In this article, I describe studies conducted over 25 years with secondary and post-secondary L2 learners in the United States. The evidence from these studies shows that there are important connections between students' early L1 skills and their L2 aptitude and L2 proficiency and that individual differences in students' L1 skills in elementary…

PISA, the OECD's international program of assessment of reading, scientific and mathematical literacy, aims to assess the knowledge and skills that students have acquired at school and their ability to use them in everyday tasks and challenges. It also uses questionnaires to gather data on students' attitudes to learning and the conditions of…

We investigated processing of numerical order information and its relation to mechanisms of numerical quantity processing. In two experiments, performance on a quantity-comparison task (e.g. 2 5; which is larger?) was compared with performance on a relative-order judgment task (e.g. 2 5; ascending or descending order?). The comparison task…

Information is presented on Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) performance of Maryland high school seniors who graduated in 1983, and characteristics of the students are examined. Of the 29,755 Maryland students who took the SAT in 1983, 18 percent were black, 20 percent attended nonpublic schools, and 53 percent were females. Maryland seniors…

Describes software packages used to help prepare for the Scholastic Aptitude Test, considering features that the packages have in common as well as unique features that each package has. Also lists and ranks the products and their features in a chart (indicating system requirements and current cost). (JN)

Cognitive and language skills of 39 siblings of children with autism (SIBS-A) and 39 siblings of typically developing children (SIBS-TD) at ages 4, 14, 24, 36, and 54 months were compared. Twelve of the 39 SIBS-A revealed a delay in cognition and/or language (including one child diagnosed with autism) compared to only two SIBS-TD. Developmental…

The scores for Atlanta seniors who took the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), Test of Standard Written English (TSWE), the Admissions Testing Program (ATP) Achievement Tests, and the Student Descriptive Questionnaire were presented for the years 1975 through 1981. The scores were compared to the scores of the State, Southern Region, and Nation. The…

Reviews the use of media comparison studies in the field of educational technology, argues that they are weak and inappropriate, and recommends a new focus on the issues of instructional methods and learner characteristics. Discusses intra-medium studies and aptitude treatment interaction studies as better alternatives. (LRW)

Discusses inconclusive results in educational research about how mediated instruction affects the learner. Topics include the influence of microcomputers; flaws in comparative studies that concentrated on the physical attributes of the medium rather than instructional design issues; aptitude treatment interaction analysis; and media attributes and…

The Dental Aptitude Test (DAT) in Canada and the Dental Admission Test (DAT) in the United States are discussed. A history of the DAT, its composition, underlying concepts, and the problems of validation and guidelines for its uses are presented. A review of the literature is provided. (Author/MLW)

Reviews empirical studies from a wide variety of fields to show that computer-based multimedia instruction may be able to help people learn more information more quickly compared to traditional classroom lecture. Topics include interactivity; control of learning pace; novelty; and learners with low prior knowledge or aptitude. (103 references)…

Detailed profiles of the ethnic, racial, male, and female populations of 1984 graduating high school seniors are presented, based on findings of the College Board's Admissions Testing Program and the Student Descriptive Questionnaire. The degree of similarity in background and experience can be assessed for males and females and for the following…

In 1989, North Carolina's scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) were the lowest in the nation, with a total score of 836 for North Carolina compared to 903 for the nation. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction developed a five-point plan to address this situation. The SAT results for 1990 show an increase for North Carolina to an…

Detailed profiles of the ethnic, racial, male, and female populations of 1985 graduating high school seniors are presented, based on findings of the College Board's Admissions Testing Program and the Student Descriptive Questionnaire. The degree of similarity in background and experience can be assessed for males and females and for the following…

The Maryland Longitudinal Study (MLS) participants are categorized into one of two categories (preferred or regular admits) based on their academic experiences while at the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP). Preferred admits are students who earned both a high school grade point average (GPA) of "B" or higher and a combined…