New academic self-concept measures were used to assess self-concepts for 234 boys in grades 5 and 6 (13 subjects) and 524 boys in grades 7 through 10 (16 subjects) at a Catholic boys school in Sydney (Australia) and to test the Marsh/Shavelson model. Academic self-concept is remarkably subject specific. (SLD)

The teacher's pet (TP) phenomenon was investigated in 80 Israeli fifth grade classrooms (23 religious and 57 secular). Questionnaires were administered to 2,079 students (49 percent female) and 80 female teachers. TPs were identified in 80 percent of the classrooms, female more often than male, and good students. (SLD)

Data from the national Youth in Transition Study for 1,456 high school students and recent graduates indicate that reported grade averages in grades 11 and 12 are significantly affected by academic self-concept measured the previous year. Results demonstrate the influence of academic self-concept on subsequent academic achievement. (SLD)

Self-perceived competence was assessed for 60 8- 13-year-old children, grouped by learning disability and behavior disorder. Subjects included 15 controls and 3 groups of 15 learning-disabled children each ("normals," externalizers, and mixed symptomatology). Cognitive and social self-concept are as strongly related to behavioral factors as they…

To examine the influence of friends on school achievement motivation, each of 118 eighth graders was paired with a close friend to discuss dilemmas concerning achievement motivation or an unrelated topic. Friends' decisions on motivational dilemmas were more similar after discussion than before. Discussions did not cause more extreme decisions.…

Issues related to values and the impact of campus experiences on the values of undergraduates were studied for 410 undergraduates responding at 3 time points over the freshman year. Campus experiences with robust and value-specific effects are those that promote engagement in values-related issues. (SLD)

Perceptions of 520 Israeli seventh graders of teachers' differential behavior toward high and low achievers were compared with those of 17 teachers themselves. In a second experiment, teachers received feedback, which decreased the gap between students' and teachers' perceptions, although contrasting perceptions of emotional support given to low…

Effects of social facilitation and equilibriation were examined for 80 third and fourth graders working under interdependent, coactive, or individualized conditions to complete high and low complexity computer tasks. Results indicate that interdependent and coactive conditions are not detrimental to performance but do not enhance individualized…

A stepwise multiple regression analysis of final course grades of 184 psychology students revealed that scores on a self-assessment of memory ability were the best predictors of final course grades, followed by locus of control, and scores on the Self-Concept of Academic Ability Test. (SLD)

Effects on comprehension of a text structure used primarily in science and mathematics to present principles and associated proofs were studied for 70 undergraduates in 3 experiments. Results suggest that the usual proof-first structure is more difficult than a principle-first structure and results in less complete text representation. (SLD)

Conditions necessary for effective illustrations in scientific texts were studied with 300 college students in 3 experiments involving illustrations of mechanical devices. Cognitive conditions for effective illustrations include (1) appropriate text; (2) appropriate testing; (3) explanatory illustrations; and (4) learners with relatively low…

One hundred French children in grade five participated in an experiment to determine how the problem frame facilitates comprehension of a problem solution text. Results demonstrate the positive role of frames in macrostructure construction and support the model of T. A. van Dijk and W. Kintsch (1983). (SLD)

A study of 51 third and 47 fourth graders using a new measure of exposure to print, the Title Recognition Test, established that orthographic processing ability can account for variance in word recognition skill after variance resulting from phonological processing is removed. The importance of print exposure is discussed. (SLD)

The role of elaborative interrogation in children's learning of facts was investigated in 2 experiments involving 211 female and 185 male Canadian fourth through eighth graders. When compared to the facts alone, precise elaborations given by the experimenter, or learner-constructed imagery, elaborative interrogation produced better learning in…

Differences in use of selective attention by 64 more successful and 48 less successful readers in the tenth grade were studied. More successful readers are more aware of how and when to use the selective attention strategy and use more conceptual attention while reading than do less successful readers. (SLD)