This study examined gender differences in laterality, socialization, and educational achievement in fourth graders and determined which characteristics predicted mathematical and language achievement. The participants were four fourth grade classes comprised of 32 boys and 45 girls at an elementary school in a small rural town. Measures used were…

While some comfort can be taken from the figures which indicate a growing retention rate, there is considerable concern over the very large percentage of students who do not complete full schooling. In the first experiment in order to address the question of the differential effects of variables on school retention across a range of cultural…

This study examined relations between children's humor, behavioral characteristics, acceptance by peers in kindergarten and primary school, and self-perceptions. Subjects were 35 kindergarten, 88 fourth grade, and 95 eighth grade Norwegian children. For all students, assessments included sociometric ratings of classmates, teacher assessments of…

A recent study of salary equity at an undergraduate institution using traditional regression-based methodology is presented. In a traditional salary equity study a linear model is empirically fitted for predicting salaries (the dependent variable) from a set of independent (predictor) variables using the most up-to-date data possible for some base…

A discussion of oral language testing looks at the role of student attitudes, student and interviewer gender, and interviewer social status in the reliability of student assessments. Three small-scale studies investigating these factors are described. The first two involved only Arab students. In the first, it was found that students (all male)…

Research in the area of social cognition has suggesed that actual stimuli don't predict later judgments and responses as well as cognitive representations of and cognitive responses to those stimuli, in the form of attitudes, impressions, or causal attributions. To identify the factors most important in predicting adolescent smoking, a 4-year…

Health care providers have become increasingly interested in involving individuals in health promotion activities and programs. To investigate those variables which might predict an individual's interest in becoming involved in health promotion, 84 male and 125 female undergraduates were administered paper and pencil measures to assess their…

Measures of family interaction from the preschool and early adolescent periods are examined as predictors of competence in late adolescence. Data on which this report is based are drawn from a longitudinal study initiated by Jack and Jeanne Block almost 20 years ago which included 51 males and 52 females. Measures of competence include an…

One approach to test bias has focused on identifying the potential variables or factors that may be responsible for bias in a particular test for a particular subgroup. This approach was employed in this study to determine variables which may relate to differential test performance by Anglo and Hispanic students. The test materials used in this…

A survey of 112 teachers working in 26 schools in six districts within a regional area was conducted to investigate microcomputer use by teachers. The survey instrument included items on personal characteristics, years of teaching experience, current use of computers in the classroom, confidence in personal ability to use computers, and perception…

Focusing on the achievement and motivational effects of analogies of varying enrichment levels when used with abstract, unfamiliar, and difficult content, this study examined their effects on instruction at the recall and application levels using content consisting of both concepts and principles. The subjects were 123 eighth-grade science…

During the 1978-1979 academic year, seventh- and eighth-grade students at 13 junior high schools in Southern Illinois participated in a study which provided data on mathematics achievement, student career interests, and parent attitudes toward their children as learners of mathematics. During the 1982-1983 academic year, these students (N=415; 196…

Students enrolled in formal continuing education classes were studied to determine if their motivations were similar. Eighty-six percent of the students were enrolled in formal credit courses. Students were also compared to graduates who did not continue their education. Included in the analysis were college graduates (23-62 years old) from 46…

This study attempted to determine if the Judeo-Christian tradition, when part of an individual's religious background and when incorporated into school philosophy, influenced the level of decision-making of high school seniors (N=130) in sociomoral and environmental issues. Subjects, attending four public and private schools in the Columbus (Ohio)…

A two-dimensional model proposing three predictor dimensions (cognitive, noncognitive, and combined) and four criterion dimensions (grade point average (GPA), enrolled or not, graduate or not, and less traditional criteria) is presented. Preliminary results of a study using the model to examine both white and minority student predictors of…