Researchers used four token reinforcement systems--tokens only, descriptive praise, self-reinforcement, and a combination of all three--and observed the effect on the problem solving performance of fourth-grade reading students. Only students using the combination reward system maintained their progress after tokens were withdrawn. (Authors/PP)

A study of the effects of ethnic background, education, age, employment history, current position, and length of time with Head Start on the training needs of Child Development Associate (CDA) trainees indicated that ethnic background alone was associated with differences in perceived training needs. The results have implications for future…

Forty-five teachers of educable mentally retarded (EMR) students and 34 first-grade teachers rated their students' mathematical abilities on a seven-point scale. The EMR teachers rated their students significantly lower than did first-grade teachers, although they performed comparably on the Peabody Mathematics Readiness Test. (Author/LC)

Employment success and job satisfaction were compared for beginning teachers who had successfully completed intensive multi-cultural course and field experiences and for those who had traditional course and field experiences. The findings favored the culturally prepared graduates who had greater success in finding teaching jobs and obtaining their…

Course instruction was manipulated to yield two different levels of structure in an analysis of the effects of course structure on student satisfaction for 166 introductory educational psychology students. Results suggested that student satisfaction for different degrees of course structure depends on personality attributes. (Author/LC)

Two types of pictures were used to investigate whether or not the amount of information contained in the pictures would help children's comprehension of wh-questions. Pictures do not seem to facilitate understanding for low socioeconomic (SES) children more than for middle SES children but do seem to be helpful at certain developmental levels. (LC)

Nineteen kindergarten children were pretested on readiness and blending tests and randomly assigned to a control or experimental group to determine if auditory blending skills were teachable and important in a beginning reading program. Following instruction in sequencing and blending sounds, the experimental group gained significantly in both…

Variables that affect the use of knowledge gained by educators at workshops were investigated. Knowledge use is significantly associated with: (1) school climate variables such as staff treatment, goal direction, and problem solving; and (2) workshop features such as clear explanations, job relevance, and amount and qualities of instruction. (FG)

Four variables were tested for their influence on the holding power of 32 high schools in Israel: (1) level of disadvantaged students; (2) school attractiveness and class size; (3) teacher's educational level; and (4) school dropout rate. Correlations were found between level of disadvantaged students and school attractiveness, and between teacher…

Develomental patterns in the reading and aural skills of 45 preschool, kindergarten, and first grade children, were assessed. Children with increasing reading abilities were progressively more successful in their ability to segment words in both aural and visual contexts. (FG)

College faculty and freshmen program participated in a study of the effect of teachers' preference for complexity and tolerance to ambiguity. Teachers who preferred high complexity classroom interaction maintained significantly more verbal responses in the higher levels of cognition, thereby challenging student thinking. (PP)

The consequences of using departmentally constructed instruments for student evaluation of faculty was investigated in a university for reliability, validity, and consistency. Results indicated that a great deal of discrepancy exists among departments concerning evaluation factors, appropriate weightings for factors, wording of items, and…

The effectiveness of Feuerstein's Instrumental Enrichment program (FIE) in improving the cognitive performance of slow learners was tested for one year with low performing vocational high school students in Ontario (Canada). Improved cognitive performance was noted for FIE students, although changes in personality and attitude were substantiated…

A study compared mentoring among teachers, nurses, and police officers. Results are compared to studies conducted in other professions, and suggestions for educators and administrators are offered. (FG)

A study investigated the hypothesis that poor comprehension or recall of task demands, rather than a putative lack of goal directedness, is a possible source of learning-disabled children's poor performance of experimental tasks. Clear instructions substantially facilitated performance by both normally achieving and learning disabled children of…