Teachers evaluated taped speech samples of middle and lower socioeconomic status (SES) black and white children. Adequacy of task performance was equivalent for all groups, although speech patterns varied as a function of race and social class. White middle SES children were rated and ranked more positively than their counterparts. (Author/CP)

This replication study negates Bruner's finding that older subjects (age 15 and adult) understand the mathematical concept of ratio as exemplified by comparing judgments of fullness in pairs of glasses differing in height, diameter, and water volume. Weaknesses in Bruner's design and procedure that explain the discrepancy between the two studies…

The hypothesis that field-independent students rank task-oriented characteristics as important in the "ideal teacher," and conversely, that field-dependent students rank socially-oriented characteristics as important was not confirmed. The small tendency for field-dependent students to prefer teacher traits in which they themselves are deficient…

High-level behavioral objectives did not produce greater learning than low-level, contrary to previous findings using study questions interspersed through written prose. Overt use of objectives at both levels produced greater learning, supporting the idea that procedures requiring semantic encoding are instructionally superior to those requiring…

The ability to recognize questions warranting uncertainty was effectively developed in 167 fourth to sixth graders. A three-year followup evaluation measuring transfer of these skills on hard and soft drug use confirmed that students had developed a skeptical analytic attitude, allowing them to ignore peer and parental dogma about drugs.…

The systems approach to instructional design is advocated as a problem solving model for the discipline of educational psychology because it incorporates traditional concepts and provides (1) a method for delivering effective service; (2) a wide array of research and evaluation problems; and (3) an integrative framework for graduate training…

Teachers' ratings of children's academic abilities, classroom skills, and personal-social characteristics were highly predictive of subsequent school achievement. Although teachers tended to be more positive toward girls, within each sex ratings were predictive of future performance. Teacher ratings were more predictive of scholastic success than…

The author asserts that important changes in predictability of grades from test scores and high school records do occur during the undergraduate years. Mauger and Kolmodin's finding (see EJ 133 651) that this is not the case is the result of a crucial difference in methodology. (MV)

Humphrey's (1968) methodology, disregards the limitations it puts on interpretations of his results (see EJ 133 651). It is not legitimate to make categorical statements about all undergraduates on the basis of highly motivated graduating seniors. Moreover, when all entering students are sampled there is greater grade variance and a lower mean…

Refutes Mauger and Kolmodin's (1975) conclusion (see EJ 133 651) that their data does not support the author's (1968) conclusion that senior college grades are much less predictable from entrance information than freshman grades. States that their conclusion was not supported by their data and that the design of their study would allow no outcome…

The effects of feedback are largely determined by the students' perception of his original response. Feedback is most advantageous when it follows a response in which the student has high confidence. Findings are based on a study of college students working with a programmed text. (MV)

The affective components of a situation were powerful determinants of the facilitative self-control of children in the situation. Both the ongoing affective tone of the child's cognition during task performance, which replicated the results of Masters and Santrock (1976), and the ecological setting were linked to the continued maintenance of…

Strong instructions induced more interaction, resulting in better recall under intentional than under incidental instructions. Intentional instructions had greater impact on less efficient tasks and less effect on more efficient tasks. Maximum recall and efficiency occurred with simple instructions to read the passage. (Author/MV)

To determine cross-sectional similarity of the underlying structure of classroom environment variables, the Learning Environment Inventory and Primary Mental Abilities Test were administered to 46 eighth grade classes and 50 eleventh grade classes. Structures of affective and cognitive variables became very similar, however, a slight…

This study examined the effect of instruction on the correspondence between a model of the structure of concepts in a social studies unit (content structure) and a representation of psychological structure of subjects differing in field independence and dependence. (Author/MV)