The self-perceptions of 86 learning disabled students in grades 3 through 8 were investigated using the Perceived Competence Scale for Children of S. Harter (1982). Results indicate that social comparison processes are important in the formation of learning disabled students' perceived academic competence. (SLD)

Cluster analysis was used to classify 257 fifth and sixth graders on the basis of their mastery, ego, and work-avoidant goal orientations. Results identify three clusters with different achievement profiles in science. Students for whom mastery goals were stronger than the other goals show the most positive achievement. (SLD)

Cognitive engagement in self-regulated learning was investigated at the levels of component cognitive processes and sets of these components (acquisition and transformation) by collecting data on the cognition of 33 high school seniors. Multitrait-multimethod analyses reveal that measures of self-regulated learning are not coherent. (SLD)

Thirty-one male and 49 female undergraduate students were randomly assigned to 1 of 8 experimental conditions to investigate whether importance could moderate mood effects on student performance attributions. Outcome importance significantly increased mood biases in perceptions of causal locus but not stability. Other moderating effects are…

Ten learning-disabled adolescents (LDs) performed a reading comprehension task below the level of same-age nondisabled students (NLDs) but at the same level as younger NLDs (YNDs). On a measure of incipient awareness of theme, LDs scored below YNDs. Why LDs have difficulty getting the point is discussed. (SLD)

To study the effects of introductions and conclusions on the evaluation of student essays, 154 undergraduates graded 10 essays in which the quality of introduction or conclusion was varied. Quality of the introduction had a greater effect on the grade than did quality of the conclusion. (SLD)

The planning, attention, simultaneous, successive (PASS) cognitive processing model was applied to the study of gender differences for 94 male and 103 female elementary school and high school students. Results show that the PASS model offers a feasible approach to the conceptualization of cognitive processes. (SLD)

The role played by sex-related differences in prediction of grades from Scholastic Aptitude Test scores with regard to the grade criterion and the variables associated with academic performance was studied for an entire university first-year class (4,351 students). Sources of underprediction for women are discussed. (SLD)

In an ethnographic interview study, a theory of self-regulated notetaking emerged after 4 phases of study with 252 undergraduates. How a student takes notes is determined by a long history of experience with courses, as well as student perceptions. (SLD)

Writing instruction featuring pedagogical principles based on a sociocognitive model was investigated with 26 fourth-grade and 16 sixth-grade classrooms (1,123 students). More than 40% of the variance in posttest writing quality scores was accounted for by adherence to the model. (SLD)

The effect of providing phonemic-awareness instruction at school entry on the reading and spelling progress of five-year olds was examined in a whole-language program with 81 subjects. Overall, training had significant effects on spelling and reading performance. (SLD)

The effects of limiting the availability of immediate feedback while using LOGO were studied for 48 students aged 9 to 11 solving rotation problems. Limiting feedback reduced the incidence of trial and error strategies, and higher level problem solving strategies were apparently used to compensate for the restricted feedback access. (SLD)

Eighty-six college students studied solutions of simple and complex word problems and then used the examples to construct algebraic equations as the frequency of referral to example was recorded. Students did not always select the appropriate example, and ability to select appropriately did not interact with aptitude. (SLD)

In 2 experiments, 162 high- and low-spatial ability students viewed a computer-generated animation and heard a concurrent or successive explanation. The concurrent group generated more creative solutions to transfer problems and demonstrated a contiguity effect consistent with dual-coding theory. (SLD)

Whether 10- to 14-year olds infer implied instruments when reading isolated instrument-implicit sentences as well as they do when instructed to generate such instruments was studied with 177 subjects in 2 experiments. Results indicate that spontaneous instrumental inference is less certain than previously suggested. (SLD)