The relationships among gender, interest in and experience with electricity, and conceptual change text manipulations were studied for 48 male and 50 female college students learning basic electricity concepts. Conceptual change text facilitated learning, as expected. Interactions of gender and interest are discussed. (SLD)

Investigates the differences between female and male students' retellings of a story read silently. Finds boys were more productive than girls since the main character of the story was perceived to be male. Suggests that students be allowed to self-select reading materials to maximize usefulness of previous knowledge. (RS)

Shows that much of the second language reading process at the intermediate level remains unexplained. Calls for more research at the intermediate level that examines key variables, such as passage content and gender. (Author/VWL)

Sex differences in influencability have emerged when discrepant advocacies were accompanied by greater expertise in the subject matter by men or women. Two types of stimuli, one about which men relative to women had high prior knowledge (football tackles) and one about which women had higher prior knowledge (women's fashions), were selected. Men…

Determines that attitudes toward science teaching is related to both gender and previous exposure to science education as a discipline. Gender favoring males was found to be a variable associated with a higher degree of positiveness of attitudes of preservice Nigerian undergraduate science teachers (N=120). (CS)

A total of 108 eleventh and twelfth graders were given a strategy questionnaire and sample Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) math items in an attempt to explain gender differences on this test. Results showed that, although male students performed better on the SAT math items, prior knowledge and strategies explained nearly 50% of the variance. (MDM)

Relationships between anxiety toward computers and variables trait anxiety, anxiety toward mathematics, perceived impact of computers on society, and experience in using computers were studied in a sample of 81 male and 81 female university students. All of these variables were found to influence anxiety toward computers, and a significant…

Examines variables including handwriting, English mechanics, number of words written, average T-unit length, type of correct answers, and unrelated responses on which male and female adolescents in grades 7 and 10 were hypothesized to differ when producing constructed responses. Results suggest that further studies need to define and separate the…

A study involving 547 girls and 641 boys investigated gender-related differences in prior knowledge in physics before the start of initial physics instruction and influence of prior knowledge on future achievement in 8th-grade German physics courses. Girls achieved lower overall scores in the applied test of prior knowledge in physics. (CR)

Investigates the attitudes and participation of students in computer-mediated communication (CMC) campus-based courses and their perception of the impact of CMC on their learning. Student characteristics including gender, educational status, computer experience, and skill level are discussed, course factors are considered, and student criticism is…

Gender differences in attitudes toward computers are examined. Subjects were 136 male and 185 female introductory psychology students. The following were assessed: self confidence; anxiety; beliefs about the impact of computers on society; general positive and negative beliefs; and effects of prior experience. (Author/AEF)

Describes a study of high school students (n=107) who were learning Japanese through the medium of satellite television. The investigation focused on factors that influence student achievement in Japanese in the satellite setting. (Contains 32 references.) (VWL)

Comparison of performance in 3 practical problem-solving tasks by eighth graders in Singapore (170 boys, 107 girls matched for aptitude, attitude, and prior knowledge) indicated that girls distinctly preferred content familiarity and outperformed boys in several processes/skills when familiar with content. (SK)

Describes the development and validation of the 30-item Computer User Self-Efficacy (CUSE) Scale, a copy of which is appended. Topics include social cognitive theory; experience and computer self-efficacy; gender differences; and the measurement of computer self-efficacy in student computer users and its relevance to learning in higher education.…

Describes a study of computer experiences and attitudes as well as computer and math anxiety among MBA students. Previous research is reviewed; gender differences are examined; correlations between specific computer experiences and attitudes are considered; and the relationships of experiences and attitudes with grades are discussed. (Contains 52…