Compared were the attributional patterns for success and failure in mathematics of 491 tenth-grade students in Papua New Guinea and Australia. Relatively few differences were found in the patterns of boys and girls or of high- and low-achieving students, but substantial differences were found between students in the two countries. (MNS)

Interviews were used to find the frequency of different types of errors made by 95 sixth-year Papua New Guinea students on a mathematics test. The general trend was the same as for western students, but the Papua New Guinea students made far fewer careless errors. (MNS)

For 201 students in grades two, four, and six at five sites in Papua New Guinea, trial mathematical materials were used for six weeks. Achievement varied significantly among sites. Problem-solving skills were poor; computation, measurement, and mathematical language were superior to previous results. Locally developed textbooks were suggested.…

A multidisciplinary team research project to document the relationship between environmental and cultural features of Papua New Guinea, cognitive development, and mathematics learning is described. (MP)