Exploring Polish educational historiography during the first quarter of the twentieth century, this article focuses on the professional goals and commitments of historians as factors central to the emergence of its research traditions. The possibilities and limitations of Thomas Kuhn's position for the study of educational history are examined.…

A respectable reliability of scoring twelfth-grade essays can be achieved through the use of essay models in the two Alberta Essay Scales (style-content and mechanics). The scales can assist classroom teachers in the day-to-day scoring of essays by providing a constant standard. (Author/SB)

Reports on a study conducted to investigate Kohlberg's allegation that his test discerns between form and content in moral development. Indicates that the aspect of form which he measures is probably general intellectual development that rePresents norms that the school intentionally transmits to pupils. (JD)

Focuses on the influence of examiners' level of experience and professional background on grades given in oral and written undergraduate examinations in psychology. Level of experience was found to have no significant effect. Clinical psychologists gave more laudabilis grades on oral exams and academic psychologists on essay exams. (JD)

Reports investigation of pupils' musical achievement resulting from a "new" music education program using creative instrumental activities. Analysis indicated significantly better achievements for pupils taught by the "new" program than those in a traditional type of program. (JD)

Discusses results of a study comparing the self-concept of intellectually gifted 9th-grade- students with that of intellectually average students, and investigates the relationships that existed among self-concept, intelligence test performance, reading comprehension, mathematics achievement, and overall composite achievement. No significant…

Reports the results of a study of five-year-olds, which indicate that social relationships are a facilitator of cognitive learning of reading readiness concepts and imaginativeness. Girls in the experimental treatments significantly outperformed the boys. (JD)

A study of elementary school children revealed their awareness of skimming techniques and their ability to skim when explicitly instructed to do so. Spontaneous skimming was most clearly observed in 8th grade students, which indicated that the development of the use of skimming is an increasing integration of various pieces of knowledge. (JD)

Discusses the positive effects of contingent rewards (verbal praise and house-points) as effective reinforcers of correct handwriting responses in elementary classrooms. Points out that direct contingency rewards proved effective in changing behavior, while implicit contingency rewards possessed aversive qualities. (JD)

Evaluates the effectiveness of the consultative process, as determined by four reviewed studies. Discusses consultative needs and practices of teachers in schools of different grade levels, and stresses the importance of peer consultation. Suggests recommendations for improving the practice of educational consultation. (JD)

Compared to a conventional social studies curriculum, a program consisting of instruction and practice in specific critical thinking skills within the context of an investigation of a contemporary community problem was more effective in teaching critical thinking skills in a nonacademic social studies setting. (SB)

A model of the social processes involved in the production of individual educational achievement is formulated and used to interpret data from Australia. Results are evaluated. The "needs press" paradigm and "social learning theory" are discussed as mechanisms of transference in the model. (SB)

Women in Canada and the U.S. enjoy neither equality of access to higher education nor equality of treatment within graduate level institutions. While women in the U.S. have somewhat greater access to graduate study, they are excluded from the sponsorship system in which Canadian women participate. (SB)

Contrary to previous research findings, elementary and secondary school teachers appear to want sole decision-making authority in federation matters but not in many other areas such as economics, discipline, curriculum, and home-school problems. Rather, they desire more consultative involvement prior to the principal's ultimate decision. (SB)

Systematic desensitization using deep muscle relaxation was significantly successful in the reduction of math anxiety among preservice elementary teachers, but it did not affect their enjoyment of math or their perceptions of its value. Math anxiety was shown to be related to a more globally defined notion of anxiety. (SB)