Uses data from the Public Use Sample Tapes of the 1981 Canadian Census to examine both inter- and intraethnic occupational inequality. Results indicate that social background variables, in particular gender and education, are more important than ethnicity in explaining occupational inequality. (Author/KS)

Surveyed 92 students about to graduate from 3 Winnipeg high schools and 38 dropouts. Results revealed that graduates perceived themselves as being smarter, more ambitious and responsible, more involved in church and volunteer work, less involved with drugs and alcohol, and less involved in criminal activities than dropouts. (Author/KS)

Seven chapters focus in giftedness in education and the role of creativity. A second major issue is the recognition that not all groups are equally well served by provisions for the gifted. The emphasis is on intellectual giftedness, reflecting the focus of most school systems. (SLD)

To shift educational research's focus from the rigorous study of individuals to whole learning environments, a systemic view of the classroom is proposed, with a list of seven generic components of the classroom environment. L. Guttman's Small Space Analysis is used, and a science teaching project illustrates the discussion. (SLD)

A conceptualization of social skills as resources in social exchange is offered, and a social exchange theoretical framework is applied to educational research. In a social exchange framework, the contribution of the peer group to the social exclusion of an individual would not be ignored. (SLD)

To determine whether or not there are systematic differences in the psychometric properties of items in the vocabulary test of the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test, data from test administrations from 1984 through 1988 (over 50,000 students) were analyzed. The systematic relationships between word characteristics and psychometric properties are…

Theoretical issues and practical implications of metacognition for reading instruction are discussed. A cognitive training program is introduced, and the effects of the program on the reading skills of 64 sixth graders are analyzed. Results indicate that the program has the potential for improving instruction in reading comprehension and learning.…

Whether gender differences in Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test results changed with the age and experience of new examinees was examined for 7,779 male and 7,294 female students, including those under age 24 newly eligible for the examination. No real differences were found for traditional age group and younger examinees. (SLD)

A method to describe the relationship between coherence and writing quality through topical structure analysis was developed and applied to short compositions in English as a foreign language (EFL) by 24 Finnish high school students. Results indicate that topical development in such compositions can be one index of quality. (SLD)

Traces the development and institutionalization of educational research in Quebec since the 1950s. Describes the types of institutions carrying out educational research and research training; federal and provincial sources of research funding; and research themes, content, strengths, and weaknesses in recent years. (SV)

Based on a two-tiered epistemological model (preliminary physical concepts and emerging mathematical concepts), studied the construction of number among 91 kindergarten students in France, Canada, and the United States. Subjects' cognitive numerical structures were surprisingly similar despite differences in language and culture. (SV)

Proposes a perspective on mathematical symbolism as a communication and conceptualization tool. Describes research in which first graders, solving mathematical problems in small groups, invented symbolic representations as both a part of the knowledge construction process and a means of communicating their conceptualizations to each other. (SV)

Semistructured interviews with 15 masters-level biology students revealed that most proposed deterministic explanations of evolutionary processes, ignored the role of chance, seemed unaware of debates over deterministic versus probabilistic models of evolution, and confused evolutionary theory (a model) with the actual complex processes it…

In the Philosophy for Children program, children discover the rudiments of their own philosophy and improve their reasoning and reflective skills through group dialogue. The teacher (facilitator) training model involves teacher participation in a similar community of inquiry and consideration of the role of critical reflection in educational…

Key concepts of Barthes' textual analysis are used to examine the links among speech (teaching), writing (research), listening (learning), and reading (study), and to portray the encounters of pairs of these as illustrating issues in educational research. An example of annotated "oral writing" or "writing of teaching" is presented. (SV)