Researchers studied patterns of language use by parent-child dyads working together on an instructional task in their homes. Analysis of speech acts indicated (1) different use of speech and different performance rates across achievement levels and (2) relationships between socioeconomic status and achievement and between language and task…

Effects of varying the usual biology-chemistry course sequence were studied by comparing students' scores on the Natural Science Reading Test of the American College Test (ACT). Results showed that it made little difference whether college preparatory students at two New Orleans (Louisiana) high schools took chemistry before biology or vice versa.…

Researchers investigated the effects of sex differences on the relationship between conservation ability and the reading and linguistic awareness of five-year-old children. Findings of this study and others consistently support the hypothesis that conservation ability correlates more highly with reading in girls than in boys. (Author/PP)

Research on elementary school-based programs for increasing the educationally stimulating qualities of the home environment was statistically synthesized in a qualitative analysis of 29 controlled studies. Of 121 comparisons made in the analysis, 91.1 percent favored treatment over control groups, thus pointing to the effectiveness of these…

A study examined the effects of two factors--learner ability and modifications of instruction through increased feedback and reduced size of instructional units--on the time required for learning and the retention of fourth-grade male students. While instructional modifications best predicted the time needed for learning, learner ability best…

The value of verbal labeling is shown by a study of fourth-grade, eighth-grade, and college students who were shown pictures accompanied by short verbal descriptions. Verbal descriptions increased correct recognitions and rejections of unrelated distractors, while increasing false recognition of related distractors. Results were consistent for all…

A test of the hypothesis that sex differences in quantitative Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) performance may be due to differences in the pattern of quantitative coursework taken in high school showed that the male-female gap in quantitative SAT performance shrinks considerably where coursework differences are controlled. (Author/LC)

The verbal and nonverbal behaviors of 16 first-grade teachers were examined to assess differences based on sex and race of child and race of teacher. Results indicated that the White teachers directed more verbal praise and criticism and nonverbal praise toward males and more nonverbal criticism toward Black males. (Author/LC)

A two-year evaluative study of a Child Parent Center Compensatory Education Program examined specific program characteristics and parent involvement as they affected achievement, locus of control, and home environment. Based on this quasi-experimental study, the program increased achievement, promoted greater feelings of control, and stimulated…

Eighty-five sixth-grade students were randomly assigned to either a traditional instruction or a systems instructional group and were blocked according to sex and ethnicity. Following eight months of mathematics instruction, skill assessments found significant differences for adding and subtracting fractions subtests related to both instructional…

Relationships were examined between student achievement (output), teachers' length of tenure, level of fiscal resources, and level of "disadvantagedness" of students. Teachers' length of tenure was found to be a positive and direct predictor of the output, while relationships between student achievement and the other predictors varied. (Author/LC)

Forty-seven learning disabled and low-level readers were assigned to reading instruction programs on context cue use differing only in extent of student control of determination of errors. Students high in internality benefited more from instruction in which they determined response correctness; students low in internality benefited from…

Eighth-grade students were given short prose passages that described the distinguishing attributes of fictitious towns. Illustrations were devised to represent the attributes, either separately, thematically, or thematically in conjunction with the mnemonic keyword method. Keyword illustrations proved to be highly effective facilitators of…

The National Teacher Examinations (NTE) performance of students with similar Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores who attended five predominantly Black and 10 predominantly White universities were studied. When grouped by race, both Black and White graduates of predominantly White institutions received higher NTE scores than Blacks and Whites…

The characteristics of a sample of school-aged children identified as learning disabled (LD) are described. They were characterized by distributions of single variables (e.g., discrepancy between IQ and achievement) and hierarchical classification creating subgroups within the LD sample. Fewer than half the sample exhibited characteristics…