The predictive validity of reading attitude, field independence, locus of control, and demographic variables for reading and mathematics achievement was investigated. Expressed Reading Difficulty, field independence, and locus of control all contributed substantially to the regression equation. (Author/CM)

Describes some of the ways early adolescents respond to reading and thinking tasks and details the development of procedures for observing and analyzing children as they complete such tasks. (FL)

Evaluated effectiveness of environmental education (EE) in northern New York public schools, determining the extent of EE curriculum/instruction, ascertaining problems previously reported in the literature as hindering implementation of EE, and examining relationships between EE and environmental knowledge of fifth-graders and relationships…

Reports the findings of a study that replicated work done in the early 1970s concerning the media preferences and reading interests of intermediate grade children. Shows that the reading interests of boys remained much the same, with those of girls changing. Both groups continued to prefer television over print media. (FL)

The influence of student task interest and of usable performance feedback on the effectiveness of verbal reinforcement was investigated in fifth graders who received approval, disapproval, or neutral reinforcement. Neither reinforcement nor reinforcement-task variable interaction provided enough motivation to improve accuracy of task performance.…

Subjects were immediately tested on a reading passage, and received feedback after 30 minutes or one day, or no feedback. After a week, subjects identified their original responses to three types of test items. One-day delay of feedback gave better results than the 30-minute delay. (GDC)

The Estes Reading Attitude Scale evidences good internal consistency and solid convergent validity. It is a useful global reactive assessment of school-oriented attitude toward reading in intermediate grades. (Author/SB)

Describes how, in one Texas fifth-grade classroom, Shared Inquiry book discussions were taught and implemented over a six-month period in connection with the Junior Great Book Series. Discusses solutions to the dilemma of grading these active class discussions, and reports that scores on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) tests were…

Elementary teachers often unwittingly contribute to inequitable classroom environments. As part of a senior project, education majors at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, observed a fifth-grade class at a Guilford County school and solicited students' responses to two case studies involving gender equity issues. Kids enumerated…

Examined fifth-grade teachers' grouping practices for hands-on science instruction. Found that teachers tended to form heterogeneous groups in relation to the composition of their classrooms, whereas students tended to form homogeneous groups with respect to gender, ethnicity, and achievement. Some classroom compositions severely constrained…

Presents a quasi-experimental study conducted among younger immersion students that focused on determining whether an area of French vocabulary identified as problematic for these students can be successfully learned via increased exposure to such vocabulary in interesting reading material supplemented with associated analytic language activities.…

Describes a study that investigated whether an advance organizer could facilitate learning in a computer simulation environment using HyperCard. It examined the differential effectiveness of an advance organizer across three different grade levels--fifth, sixth, and seventh. Analyses of data showed significant differences between the organizer and…

Discusses a study involving the use of Spanish keywords to acquire English vocabulary by Hispanic students of English as a Second Language (ESL). Results indicate that the keyword method produces superior recall and comprehension immediately and after one week and that this method is readily adaptable to ESL classrooms. (39 references) (Author/CK)

Presents various strategies for effective classroom teaching, including giving appropriate questions to adult students of English as a Second Language; discussing the physical attributes of the US flag and of the flags of students' native countries; using the characteristics of fruits to teach students to present characteristics in an organized…

Describes development and implementation of "Rube-o-Rama," a videoconferencing project conducted during the fall of 2001 between graduate students at Purdue University (Indiana) and a classroom of fifth grade students in Indianapolis (Indiana) that had Rube Goldberg as the encompassing topic. (MES)