Giftedness identification in elementary schools is examined in a study of the effects of socioeconomic status and ethnicity on the identification process. Results showed several of the identification measures to be insensitive discriminators and somewhat biased against economically disadvantaged and minority students. (Author/DF)

A newly developed manuscript alphabet was compared with a traditional one to observe their effects on the teaching of cursive handwriting. Results showed no significant differences between the two types in teaching the production of cursive letters when presented to first graders. (Author/DF)

Dropping-out and grade level attainment among Mexican American migrant workers were investigated in South Texas. Various correlations among student attitudes, grade level, academic performance, family life, and demographic factors were examined. Factors that had a direct relationship with staying in school are discussed. (Author/DF)

Page prompts and beginning handwriting legibility were examined in a study of handwriting and teacher ratings of writing legibility. The relation of letter prompting to legibility was found to be dependent on the measure of legibility used. (Author/DF)

Teacher affective sensitivity was studied in an examination of the effects of a videotaped interpersonal skill development program on teacher behavior. Results indicate that this model of human relations training is successful. Implications are discussed. (Author/DF)

Pupil decision making, achievement, and sex role flexibility were examined in a study of middle school students. The year-long experiment measured the effects of curricular intervention on these personality traits. Results are discussed. (Author/DF)

Text lookback training in reading instruction was studied using high school and middle school students. Students were assigned to either a training or control group, with training group students receiving instruction on the use of text lookbacks to answer questions. Results are discussed. (Author/DF)

Teachers who experienced positive change in the learning outcomes of their students after an inservice workshop on mastery learning expressed increased personal responsibility for both positive and negative student outcomes and increased affect toward teaching, but they expressed decreased confidence in their teaching abilities. (Author/RD)

During their freshman year, 219 high-risk students at Eastern Michigan University attended special small classes, visited tutors, and participated in a reading and study skills program. Hours spent using the support services and number of tutor contacts correlated positively with college grade point average. (Author/BW)

Structured naturalistic observations and student surveys were analyzed to determine (1) the extent to which small group instruction was used in elementary school classrooms; (2) the academic conditions under which small group instruction was used; and (3) the effects of small group instruction on student attitudes, particularly those related to…

Various aspects of absentee patterns were compared with pupils' performances on a standardized ninth grade algebra examination. Results indicated that patterns of absence, in addition to gross quantity of absence, are related to pupils' performances. Moreover, results indicate that attending students' test score performances are sensitive to…

A synthesis of results from 35 studies of the association between academic and occupational performance in various fields indicated that academic indicators such as grades and test scores account for only 2.4 percent of the variance in occupational performance criteria such as income, job satisfaction, and effectiveness ratings. (Author/BW)

The main findings of a meta-analysis of 23 research reports were the following: giving behavioral objectives, learning directions, or questions before an instructional text is read leads to some improvement in the learning of goal relevant material; however, these preinstructional acts impede the learning of goal irrelevant materials. (Author/BW)

A multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) matrix was formed in which nine evaluation dimensions were the multiple traits, and different offerings of the same course were the multiple methods. Findings from the MTMM analysis and confirmatory factor analysis provide strong evidence for the multidimensionality of student ratings. (Author/BW)

Students rated domain-appropriate teacher responses to transgressions higher than domain-inappropriate or domain-undifferentiated responses. In addition, students generalized their ratings of teacher responses to their ratings of the teachers. (Author/BW)