Reanalysis of A. Feingold's examination of variability differences between males and females on several nationally normed cognitive test batteries does not yield substantially different conclusions, but the method of averaging variance ratios exaggerates the differences in male and female variability. Simply averaging ratios of variance can lead…

Empirical research on the role of school recess is reviewed. Effects of child-level and school-level variables on recess behavior and the impact of recess on classroom behavior and social and cognitive competence are discussed. It is concluded that recess has important educational and developmental implications. (SLD)

Analyzes effect sizes in tails of distribution of scores in Feingold's study of joint effects of gender differences in mean and variability on 28 cognitive-ability scales. Effect sizes are smaller than Feingold assumed. Evaluates joint effect of gender differences by number of males and females in extreme score ranges. (SLD)

Aspects of the social theory of J. Habermas with implications for education are reviewed. Habermas had influenced thinking about pedagogical and administrative theory and about the societal role of education and educational practices. According to Habermas, critical social science requires mastery of the analytic and interpretive sciences, not…

Literature since 1975 concerning the interaction of domain-specific and strategic knowledge on academic performance was reviewed. Focus was on critically analyzing the literature; presenting hypotheses about the interaction; and offering recommendations for future research leading, perhaps, to an information-processing model that captures the…

Basic features and methodological requirements of a cognitive-behavioral perspective on childhood anxieties and phobias and their social and academic implications are discussed. Topics addressed include disorder classification, multimethod problem solving, data collection treatment techniques, and the role of teachers. (TJH)

Best-evidence synthesis was used to review 29 research papers published in English that evaluate the effects of ability grouping on student achievement in secondary schools. Six randomized experiments, 9 matched experiments, and 14 correlational studies were reviewed. Findings do not indicate beneficial effects of ability grouping on achievement.…

This article shows how the methods of survival analysis (also known as event history analysis) lend themselves to the study of the timing of educational events. Using examples from teacher attrition and student dropout research, survival methods are introduced for building statistical models of the risk of event occurrence over time. (Author/SLD)

Core federal legislation addressing gender inequalities in education (Title IX of Education Amendments Act of 1972, Women's Educational Equity Act, and several vocational education acts) is examined. Objectives of these laws are discussed, and influence of this legislation and the federal government's reluctant role in enforcing these acts are…

A theoretical model is presented with a review of supportive literature to establish the conditions under which desegregation and mainstreaming will result in constructive or destructive outcomes. Meta-analysis procedures examine all the available research relevant to the model, and point toward practical intergroup procedures based on the…

A complex interactional model of classroom factors that contribute to the development of students' self-evaluations is presented. Factors described are: (1) task structure; (2) grouping practices; (3) feedback and evaluation procedures and information about ability; (4) motivational strategies; (5) locus of responsibility for learning; and (6) the…

Literacy, reasoning, and civility in education are discussed from the perspective of social organization and cultural patterning. Schools are part of the larger social environment and perpetuate social class and rank as well as teach the curriculum. Reforms should change the social relations between teachers and students as well as instructional…