A study explored the effects of classroom feedback and evaluation structure on students' attributional tendencies. Results suggest that the classroom feedback and evaluation system affect students' causal explanations of failure and success. (Author/CJ)

A student self-report instrument was used with fourth- and sixth-grade students to collect data on eight classroom process variables and relate these factors to contextual variables--students' ages, sex, and socioeconomic status. Results indicate that students' perceptions of different teaching behaviors have distinctly different impacts on…

Preschool children received either play tutoring or skills tutoring in an attempt to determine (1) whether play tutoring increases children's verbal intelligence and creativity and (2) which factor--play or adult contact--is responsible for gains from play tutoring. Adult contact was found to be the chief reason for cognitive gains. (Author/PP)

Significant differences were found in the ways that good and poor fifth-grade readers used text lookbacks, sampling, and other text behaviors while tutoring younger students. Researchers recommend the tutorial methodology for externalizing metacognitive reading comprehension behavior and for research using error detection paradigms. (Author/PP)

Researchers studied patterns of language use by parent-child dyads working together on an instructional task in their homes. Analysis of speech acts indicated (1) different use of speech and different performance rates across achievement levels and (2) relationships between socioeconomic status and achievement and between language and task…

Effects of varying the usual biology-chemistry course sequence were studied by comparing students' scores on the Natural Science Reading Test of the American College Test (ACT). Results showed that it made little difference whether college preparatory students at two New Orleans (Louisiana) high schools took chemistry before biology or vice versa.…

Researchers investigated the effects of sex differences on the relationship between conservation ability and the reading and linguistic awareness of five-year-old children. Findings of this study and others consistently support the hypothesis that conservation ability correlates more highly with reading in girls than in boys. (Author/PP)

Research on elementary school-based programs for increasing the educationally stimulating qualities of the home environment was statistically synthesized in a qualitative analysis of 29 controlled studies. Of 121 comparisons made in the analysis, 91.1 percent favored treatment over control groups, thus pointing to the effectiveness of these…

A study examined the effects of two factors--learner ability and modifications of instruction through increased feedback and reduced size of instructional units--on the time required for learning and the retention of fourth-grade male students. While instructional modifications best predicted the time needed for learning, learner ability best…

The value of verbal labeling is shown by a study of fourth-grade, eighth-grade, and college students who were shown pictures accompanied by short verbal descriptions. Verbal descriptions increased correct recognitions and rejections of unrelated distractors, while increasing false recognition of related distractors. Results were consistent for all…

Twenty-one studies reporting on early admission of children to elementary school are reviewed and discussed in terms of methodological design and findings. An appendix summarizes studies with implied or explicit comparisons. (Author/MT)

This paper reports on a study examining the effects of in-class componential analogy training on 4th, 8th, and 10th graders' performance of verbal analogies. (MT)

This study compared the perceived teaching problems of 179 preservice elementary and secondary teachers with a review of 83 studies of the perceived teaching problems of beginning teachers. Findings and implications for teacher education are discussed. (Author/MT)

The effects of teacher comments, type of task, student performance, and gender on the continuing motivation of 424 fifth- and sixth-grade pupils was studied. Results are discussed in terms of the relationship between continuing motivation and student perceptions of their own competence. (Author/MT)

This paper reports on case studies of computer use in an elementary bilingual classroom, a secondary special education classroom, and an introductory adult literacy classroom. Findings, in terms of software, instructor, and student-related problems, are discussed. (Author/MT)