This study examined the ability of a theoretical model to predict types and levels of parental involvement during the elementary and middle school years. Predictor variables included parents' motivational beliefs about involvement, perceptions of invitations to involvement from others, and perceived life context variables. Analyses of responses…

The Motivations for Reading Questionnaire (MRQ) contains 54 items that are posited to tap 11 dimensions of reading motivation. The structural validity of the MRQ was investigated with 2 samples: (a) 328 students in Grades 3-5 from 2 suburban mid-Atlantic elementary schools and (b) 735 students in Grades 3-5 in 2 suburban southwestern elementary…

A longitudinal study was conducted to determine how a comprehensive battery of tests administered in kindergarten predicted reading achievement in Grades 1-6. The test variables were reduced to six predictive factors by factor analysis that, combined with the child's sex and the parent's language, had multiple correlations with reading…

Three significant canonical correlations were obtained from the analysis of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability (WJTCA) to examine test overlap with a sample of suspected learning disabled children. Results indicate a substantial portion of the variance is independent.…

The multitrait-multimethod matrix was used to determine the convergent and divergent validity of the conceptual tempo. (Author/BJG)

Twelve teachers estimated achievement test performance, basic intellectual ability, and academic motivation of each of their pupils. Standardized reading achievement and intelligence tests were administered to the pupils. Analyses revealed a high level of accuracy for achievement judgments when assessed against test scores. Pupil gender did not…

The relative effectiveness of three measures of teacher expectations for predicting students' achievement was studied. Teachers' perceptions of student ability and the discrepancy between teacher-perceived ability and student-tested ability were related to achievement change. The amount of improvement the teacher expected was unrelated to the…

Three instruments designed to tap the self-system in normal IQ children were administered to 126 retarded children in mainstreamed and self-contained classrooms. Factor structures differed significantly from normal IQ results. The need to revise instruments for use with the retarded and to obtain social comparison information is emphasized.…

Two major types of sociometric measures were administered to groups of learning handicapped and nonhandicapped children. Common scoring methods were compared. Data analyses indicated that variation in class placement of learning handicapped children is crucial in judging the appropriateness and interpretation of content of various sociometric…

The multitrait-multimethod matrix technique, as compared to analysis of variance decomposition, provided a more precise picture of the validity and methods bias characteristics of a longitudinal data set. Data were derived from a three year study of British elementary children to inspect the relationships among three academic traits, as assessed…

The construct validity of the Sequential Processing, Simultaneous Processing and Achievement scales of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children was supported by factor-analytic investigations of a representative national stratified sample of 2,000 children. Correlations provided insight into the relationship of sequential/simultaneous…

A test of whether metacognition is a separate factor from cognition was conducted by measuring the effects of metacognitive factors in problem solving, while attempting to hold relevant cognitive factors constant. Learning disabled subjects were less skilled in metacognition with respect to knowledge about cognition and regulation of cognition.…

Teachers' ratings of children's academic abilities, classroom skills, and personal-social characteristics were highly predictive of subsequent school achievement. Although teachers tended to be more positive toward girls, within each sex ratings were predictive of future performance. Teacher ratings were more predictive of scholastic success than…

The relationship between elementary school children's mental ability scores and classroom performance was investigated. A strong predictive relationship between mental ability scores and classroom performance was obtained irrespective of the subjects' socioeconomic status. These findings indicate that predictions of academic performance derived…

To examine the validity of distinguishing children with reading disabilities according to discrepancy and low-achievement definitions, 4 assessments of expected achievement and 2 of actual achievement were obtained for 199 elementary school students. Results do not support the validity of the discrepancy versus the low-achievement definition.…