Six graduate social work students, enrolled in a course on behavioral self-control, were taught using performance contracts for A, B, or C grades and the Personalized System of Instruction (PSI). Student performance and satisfaction with the course were high. (GDC)

The job behaviors of local school superintendents were self-reported along four dimensions: (1) the issues addressed; (2) the individuals contacted; (3) behaviors performed; and (4) information sources used. The job profiles obtained were contrasted with reported findings for chief executive officers and managers in the private sector. (Author/GDC)

Attitudinal and demographic data were obtained from 113 Black parents who decided to involve their children in a voluntary school desegregation transfer program, and from 37 nonvolunteering Black parents. Differences between the two groups, although marginal, were related to attitude toward desegregation and attitude toward the school district.…

Five major studies of sexism in children's reading materials were critically reviewed according to basic research criteria. Findings indicated that these studies were not based on well-structured designs; that categories were not explicated or consistent; and that foundations to support valid conclusions were lacking. (Author/GDC)

Undergraduate education majors participated in a mastery learning situation (unlimited retesting and relearning until the end of the semester) or a modified mastery situation (only two trials per unit allowed). Higher levels of prior achievement and the modified mastery approach were associated with greater learning and retention. (GDC)

Undergraduates were instructed to generate ideas for a divergent thinking task--ideas which would or would not be likely to be generated by others. When locus of control (LOC) was compatible with the instructions, more ideas were generated. Self-ratings of creativity were not affected by instructions or LOC. (Author/GDC)

The relationship between teacher-perceived brightness/dullness and classroom interactions was investigated with 96 intermediate-grade children. Positive interactions were distributed unevenly between "bright" and "dull" children; no differences were indicated in the distributions of negative and neutral interactions. (Author/GDC)

Responses of approximately 250 Israeli students who evaluated college instruction were analyzed with respect to lower-level (LLC) and higher-level cognitive processes (HLC). LLC and HLC were found to be complementary, rather than competitive; and both contributed to students' ratings of teaching and of course interest. (Author/GDC)

This article discusses: (1) evolution of the concept of selective underachievement in reading; (2) evidence that reading disorders are linked to written language and speech problems; and (3) anatomical, physiological, and biochemical aspects of brain research. Specialized medical instruments do not yet replace good clinical observation for…

A study compared students' evaluation of their teachers with other means of teacher evaluation and also examined how student characteristics and attitudes, along with different types of teacher behavior, influenced students' ratings. In general, evaluations by the sixth-grade students appeared to be reliable and useful measures of teacher…

Classroom behavior of experienced and novice teachers was studied in terms of: (1) use of student cues; (2) instructional responses to cues; and (3) teachers' instructional goals and prior knowledge. Experienced teachers used twice as many kinds of instructional actions, as well as more complex associations between cues and responses. (Author/PP)

Existing classroom data were used in a preliminary test of a theoretical model of student academic motivation. Expected relationships among verbal ability, internality, self-esteem, and success were found, along with evidence that class grouping may alter them. Problems encountered using existing research for other purposes are described.…

Two studies were conducted to obtain information about the metacognitive environment of the preschool child and the impact of parent-child communication on problem solving. Children working with parents showed improvement on several problem-solving measures, but children working alone also improved, solely as a result of practice. (Author/PP)

A study examined student engaged and nonengaged behavior in mathematics class during various types of instructional activities and at different age levels. Third- and fifth-grade students spent more time on seatwork, while seventh-grade students had more teacher-led activities. As grade level increased, student engagement decreased. (Author/PP)

Researchers investigated whether inservice teachers' attitudes toward writing would be more similar with linguists' attitudes after participating in workshops stressing a process approach to writing. The workshops did influence teachers' attitudes, so that they relied less on rules and more on language usage to dtermine the appropriateness of a…