Effective Instructional Strategies: From Theory to Practice
SAGE Journal Articles
Access to full-text SAGE journal articles that have been carefully selected to support and expand on the concepts presented in each chapter. Journal articles can act as an ideal resource to help support your assignments and studies.
Click on the following links, which will open in a new window.
Article 1: McNaughton, D., Hamlin, D., McCarthy, J., Head-Reeves, D., & Shreiner, M. (2008). Learning to Listen: Teaching an Active Listening Strategy to Preservice Education Professionals. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 27, 223-231.
Abstract: The importance of parent-teacher communication has been widely recognized; however, there is only limited research on teaching effective listening skills to education professionals. In this study, a pretest--posttest control group design was used to examine the effect of instruction on the active listening skills of preservice education professionals. Instruction resulted in statistically significant improvement for targeted active listening skills. As a measure of social validity, parents of preschool and school-age children viewed pre- and postinstruction videotapes of preservice education professionals in role-play conversations. The parents judged the postinstruction performances of the preservice education professionals to be better examples of effective communication than the preinstruction performances of the preservice education professionals.
Article 2: Clark, T. (1999). Sharing the Importance of Attentive Listening Skills. Journal of Management Education, 23 (2), 216-223.
Abstract: This article describes a first-day, in-class exercise that has worked to elevate student awareness of the importance of attentive listening to achieving interpersonal success. Small groups of students answer one of six questions about the impact of the listener's behavior on speakers, and class discussion revolves around their answers. Students learn how important it is to consciously manage listening behavior. This exercise is also an outstanding springboard for introducing topics the professor will discuss later in the semester, including supporting, coaching, disciplining, interviewing, and team building.
Article 3: Swain, K.D., Friehe, M., & Harrington, J.M. (2004). Teaching Listening Strategies in the Inclusive Classroom. Intervention in School and Clinic, 40 (1), 48-54.
Abstract: Many students who are at risk and those with disabilities struggle with listening. Too often, teacher training programs and basal reading series do not emphasize the importance of listening for learning and literacy. This article discusses the relationship between listening and literacy and offers listening activities that complement an existing elementary reading curriculum.
Article 4: Palardy, J.M. (1999). Some Strategies for Motivating Students. NASSP Bulletin, 83, 116-121.
Abstract: No abstract available
Article 5: Anderson, M.H. (2007). "Why Are There So Many Theories?" a Classroom Exercise To Help Students Appreciate the Need for Multiple Theories of a Management Domain. Journal of Management Education, 31 (6), 757-776.
Abstract: Management educators teaching topics such as motivation and leadership face the challenge of clearly explaining why so many diverse theories exist and why each represents a useful tool worth learning. The large number of "core" theories in these and other management domains often frustrates students, who see the lack of a single, comprehensive theory as indicating that academics do not truly understand the topic. Because students generally evaluate theories according to whether the theories match their personal experience, they may appreciate only one or two as being "correct" or "useful" and dismiss the others as invalid. Building on a "conceptual toolbox" metaphor of education, this article presents a classroom exercise that vividly illustrates why each of the many theories in a management domain is valuable and worth learning. The exercise involves the specific topic of work motivation but can be adapted to any domain involving a large number of core theories.
Article 6: McCombs, B.L., & Barton, M.L. (1998). Motivating Secondary School Students To Read Their Textbooks. NASSP Bulletin, 82, 24-33.
Abstract: No abstract available
Article 7: Entwisle, D.R., Alexander, K.L., & Steffel Olson, L. (2005). Urban Teenagers: Work and Dropout. Youth & Society, 37 (1), 3-32.
Abstract: This article explores how employment affects the likelihood of dropout among high school students in Baltimore, a high-poverty city with a high dropout rate. Among 15-year-olds, those with teen jobs (e.g., lawn mowing, babysitting, etc.) were less than one third as likely to drop out as those who took adult-type jobs (manufacturing or business). This pattern reversed at age 16, however, because, at that age, holding an adult-type job as compared to a teen job reduced dropout risk. Patterns of work, for those older than ages 15 and 16, also affected dropout risk. Students who had been retained, but who made an orderly transition into work, were less likely to drop out than retained students who made a disorderly transition.