One group of 111 seventh-grade students completed vocabulary-oriented activities for four weeks, while 102 students received similar instruction with no vocabulary-oriented activities. The activities appeared to enhance achievement by improving students' comprehension. (MNS)

This study examined the effects of field dependence/independence and the level of operational development on the mathematics achievement of 450 students in grades 6-8. Field-independent students scored significantly higher on total mathematics, concepts, and problem-solving tests. High-operational students scored significantly higher on all tests.…

An annotated bibliography of 26 dissertations completed over a 14-year period at the main center of mathematics education in Poland is given. (MNS)

Four three-year-old girls were studied in seven sessions during a three-month period for their performance on rote and object counting tasks. Two exhibited behavior consistent with underlying stable-order and uniqueness principles. (MNS)

The impact of Pestalozzian methods on art and music education in the 19th century is examined. In both disciplines these methods departed from traditional rote methods through the use of exercises to measure space (drawing) and time (vocal music). Each developed differently because of social forces affecting their educational roles. (Author/IS)

This study examined the effect of instruction in vocabulary and listening on number of changes counted in a music excerpt, verbal descriptions of these changes, and use of music vocabulary. After four weeks of differential instruction, results were mixed and more research is recommended. (Author/IS)

The effects of the loudness of background music on task performance of college students was studied. Results indicated that the experimental conditions had no significant effect on task performance; the majority of students did recognize the music; and students in the 80-90 B group perceived the music as most distracting. (Author/IS)

In 1917 and 1918 Charles Hubert Farnsworth, a music educator, and David Snedden, a critic and educational theorist, exchanged views on the social and educational roles of art and music. Their divergent positions are explained in light of Farnsworth's interest in philosophy and Snedden's schooling in Spencerian and Darwinian thought. (Author/IS)

Thirty-five unpublished booklets on Montessori music education conceived by Maria Montessori and authored by her music consultant, Anna Maria Maccheroni, are discussed. They extend the brief portion devoted to music in Montessori publications and result in a comprehensive and distinctive music education program. (Author/IS)

This study sought to determine whether children in first grade could, prior to practice, match pitch more accurately with a female than with a male vocal model. Results indicated that male vocal modeling may not necessarily present unique pitch-matching problems to first-grade children. (Author/IS)

Past research which used Piaget's model of cognitive development has suggested that historical understanding is a developmental construct. The present study, designed to test the theoretical adequacy of previous studies, shows that a new variable, information processing, could predict the level of historical understanding. (Author/CS)

Educators have expressed growing dissatisfaction with common practice in educational research. Discussed is whether or not research studies should be rationalized, empirical-analytic, interpretive, or subjective. In order to be useful, all research need not be rationalized and need not attempt to verify scientific theory. (CS)

The four political attitudes studied involved political interest, political alienation, racial equality, and the Vietnam war. Schooling effects influenced political interest and anti-Vietnam war attitudes but not political alienation and feelings about racial equality. (CS)

Social sciences differ from the "hard" sciences because the social sciences are fundamentally dialectical in nature. The use of instructional dramaturgical dialogs can help students appreciate the kind of knowledge social scientists seek and the positive consequences of scholarly conflict. An illustrative dialog between educators and their critics…

The focus of citizen education has traditionally been on the institution of government. Instead, citizenship education should emphasize the teaching of democratic behavior and values and the practice of prosociality. Prosocial behavior is defined as actions that are intended to aid another person without the actor's anticipation of external…