1970 00 00 Phi Delta Kappan, V 51, I 8 - Lots of People Think They See Flying Saucers - Romano

Magazine Overview

Title: The Phi Delta Kappan
Issue: Vol. 51, No. 8
Date: April, 1970
Publisher: Phi Delta Kappa International
Country: United States
Language: English
Cover Headline: Lots of People Think They See Flying Saucers

This issue of The Phi Delta Kappan delves into two primary areas: the often-humorous and sometimes alarming spectrum of student misbehavior in schools, and a critical assessment of educational research methodologies.

Lots of People Think They See Flying Saucers by Ralph P. Romano

Ralph P. Romano, guidance chairman at Bulkeley High School in Hartford, Connecticut, shares a collection of anecdotal write-ups that illustrate the aberrant behavior he has encountered over 15 years. He notes that while the formal demerit system technically targets Major Disciplinary Offenses (M.D.O.s), teachers often rely on their own interpretations of what constitutes a "crime" against school and society. Romano preserves these anecdotes, which he likens to a squirrel hoarding nuts, as evidence of the evolving nature of student conduct and the challenges faced by educators.

The anecdotes cover a wide range of student actions, from academic dishonesty and disrespect to outright disruption and bizarre behavior. Examples include:

• A student changing grades on a report card and having a parent forge a signature with a congratulatory note.
• A student described as impervious to ideas due to the "crassness of his cranium."
• A student throwing a dictionary out of a second-story window.
• Students listening to earphones in class, with one initially mistaken for rapt attention.
• Students passing notes with inappropriate content, such as "If you are pregnant, smile."
• Students caught raiding the home economics refrigerator.
• Students making inappropriate comments about teachers' appearances or personal lives.
• A student who threatened to jump out of a window.
• A student who plagiarized by submitting lines from "Barbara Fritchie" as original work.
• A student described as lacking decency, honesty, or self-control, with the prediction that "He should do very well in politics."
• A student who used a library photocopier to reproduce photographs of nudes.

One notable anecdote involves a "purplish-colored object" thrown in class, which the student denied, remarking, "Lots of people think they see flying saucers." This serves as a playful nod to the article's title, juxtaposing the mundane (and sometimes serious) misbehaviors with a more extraordinary phenomenon.

Romano expresses a sense of impending change, anticipating a time when demerits would be obsolete, reflecting a shift in disciplinary approaches.

Interaction Analysis: A Tardy Comment by Barak Rosenshine

Barak Rosenshine, assistant professor of educational psychology at Temple University, provides a critical review of research concerning the Flanders Interaction Analysis (IA) system and its relationship to pupil achievement. He focuses on a review of 12 studies by Campbell and Barnes in a previous KAPPAN issue, which concluded that micro-elements of the indirect/direct ratios in teacher behavior significantly affect achievement and attitude development.

Rosenshine argues that upon examining the original reports, significant flaws emerge in the cited studies. These flaws include:

1. Inappropriate statistical analyses: Investigators often used incorrect methods for analyzing their data.
2. Limits in external validity/generalizability: The findings from the studies could not be reliably applied to broader populations or different contexts.
3. Omitted data: Crucial data was left out of the summary reports, obscuring the full picture.
4. Misinterpretations: The original data was sometimes misunderstood or misrepresented in the summaries.

Rosenshine systematically examines each study cited by Campbell and Barnes:

• Flanders' studies: While initial analyses showed correlations between the i/d ratio and pupil achievement, Rosenshine points out that the degrees of freedom were incorrectly calculated. A corrected analysis yielded correlations that were respectable but not statistically significant at the .05 level.
• Amidon and Flanders study: This experiment was deemed acceptable but not generalizable due to only one teacher being involved and the teacher's behavior (accepting student ideas more often, using criticism more often) deviating significantly from other studies.
• LaShier study: This study's generality was questioned because it involved student teachers and focused on the BSCS curriculum, which is considered difficult even for high school students.
• Brown study: This study was inconclusive due to the use of the Withall system instead of IA and an error in calculating correlations, making the published data unreliable.
• Nelson study: While Nelson's report indicated a higher i/d ratio when teachers prepared students for pupil-determined writing topics, Rosenshine notes that teacher style and assignment were confounded. Furthermore, the complete report showed no significant differences in essay quality, limiting generalizability.
• Beller, Weber, and Amidon study: This study involved only four teachers, precluding statistical tests.
• Soar study: This was a post hoc analysis of a larger investigation. The factor for indirect teaching was not significantly correlated with class-mean residual gain scores in vocabulary, reading, or arithmetic. The use of pupils rather than classes as the unit of measure was also questioned.
• Furst and Amidon study: Rosenshine states that the description of this study is inaccurate, and it is purely descriptive of teacher-pupil interaction.

In conclusion, Rosenshine asserts that none of the examined studies provide clear data that can be confidently applied to a teacher training program, despite the positive conclusions drawn by Campbell and Barnes.

Other Content

A monograph titled "Individually Prescribed Instruction - A Critique" is available for 50 cents from the Technical Educational Service at the University of Missouri-Columbia. This monograph is aimed at public school administrators and provides guidelines for implementing the IPI concept, having received considerable recognition in Missouri.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The issue highlights a tension between the practical, anecdotal realities of classroom management and the rigorous demands of scientific educational research. Romano's article reflects a pragmatic, humanistic approach to understanding student behavior, emphasizing observation and empathy, even amidst disciplinary challenges. Rosenshine's piece, conversely, underscores the importance of methodological rigor and statistical validity in research, cautioning against oversimplified conclusions that may not withstand scrutiny. The Phi Delta Kappan, through these contrasting pieces, appears to foster a dialogue that values both the lived experiences of educators and the critical evaluation of research findings, aiming to inform and improve educational practice.