To determine the effect of background music on on-task-performance (OTP), 26 fifth grade science students were observed for 42 class sessions over a four-month period. Time-series analyses indicated a significant increase in OTP for male subjects and for the total class. (Author/CB)

Concludes that there is a relationship between imagery level and comprehension and that imagery level of text can be determined "a priori" of pupils reading text. (FL)

The Classroom Environment Study explored instructional quality and classroom management factors as predictors of student cognitive and affective outcomes. The German contribution to this study, involving 39 fifth-grade classrooms and 39 regular and mathematics teachers over a two-year period, is described and results are presented. (Author/MT)

In self-regulated learning, metacognitive components are necessary but insufficient. There is a need for a strong learning intention which can compete with other goals, interests, and distracting stimuli. Task accomplishment is an important factor in continued motivation and intention. (JAZ)

Textbook analyses for 1924, 1944, and 1984, suggest that the mathematics program regressed in expectations for students. The number of word problems in fifth-grade books has decreased and the amount of drill problems increased. (MNS)

The contribution of shared experience to the social role-taking competence of 120 children in preschool, second grade, and fifth grade was evaluated under conditions that did or did not provide subjects the previous opportunity to occupy the perspective of those whose points of view they were later required to assume. (Author/RH)

Investigated children's use of context to facilitate word recognition and comprehension-monitoring processes in oral reading of connected prose as a function of grade level and decoding skill. Found no overall contextual facilitation of word recognition accuracy; however, less skilled decoders were helped by context in decoding some content words.…

Examines extent to which second- and fifth-graders use social comparison information to evaluate themselves. Results indicate that fifth-, but not second-graders, made appropriate evaluations of their abilities on the basis of variations in relative performance and compensated for time differences. (Author/BE)

Ninety-seven fifth graders took a multiple-choice test with factual and guess questions after reading a 900-word text. The effects of immediate informative feedback, delayed feedback, or no feedback on their performance on a delayed retention tests were analyzed. Results suggested that awareness of initial errors was helpful. (Author/BS)

The validity of the Pearson-Johnson taxonomy is supported by the finding that the most correct answers was obtained on the textually explicit scale while the least correct answers occurred on the scriptally implicit scale. (FL)

Shows that fifth-grade students and their teachers agreed in general about the range of usual audiences for the students' story writing, that both were aware of who was and was not a usual audience for the writing, and that students seemed to have listened to what their teachers were saying about what was necessary for good writing. (FL)

Concludes that direct teaching of vocabulary by forming networks between students' existing schemata and the new words was more effective than dictionary work or context study. (HOD)

An evaluation of a problem-solving program was conducted with 46 fifth- and seventh-grade teachers. Classes using the program scored significantly higher than control classes on measures of ability to understand problems, plan solution strategies, and get correct results. Different growth patterns and attitude changes were also noted. (MNS)

Describes how fifth grade students can help first graders develop their language skills and also teach other fifth graders how to tutor. Provides a list of picture books for use in the program. (FL)

According a more important role in the socialization process to the games children play, this study examines sex differences in childrens' playtime activities. A large body of new empirical data on fifth grade school children suggests that play and games equip boys with the social skills needed for occupational careers while equipping girls with…