implications of both the similarities and differences are explored. [Not available in hard copy due to marginal legibility of original document.] (Author)

To return, however, to "the right blend," it is hard to imagine a topic more precisely in tune with the temper of our times. It would appear that in the years immediately ahead, there will be a period of general uncertainty, one that will introduce doubt about the appropriate purposes not only about university faculties but of all our social institutions and arrangements. This would appear to be the case whether one takes the "long" or the "short" historical view., Journal of Educational Thought / Revue de la Pensée Educative, Vol 19 No 1 (1985)

The present study explored the relationship between student teacher satisfaction with the classroom internship and the assessment of the student teacher's classroom performance by the master teacher. Subjects were 50 college women randomly selected from seniors enrolled in the teacher education program of a 4-year Catholic liberal arts college. Following the subjects' 6-week experience in an elementary public school, each of the 50 master teachers was asked to rate her student teacher's overall classroom performance as either unsatisfactory, marginal, below average, average, above average, or outstanding. Each of the student teachers was asked to respond to a 32-item questionnaire developed by Ostrecher and Aikman to measure the degree of satisfaction with the student teaching experience. Results showed that those student teachers seen as either "outstanding" or "unsatisfactory" by their master teachers are the least satisfied, while higher levels of satisfaction are characteristic of student teachers in the "average" ranges. Further, item analyses revealed that although the high performing and low performing student teachers are about equally dissatisfied with their experience, the basis for each group's dissatisfaction is not the same. It is suggested that student teaching programs should be more individualized with respect to length of experience and degree of responsibility. (RT)

Address delivered on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the School of Education at Boston University, May 1968.

Study found that education majors who were most satisfied with student teaching experience were those rated average" by their supervisors. Outstanding" and unsatisfactory" student teachers were dissatisfied, but for opposite reasons. (RT)

Study of fourth and fifth grade children of varying intelligence, language achievement and creativity suggests that they can be taught to express themselves poetically. (Author/RK)

The effect of teaching poetry writing on (1) attitudes toward literature, and (2) the ability to write prose was studied in four fourth-grade classes of a metropolitan elementary school (42 boys and 40 girls) from working-class backgrounds. The children were randomly assigned, two to the experimental and two to the control group. A program for teaching poetry writing was used in the experimental group, 15 half-hour lessons being given over the six-week treatment period. The control group continued with the standard fourth-grade language arts program, changed only to prove them with the same number of writing opportunities. Analysis of the data suggests that the introduction of instruction in poetry into the curriculum has beneficial side effects in terms of the subjects' ability to write prose and their more positive attitude to literature in general. Important factors contributing to these results are seen to be: (1) the inherent qualities of poetry in terms of the unconventional freedom and scope it provides for linguistic expression, and (2) the general provision for the young school child of an alternative mode for self-expression through language. (Author/DB)