The effectiveness of a teacher-implemented psychological health program designed to improve students' test coping skills in the classroom was tested using 497 Israeli fifth and sixth graders. The cognitive training program significantly improved performance on three cognitive measures, although it negligibly affected test anxiety scores. (SLD)

Type A and B students (N=159) received contingent or non-contingent feedback on an aptitude test, attended a lecture from an expressive or unexpressive instructor, and received an achievement test and attributional questionnaire. Non-contingent feedback lowered perceived control for both types. Self-perceptions of Type A students were unaffected…

The relationship between teachers' attitudes toward practices presented in inservice training and their subsequent use was investigated using 19 junior high school teachers attending workshops with pre-/post-training assessments. Teachers' philosophical acceptance of the practices helped predict their use. Improved teachers were more likely to…

The warm/cold manipulation's effect on first impressions of persons and teaching ability was studied using 240 university students. The lecturer was perceived as more effective and less unpleasant when students were told in advance that he was a warm person. Neither academic discipline nor sex influenced student perceptions. (SLD)

Two studies involving 203 and 107 high school students investigated the relationship between adolescent efforts to achieve several academic and non-academic classroom goals, social and task-related standards for performance, and academic achievement. Motivation to achieve socially prescribed and cognitive outcomes was found to be relevant to…

Three dimensions of parent style--autonomy support, involvement, and provision of structure--were studied using 64 mothers and 50 fathers of children in grades 3 through 6. Focus was on defining parental influences on children's school-related adjustment and performance. The three aspects of home environment were differentially associated with…

Self-modeling was studied in three experiments with a total of 148 elementary school children who had experienced difficulties in arithmetic. Observing self-model videotapes raised achievement outcome as well as viewing peer models. Self-model tapes showing skill acquisition were as effective as were tapes showing mastery. (SLD)

Three causal attributions--ability, effort, and test difficulty--were examined for 223 University of Manitoba (Canada) students in relation to perceived performance and the quality of instruction. When instruction was good, causal attributions produced less variability in achievement and control. Implications for teaching are discussed. (SLD)

A component analysis of the reciprocal peer tutoring (RPT) strategy was performed in a study involving 70 female and 30 male undergraduates. Results support the RPT strategy of pairing students in a reciprocal tutor/tutee relationship. Implications for teaching practice are discussed. (SLD)

The hypothesis that social comparison processes mediate the relation between ability-grouping practices in mathematics and students' achievement expectancies was tested in a sample of 452 sixth-graders. Achievement expectancies depended on both the type and level of their ability-grouping assignments. The implications of this effect are discussed.…

The relationship between knowing that organization during study will facilitate performance (metamemory) and grouping pictures by semantic category was examined in a free recall task for 60 first-graders and 48 fourth-graders. Results suggest that how and when reflective activity occurs may be crucial for learning effectiveness. (SLD)

Sixty-one undergraduate students used a taxonomic instructional aid, a mnemonic aid, or their own methods to master the content of a passage describing a plant classification system and the distinguishing characteristics of the plant groups within that system. The demonstrated advantages of mnemonic strategies are discussed. (SLD)

New vocabulary was taught to 147 college students, in two experiments, by 1 of 3 methods: keyword, semantic context, and no-strategy control. There was no evidence that keyword-mediated gains on learning vocabulary-associated definitions were obtained at the expense of acquisition of other information. Applications for instruction are discussed.…

Two studies investigated 320 college students' knowledge about the effectiveness of alternative memory strategies for different tasks and the relationship of this knowledge to strategy use and task performance. Results indicate that students did know the relative effectiveness of different strategies, supporting current models of metamemory. (SLD)

The effects of overt or covert verbalization and specific or non-specific goals were investigated. Sixty-four undergraduate students solved acquisition problems and subsequently took tests measuring near and far transfer. Results indicate that acquisition can be influenced by teaching methods emphasizing conscious attention to goals. (SLD)