Children were interviewed in two studies to compare the attribution patterns of those with and without learning problems. Normally achieving children in both studies followed the expected pattern of attributing success more internally and failure more externally. Learning disabled children did not follow the expected pattern for failure.…

Content analysis of articles published in this journal was used to analyze research trends since 1910. Emphasis began with practical issues, moved to personal/social issues in the 1940s and 1950s, and concentrated on theoretical issues after 1970. Evaluation, motivation, and linguistics were the three top areas of recent interest. (BS)

Using observational data on classroom teachers, statistical procedures are presented for studying two questions on the stability of teacher behavior over time: (1) Is the individual teacher's behavior consistent? and (2) Are individual differences among teachers consistent? Approaches and methods of previous temporal stability studies are…

This article presents a system for avoiding Type I error increases when increasing the number of contrasts computed. Based on the Bonferroni inequality, the procedure corrects for the number of contrasts tested. Although conservative, the Bonferroni system is recommended for its flexibility, simplicity, and generality. (Author/BS)

While Bonferroni procedures control the risk of Type I errors, their cost is loss of power. Ordered Bonferroni procedures conserve power for more important tests while sacrificing power for less important tests. Both costs and benefits should be considered when choosing weights for individual tests and the overall level of Type I error protection.…

This study investigated the motivational and performance consequences of two features of task-mastery learning structures: retesting opportunities and criterion-referenced grading. College students were assigned either to a norm-referenced (competitive) or a criterion-referenced grading system, and to either a single-test or retest condition.…

This study assessed the effects of learning computer programing on children's cognitive style, metacognitive ability, cognitive development, and ability to describe directions. Eighteen children (age six) received one of two 12-week treatments: LOGO computer programing or computer-assisted instruction. Results indicated programing may influence…

This study examined the effects of phonemic analysis and synthesis on a reading analog task. Kindergarteners (n=31) who could not segment syllables into phonemes were assigned to a control group, segmenting training, or segmenting and blending training. Results suggest phonemic awareness skills are causally related to learning to read. (Author/BS)

Third, fifth, and seventh graders and adults read short expository paragraphs and performed three tasks requiring the generation of macrostructure: (1) choose the best title; (2) writing a summary sentence; and (3) writing an additional sentence. Performance improved with age. (Author/BS)

The effects of text-provided aids on readers' understanding of scientific passages are discussed. Two techniques are pretraining on definitions and signaling. In the experiments, subjects read a scientific passage with either definitions pretraining, signaling, both, or neither. Results indicated these techniques helped readers build mental models…

An unadjusted low-achievement criterion was compared with a regression-discrepancy criterion for identifying learning disabled children. The use of an unadjusted achievement raw score criterion resulted in misdiagnosing many children as learning disabled, while failing to identify many others. Different sets of predictor variables were associated…

This study was designed to validate subjects' classification of eleven attributions according to dimensions of locus, stability, controllability, predictability, and globality. Results indicated that subjects' dimensional assignment of five of Weiner's eight original attributions differed from Weiner's assignment. Differences existed in the…

This study investigated the transfer of four study rules from pictures to a prose recall task by learning disabled adolescents. Subjects receiving extensive direct training that included problem isomorph recognition surpassed the control group on posttests. Instructed subjects did not differ from nondisabled subjects in use of learning strategies.…

The attributions of third and sixth graders with low and high reading achievement were assessed in two reading situations. Major findings were: (1) sixth graders' locus of control scores varied across situations while third graders did not; (2) two causes--studying and paying attention--were particularly salient; and (3) age and achievement…

The evidence for possible negative effects of first-name characteristics on personal functioning is equivocal. Two studies were conducted that avoided previous methodological problems of measurement, sampling, and statistical control. Results indicated that children's social competence and school achievement were unrelated to the frequency or…