A study investigated the hypothesis that poor comprehension or recall of task demands, rather than a putative lack of goal directedness, is a possible source of learning-disabled children's poor performance of experimental tasks. Clear instructions substantially facilitated performance by both normally achieving and learning disabled children of…

This study of 23 academic libraries investigated variables which affect (and to what extent they affect) librarians' perceptions or evaluations of OCLC as an innovative system. Job security was identified as the single most important factor in technological change. Hypotheses of the study and the survey questionnaire are appended. (EJS)

Russell disputes West's description of the Ontario Assessment Pool Instrument as a device for screening students and asserts that, on the contrary, the test can measure program effectiveness. An attempt is made to clarify other issues concerning the effects of educational research on government policy. (PP)

Videotape and lecture methods of teaching administration of the mental status examination in second year medical school were compared. No clear difference was found in results among the different teaching methods, and students tended to prefer whichever method they were exposed to. (MSE)

Investigated the effect of the medium of instruction and medium of examination on the achievement of Nigerian primary school pupils (N=599). Pupils were given differential treatments using either the Yoruba language or English. Results indicated that groups instructed in their mother tongue (Yoruba) performed better than the remaining groups.…

An instrument for the continuous assessment of high school physics students' laboratory performance was developed and evaluated. Physics teachers (N=25) observed students conducting experiments on film to judge student performance against a standard set of criteria. Results suggest increases in observational objectivity and precision as well as…

A discussion on the tension between university organizational interests and individual student interests with respect to the use of admissions tests is presented. Responsibilities of colleges and professional schools toward an increasingly pluralistic society are examined, and the need for more research on evaluating human competencies is urged.…

Surveys 30 studies involving 104 separate tests of the "similar structure hypothesis" which holds that, when nonorganically impaired retarded and nonretarded persons are similar in developmental level, they are also similar in the processes and concepts by which they reason. (Researchers distinguished between studies that excluded…

This study explored the influence of intelligence on the direction of conjugate lateral eye movements during problem solving. The gifted, average, and retarded 13-year-olds tested did not differ. Thus, the premise that intelligence differences influence problem-solving style (as indicated by conjugate lateral eye movements) was not supported.…

Studied whether teaching and supervision had an impact on reflective-communication development. Examined effects of training on initial-interview behavior of supervisors and supervisees. Trainees who taught others and trainees receiving face-to-face supervision scored higher on most measures. Each method proved more or less equally effective in…

Compared the Matching Familiar Figures Test performances of 53 children in grades five and six, identified as being depressed, to performances of 53 nondepressed children. The depressed group had longer latencies, made more errors, and was less efficient, even when intellectual differences were taken into account. (Author)

To help give elementary school physical education students a greater appreciation of their own progress and to increase their motivation to achieve, a club-oriented incentive program was established. Students were tested in skills taught at each grade level and those meeting the requirements were awarded club membership certificates. (PP)

A physical education teacher has created a recordkeeping system which maintains a continuous record of each student's progress in fitness tests, basic motor skills, specific play skills, and interpersonal behavior. The system helps with student motivation, administration, decision making, and building parental support. (PP)

Selective Testing provides students with equivalent test options that control the sequence and quantification of individual items. Essay and objective test construction is modified to allow the student to combine units and create an individualized test. An example of a test on the American Revolution is presented. (FG)

Florida legislation has mandated an upgrading in student academic proficiency through functional literacy testing as a prerequisite to the high school diploma and through testing of other minimum competencies. Emphasis on educational assessment has resulted in a recent focus on teacher competence and more vigorous entrance requirements for…