The incidence of cheating and lying on an experimental measure was examined from a sample of high school students who attended either a religious (Catholic) or a secular (public) school. Student surveys indicated that the groups were similar in moral reasoning level and in lying and cheating behavior. Level of moral reasoning was not correlated…

This study examined black 4th and 8th graders' mathematics achievement and attitudes. The effects of gender, economic status, self-concept, and learning style were studied. Students were from economically-stressed families and possessed negative mathematics attitudes. Economic status predicted 4th graders' achievement. Learning style and gender…

Several measures of fraction knowledge were developed and administered to 540 fifth-grade students in 22 classrooms. Students were asked to represent their conceptual knowledge in several task contexts and formats. Level of representational knowledge predicted performance on problem solving, justification, and explanation tasks. The assessments…

The relationship between initial school functioning and subsequent mobility was examined among 2,524 low-income elementary students. Data were collected on academic, behavioral, and school adjustment. The students were then trailed for three years; during this time mobility was observed. Most mobile students had poorer initial school behavior and…

Describes development of the Multicultural Teaching Concerns Survey, a self-report survey designed to assess the intensity of teachers' concerns about teaching diverse students. Participants (N=146) were preservice and inservice teachers. Analysis revealed four multicultural teaching concern factors, two of which roughly supported related…

This study examined reading instruction and its effects in schools with two different philosophical stances (process and traditional approaches to reading). Observations of six classes, three using traditional and three using process approaches, indicated that there were far more similarities than differences. Differences in school philosophy made…

This study examined the effects of manipulating on expectancy in same-sex, same-age dyads of unacquainted 7- to 12-year olds. Students completed questionnaires about themselves and their partners, with one partner having received an expectancy about the other's ability. Expectancy had a significant effect on both partners. Gender had negligible…

Most student performance studies using the production function or input-output approach do not consider student attendance as an independent variable. Data from Baltimore County public elementary schools indicate that student attendance positively and consistently correlates to standardized achievement test performance. Student socioeconomic…

This study investigated the relationship between teacher professionalism and educational process and outcomes, teachers' job attitudes and feelings, and school organizational factors. Surveys of primary principals, teachers, and students in Hong Kong indicated that primary school-level teachers professionalism positively related to students'…

The relationship between teachers' perceptions of students' foreign-language (FL) academic skills and affective characteristics and their performance on tests of native language skill and FL aptitude was examined. Comparisons of final grades and teachers' perceptions by skill level groups found significant overall effects when grouping students by…

Reports a study that examined the differences between social studies achievement and self-esteem in low-income Hispanic fourth graders who participated in either cooperative or traditional learning groups. Pretesting and posttesting found higher achievement with cooperative learning. Self-esteem appeared to be higher for boys regardless of…

The meta-analysis of J. Cameron and W. D. Pierce (1994), which purports to demonstrate that extrinsic rewards may not undermine intrinsic motivation, is unpersuasive by virtue of its methodologies, its tendency to ignore important distinctions, and its failure to include certain evidence. (Author/SLD)

Provides a critical analysis of the meta-analysis of J. Cameron and W. D. Pierce (1994) of the experimental literature on the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. Their overly simplistic conclusion has little theoretical or practical value and results from misuse of meta-analytic procedures. (SLD)

The conclusion of J. Cameron and W. D. Pierce that rewards do not pose a threat to intrinsic motivation (1994) is a misrepresentation of the literature based on a flawed meta-analysis. Their analysis is more an attempt to defend behaviorist turf rather than meaningful consideration of relevant data and issues. (Author/SLD)

The results of a meta-analysis that found that rewards do not threaten intrinsic motivation have not been well accepted by those who argue rewards produce negative effects under a wide range of conditions. Nevertheless, the results and conclusions of the meta-analysis are held to be valid. (SLD)