This study investigated how domain specificity of academic motivation related to the connection between instructional clarity and academic achievement in science and mathematics. It focused on three aspects of domain-specific academic motivation--self-concept, intrinsic value, and utility value--drawing from the Expectancy-Value Theory model. The…

Although several studies have shown that planning, attention, simultaneous, and successive (PASS) cognitive processes--operationalized with the cognitive assessment system (CAS; Naglieri & Das, 1997)--are significant predictors of academic performance in the general population, little is known about their role among children with superior…

Positive behavioral interventions and support (PBIS) is a multitiered framework for behavioral support that is being increasingly implemented in schools. Although research has linked PBIS to improved student outcomes, less research is longitudinal and considers both academic and behavioral outcomes. This study examined the relationships between…

Previous studies that attempted to explain why girls often perform better than boys in reading have emphasized the role of values and beliefs, with little attention paid to the role of emotions. This study focused on the role of parent-child emotional contagion in explaining gender differences, by investigating how parents' reading emotion…

Writing is a complex academic task--it involves numerous mental processes. Given the necessity for developing writing skills from elementary to secondary school, this study aimed to investigate the role of broad cognitive abilities derived from the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of intelligence in predicting skills associated with writing…

This study examined the predictive utility of five formative reading measures: words correct per minute, number of comprehension questions correct, reading comprehension rate, number of maze correct responses, and maze accurate response rate (MARR). Broad Reading cluster scores obtained via the Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ III) Tests of Achievement…

Investigated the utility of the Quick Test in screening for gifted students; 57 identified gifted students were administered forms of the Ammons Quick Test. This screening instrument was unable to identify 60% of the sample tested as gifted. (Author)

Evaluated chronological age and results of Gesell School Readiness Test as predictors of kindergarten performance as measured by Stanford Achievement Test. Results from 284 kindergarten children indicated that both chronological and developmental age provided good predictors of Stanford Achievement Test performance in kindergarten. Findings have…

Sixty-one children, originally identified at the beginning of kindergarten on the basis of four distinct clusters of observable classroom behavior, were evaluated at completion of first grade. Children in the nonrisk cluster continued to do well, while children in the high-risk cluster were still doing poorly in some areas. (Author)

Investigated the test performance of learning disabled and emotionally impaired children to aid in identification and differentiation of the two groups. A cut off score on the WISC-R, WRAT, and MPD was established that significantly separated the groups. The best predictors of achievement varied for the two groups. (JAC)