Discusses the results of a study conducted at the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak that investigated the effects of student characteristics and instructional variables on satisfaction and achievement in a Web-based course. Considers gender, age, scholastic aptitude, learning styles, initial computer skills, time spent on the course, perceptions of…

Investigated family characteristics that enabled children to achieve competence despite being exposed to socioeconomic adversity during early childhood and analyzed the long-term outcomes of this positive adaptation. Found that protective factors modifying the impact of adversity were context specific and showed age and period effects. Although…

A study of families' means of paying for college using data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study strongly indicates that part of the process of deciding how students should pay for college is the parents' college financing experience. These effects appear in patterns in parent contribution, amount of financial aid received, and use of…

Examined how high school students, in individual and peer conditions, process scientific information that contradicts what they believe, and assessed the contribution of this activity to conceptual change. Results indicated two processing approaches: (1) direct assimilation; and (2) knowledge building, suggesting that knowledge building as a…

Interviewed boys in grades two through eight about their occupational aspirations. Found that aspirations of inner-city boys mirrored race and class differences in adult job holdings; the gap between aspirations and expectations was greater for inner-city boys than other boys; and lower occupational aspirations of inner-city boys were related to…

Investigated the relationship between Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire scores and kinesthetic acuity--the sense of body position and movement--among 10- and 14-year-olds. Found that in the older group, those with high levels of visual movement imagery performed better on measures of kinesthetic acuity; no such effect was found for…

Examined how risky peer group behaviors at school impacted junior high students' experience of victimization, extending findings from an earlier study of elementary students. Surveys of Arab and Jewish Israeli junior high students indicated that risky peer behaviors in school were one of the strongest predictors of victimization in both elementary…

A study examined the effects of age at implantation on the development of communication abilities in 106 early-implanted children. Results revealed significant improvement in communication skills over time. Children implanted prior to age 2 had significantly faster rates of receptive vocabulary and language development than later-implanted…

Examined whether differences exist in how variables of age, socioeconomic status, gender, family cohesion, parental aspirations, cultural participation, achievement explain career maturity attitudes for adolescents with and without hearing impairments. Results from 70 high school students with impaired hearing and 318 with normal hearing suggest…

For 241 normal and 132 gifted fifth graders and 113 normal and 117 gifted seventh graders in Ottawa (Ontario), exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses investigated the factorial validity of the Perceived Competence Scale for Children (PCSC). Overall, the PCSC demonstrated sound psychometric properties. (SLD)

Traces the patterns of wage premiums for college graduates since 1963. Also examines the wage differentials between high school dropouts and graduates, and between college dropouts and graduates. The dramatic rise in the wage premium is due to the huge increase in the demand for college-trained workers. (Author/BJV)

Confirmatory factor analysis of data from a portion of a long-term study provided evidence for two components of math anxiety for 298 male and 266 female 6th through 12th graders. The components related to negative affective reactions and cognitive aspects. Age and gender differences were significant. (TJH)

Reports on a study of a BBC children's television program, "Corners," that was conducted to determine how suitable the program was for its intended audience. Three age groups of children (6-, 7-, and 11-year-olds) were compared, and child development factors and future production decisions are discussed. (10 references) (LRW)

Reports on a study of student perceptions of harmdoers among 164 second and fifth-grade Japanese students. Finds that older children perceived the harmdoer who apologized as less intentional and more remorseful than the harmdoer who made excuses and accepted the harmdoer's excuses only when they believed that the harm was not intended. (CFR)

Compared the effects of computer-based word processing and writing by hand on 14 third and fourth graders' attitudes and performance in the writing process. Found that third graders tended to make more revisions and edits when using a word processor, whereas fourth graders made more changes in their handwritten drafts. (MDM)