This study of 118 students who placed into basic skills sections of College English suggests that students' self-beliefs may be a particularly important predictor of success in weak writers in first-semester courses. Two types of writing self-efficacy scales--a writing tasks/skills scale and an approach-to-writing scale--were developed to follow…

Definite increases toward internal control were shown in an experimental group which experienced relaxation, suggestion, and imagery (RSI) procedures and a control group which discussed ways of modifying locus of control in a study of Rotter's concept. The experimental group's posttreatment scores on Rotter's internal-external scale were…

The hypothesis that students who cheat will externalize the cause of this behavior was tested by contrasting the causal inferences of cheating and noncheating college students. Results supported Kelley's attributional model. Uninvolved observers also indicated that students tended to formulate self-serving attributions. (Author/BS)

The relationship between an affective teacher characteristic (a component of achievement motivation called success orientation) and changes in two affective outcomes of pupils (attitude toward learning and perceived personal control of one's own academic success and failure) was investigated. (Author/PN)

The 1986 internal/external frame of reference model of H. W. Marsh was tested using self-concept and self-efficacy responses of 410 Australian fifth grade students. Support for the model was found only for self-concept responses. Results are discussed in relation to academic self-concept. (SLD)

This study was designed to test whether a learned helplessness treatment would decrease performance on mathematical tasks and to extend learned helplessness findings to include the cognitive development dimension. Results showed no differential advantages to either sex in resisting effects of learned helplessness or in benefiting from strategy…

In self-regulated learning, metacognitive components are necessary but insufficient. There is a need for a strong learning intention which can compete with other goals, interests, and distracting stimuli. Task accomplishment is an important factor in continued motivation and intention. (JAZ)

The subjects consisted of high and average ability high school students. Half selected their own task and half were assigned to a task based on their scores on Rotters's locus of control scale. Across all subjects, ability was found to be the only significant predictor of recall. (Author/BW)

Students who registered for correspondence study were studied in relation to the cognitive style of field-independence. Although results showed participation in correspondence study to be associated with the cognitive style of field-independence, no significant differences were found in persistence behavior or in student evaluations of…

To evaluate the effects of conversational noise on the comprehension/retention of 2000-word text excerpts, two groups were randomly formed. Group I (n=20) studied under noise conditions and Group 2 (n=24) studied under nonnoise conditions. Overall ANCOVAs indicated no significant differences between groups but identifiable subgroups showed…

The development of locus of control was compared in rural Appalachian Follow Through participants and in lower and middle-class comparison groups. Participation in Follow Through did not enhance internality. A social class by sex interaction was found, and correlations between locus of control and achievement differed for social classes.…

Principles arising from aspects of Vygotsky's ideas for the development of self regulation and from cognitive social learning theory are discussed. It is suggested that present methods of teaching mathematics are not adequate and that the use of instructional technology is needed to overcome the shortcomings. (JAZ)

The relationships among cooperation-competition, perceptions of locus of control in social situations, and locus of control in intellectual-academic situations were compared among fourth- and fifth-graders in traditional and open classrooms. Open education children were more cooperative, and traditional students displayed higher internality for…

The causal attributions of 184 teachers from metropolitan school districts were found to vary with positive versus negative learning outcomes in terms of both internality/externality and stability of cause. Relations to overall efficacy, teaching experience, grade level taught, and teacher gender were explored; only grade level differences were…

Relationships among locus of control, academic program, and sex of 267 ninth-graders were studied. As hypothesized, students in the advanced level program were more internally controlled than were general or basic level students. Although locus of control was related to academic level, its relationship to gender was not consistent. (SLD)