The progress of self-paced and instructor-paced students was examined with measures of achievement, course evaluations, and retention. Though the self-paced group procrastinated, and the instructor-paced group did not, they had similar test scores and were equally satisfied with the course. The number of completed units, grade distributions, and…

Factor analyses of a 75-item self-report Academic Motivations Inventory produced a set of nine interpretable dimensions which partially summarize an academic motivation domain and which can be measured with adequate reliability. The factors are discussed in relation to prior studies of the structure of academic motivation, and further research is…

An analysis of the interaction between social competence and type of environment showed that residents of low-rise dormitories were significantly more satisfied and established more dormitory-based friendships than residents of a high-rise mega-dorm setting. A number of interactions were found between social competence, type of environment, and…

Graduate students completed questionnaires containing either past performance information alone or past performance information and aptitude scores for a hypothetical student. Low aptitude scores led to greater ability attributions, regardless of performance. High aptitude scores led to greater effort attributions given poor performance and to…

Students scoring in the upper and lower distributions of the Test Anxiety Scale solved anagrams under high stress (evaluative) and low stress (nonevaluative) conditions. The high-anxiety-stress group reported greater anxiety; rated themselves, their abilities, and the task more negatively; solved fewer anagrams; and estimated spending less time on…

Children read sets of words under three conditions: with no pictures, with related pictures, and with unrelated pictures. Results indicated that words were read more slowly whenever pictures were present; that unrelated pictures produced more interference than related pictures; and that both effects were inversely related to reading ability.…

Student ratings of classroom social environments were related to absenteeism rates and average final grades. Classes with high absenteeism rates were seen as high in competition and teacher control and low in teacher support. Classes in which teachers gave higher average grades were seen as high in involvement and low in teacher control.…

Subjects read scenarios describing a fictitious student and rated the extent to which the students' academic success was due to ability, effort, test difficulty, and luck. Attributions to ability and effort were greater for positively valued information; attributions to luck were greater for negative information. Results partially followed…

One hundred-fifty subjects studied a passage with questions interspersed at different locations. Total level of acquisition was highest in treatments involving postquestions and no questions. The results were attributed to the influence of adjunct questions on learner expectations that affect the selective processing of information. (Author/JAC)

The hypothesis that multiple-choice exams load higher on Level II ability than on Level I ability was confirmed by correlating multiple choice tests with the Cognitive Abilities Test Nonverbal Battery, the forward digit span test, and essay measures. Differences in scores among Asian, black, white, and Mexican American students are discussed in…

Adults viewed silent videotapes of high- and low-achieving children and estimated the level of understanding revealed by each child. Observers accurately differentiated between understanding and not understanding in spontaneous and deliberate conditions. In the spontaneous conditions, high achievers were perceived as understanding more than low…

The effects of elaboration instructions and imagery characteristics of verbal material on learning of Malay--English word pairs were investigated, as well as the moderating effects of individual differences. Results reflect aptitude X treatment interactions and the importance of individual differences in planning instructional methods. (Author/JAC)

Sixth-grade students were measured on fluid and crystallized ability, given instructions stressing one of the abilities, and pre- and posttested on a mathematical concept. Results suggest that students with lower general ability benefit most by instruction focused on fluid ability, and students with higher general ability by instruction focused on…

Thirty-six visual and auditory tests were given to 113 fifth and sixth grade students. Second-order analysis yielded two well-defined factors representing Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence and two perceptual factors corresponding to General Visualization and General Auditory Function. Perceptual factors were not clearly separated from broad…

The relationship between various aspects of student self-concept and student participation in the extra-and cocurricular activity programs of several high schools was explored. Known and hypothesized indicants of participation were explored. Results indicated that self-concept variables and personal variables were differential in the nature of…