The question of which aspects of a problem are hard to remember is addressed. A series of studies assessing the difficulty of representing various kinds of algebraic information in memory are presented. (Author/GK)

This study examined the joint effects of teachers' expectations about students and vice versa on the performance and attitudes of both participants. Results showed that student performance was a function of the teacher's expectations. (Author/GK)

The effects of training in test-taking skills on the readiness test performance of young Spanish-speaking children from low socioeconomic backgrounds were assessed. Findings support the hypothesis that testwiseness is an important influence for such children and should be considered in assessment programs. (Author/AL)

Two questions were addressed regarding the utility of the keyword method, originally developed as an instructional technique to facilitate foreign language vocabulary acquisition: (1) the method's applicability to other common school learning tasks; and (2) students' use of the method as a self-initiated study strategy. (Author/AL)

The utility of the keyword method is assessed in three experiments where eighth-grade students were asked to learn the purported accomplishments of various individuals, as described in several short fictitious passages. The method appears to hold promise for improving students' learning of a variety of school content. (Author/AL)

Time spent on homework was found to be important in determining student grades. Further, it was suggested that increased homework demands and more stringent grading standards might increase both student achievement and confidence in schools. (Author/AL)

Children in open and traditional classrooms were observed and tested on physiological and performance measures. The children were categorized into subgroups according to their arousal level. Analyses of variance revealed that performance of high-arousal children in open classrooms decreased over time in contrast to all other subgroups. (Author/AL)

Results of this study demonstrate student-instructor agreement on evaluations of teaching effectiveness, support the validity of student ratings for both graduate and undergraduate courses, and emphasize the importance of using multifactor rating scales that are derived through the application of factor analysis. (Author/AL)

This investigation demonstrates the validity of the Sheppard School Entry Screening Test (SSEST) as an early indicator of reading problems. This screening device provides good predictability across the entire range of reading ability and is particularly effective at forecasting the poorest readers. (Author/AL)

A psychological theory of educational productivity is tested, and the usefulness of the National Assessment of Educational Progress data for secondary analyses for policy purposes is explored. Class as a social psychological factor and the didactic quality of instruction appear to be the only unequivocal and potentially manipulable causes of…

After factor analyzing teacher evaluations by students into three dimensions, research indicates significant relationships between expected grade and course effectiveness with a non-bias interpretation, and teacher effectiveness and course difficulty with a bias interpretation. The effects of course type on grades and ratings are discussed with…

Mathematics curricula in Japan, Taiwan and the United States are compared for concepts and skills, and a cross-national test of mathematics achievement is described. Among selected first- and fifth-grade children, students in Japan and Taiwan consistently outperformed their American counterparts. Achievement levels and curriculum content do not…

In two experiments, instruction in a hierarchical summarization study strategy focusing on the organization of ideas in a text was compared with the procedure of answering questions after reading. Fifth-grade student comprehension and memory were enhanced but were found to be affected by mastery of the strategy. (Author/CM)

Kindergarteners asked to predict which of 18 unrelated pictures they would be able to recall were shown to be as discriminating as older children at predicting memorability in a signal-detection analysis. Justifications for why items were memorable showed increased reference to item and task characteristics with increased age. (Author/CM)

Three experiments assessing the effects of nonbizarre versus bizarre pictorial elaboration on the paired-associate retention of noun pairs were conducted with kindergarten and second-grade children. Both pictorial elaborations were found to facilitate performance relative to a standard presentation condition and forgetting of pairs was equivalent.…