Fourth-grade students learned a list of relatively complex English vocabulary words in two experiments. In both experiments, a keyword contextual method proved effective for enhancing children's acquisition of new vocabulary words. (Author/BW)

Elementary school teachers indicated six need areas: (1) developing effective learners and a mastery of basic skills; (2) guiding children to set up and achieve realistic goals; (3) locating materials and inservice support for effective teaching; (4) maintaining discipline; (5) identifying and understanding readiness factors that affect learning;…

Using data drawn from the 1977-1978 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in mathematics, it was found that background variables accounted for 25 percent of the variance in mathematics achievement. Exposure to mathematics courses explained an additional 34 percent of the variance. (Author/BW)

Thirteen primary teachers provided information on 321 students concerning the students' temperament characteristics, school performance estimates, and classroom management decisions. Factor analysis of the temperament measures yielded three independent factors: Task Orientation, Adaptability, and Reactivity. A strong and consistent relationship…

Learning preferences and perceptions of classroom learning atmosphere were compared for 279 math and English students in grades 7 and 11. Results indicated that Grade 11 students prefer both more cooperative and competitive contact than do Grade 7 students. Girls prefer competing in English and boys, in math. (Author/LC)

The effects of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on basic skills achievement and attitudes toward instruction were compared for two groups of third- through sixth-grade Spanish-speaking migrant children. Results indicated that students who used CAI had greater achievement gains, but students in the non-CAI program had more favorable attitudes…

Teacher-student interaction patterns in 12 third-grade mainstreamed classrooms were observed with four groups of students: nonhandicapped high achievers, nonhandicapped low achievers, learning disabled, and behaviorally handicapped. Although the behaviorally handicapped students were treated differently by their teachers more frequently than the…

A meta-analysis of outcomes from 32 studies investigating pretest effects was conducted. For all outcomes the average effect size was +.22, indicating an elevating effect of pretest on posttest. Duration of time between pre- and posttesting was also related to effect size. Researchers should continue to include pretest as a design variable.…

Student ability and behaviors during small-group interaction as mediators of effective small-group learning were examined. Comparison of test results indicated that students trained in small-group interaction participated in more task-related interaction than control students, and task-related interaction enhanced achievement and retention.…

This study follows from the premise that there is a positive and substantial correlation between achievement and instructional time. Specifically, the author describes multivariate relationships existing between proportions of time spent on instruction and behavior in the classroom, and six potentially important contextual variable subsets. For a…

Children and teachers were observed during free-play periods to study the relationships among children's locus of control, children's behaviors, and teacher-child interactions. Results indicated no significant relationships between children's behaviors and locus of control. Teachers reinforced task and peer involvement in internal children and…

This study suggests that student's choice of undergraduate major depends on various factors. Allowing for recent trends toward accounting and business administration, results indicate that earnings differentials and differences in the rate of change in earnings are among important factors in the student's decision. (Author/LC)

A partial replication of Kounin's research findings with respect to teacher "withitness" in classroom management is described, and discrepancies between Kounin's findings and those of this partial replication study are noted. Inconsistencies in Kounin's theoretical and methodological/operational definitions of "withitness" are proposed as possible…

The psychological benefits of a high school tutoring program were investigated. Results gathered from questionnaires answered by high school students tutoring junior high school students, both before and after the tutoring experience, indicated that tutors' empathy, altruism, and self-esteem increased as a result of program participation.…

Longitudinal data on student absence rates from kindergarten through eighth grade were collected and analyzed. Absence correlated significantly with teacher-assigned reading grades and standardized test scores. (Authors/CJ)