An investigation analyzed stories written by intermediate grade authors to determine if sex-stereotyped roles were apparent in main characters. It found that both males and females created sex-stereotyped characters of their own sex to the same extent and that female and male character profiles differed. (Author/MT)

The effectiveness of test-taking skills training was studied by calculating test performance quantitative indices of effect magnitude from data in 24 studies. Longer training programs produced significantly greater achievement gains than shorter programs, supporting recommendations for test-taking training in schools. (Author/MT)

Responses of preservice and experienced teachers to the Teacher Concerns Questionnaire (TCQ) were analyzed to investigate the validity of TCQ scores and gain insight into teacher concerns. Generally, the results support earlier studies, but findings regarding impact concerns indicate caution is needed when basing decisions on TCQ scores.…

A test to assess prereaders' understanding of the function of print is evaluated. Results show test reliability and validity. Correlations between the Print Awareness Test and other measures are presented. Future research is called for to clarify the role of the test in the reading acquisition process. (Author/MT)

Five language-eliciting situations were presented to kindergarten and primary-grade children to identify developmental trends and task effects in the complexity of language structures, vocabulary, functions, and story conventions used. Limited developmental differences and significant task effects were found. Implications for classroom instruction…

The relationship between word difficulty, measured by morphological family frequency counts, and passage comprehension was examined. Fifth graders read either a high-frequency or low-frequency version of a social studies passage. Literal and inferential comprehension was measured revealing no significant differences in comprehension of the two…

High school students in algebra classes were presented lessons on direct variation and then tested on comprehension. The lessons were analyzed according to low-inference teacher behaviors. Findings show that lesson structure and categories of teacher vagueness were related significantly to student achievement. (Author/MT)

This study aimed to assess cognitive and behavior correlates of young children's interest in computers. Computer users tended to be older and exhibited significantly higher levels of cognitive maturity than nonusers. Other findings are discussed. Results suggest there are important cognitive underpinnings for computer involvement by preschoolers.…

The effect of using separate answer sheets on a standardized test was investigated by administering the test and requiring children to either answer in the test booklet, use an answer sheet without prior practice, or use an answer sheet with practice sessions. Significant effects on test scores are examined. (Author/MT)

Previous studies have indicated that a response-sensitive presentation was more effective than a random response-insensitive presentation. This study examined whether these findings could be generalized to a regular classroom environment. Implications of the results are discussed. (Author/MT)

This study investigated the effect of class discussion, one-to-one interaction, or no prewriting activity on the voluntary writing decisions of fourth graders. No differences were found for boys; however, the proportion of control group girls who chose to write was significantly higher than those in the class discussion group. (Author/MT)

Classroom activities related to the mathematics achievement level of students in 36 fourth-grade mathematics classes were identified. Engagement in competitive mathematics activities, cooperative mathematics activities, social activities, and off-task behavior was consistently and differentially related to girls' versus boys' low-level and…

High School and Beyond data set and path analytic techniques were used to compare Black and Hispanic high school seniors' achievement in public and in Catholic schools. When better ability measures were added to the causal models the apparent effect of Catholic schooling on minority achievement was greatly reduced. (Author/BS)

A longitudinal research study in Israel was designed to investigate effects of mutual interrelations between courses in sequential teaching on long-term retention of learning in a science curriculum. The results implied that a program composed of a hierarchical sequence of learning units is superior to a discontinuous array of discrete courses.…

This study identified components in the implicit (what was actually taught) curriculum for clinical instruction at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine. The underlying philosophy, curricular content, implications for teaching strategies, and sequencing of what was taught, were examined. (BS)