Discusses an empirical study that examined the relative efficiency of individual differences variables and user-based situational variables as predictors of the actual information/knowledge needed by users to accomplish word processing tasks. Information seeking versus information use is discussed, and results of canonical correlation analyses are…

Secondary students (88 with learning disabilities and 103 without) completed a substance abuse screening inventory. Of the 30 students who were classified as chemically dependent, 70% were students with learning disabilities. The presence or absence of a learning disability was a better predictor of chemical dependency than gender, ethnicity, age,…

A study found that, among 181 dental students, belief in the right to refuse treatment to human-immunovirus (HIV)-positive patients was best predicted by nonprofessional attitudes, low optimism, low level of comfort with homosexuality, and gender. Knowledge of HIV, year in dental school, and fear of contagion were not reliable predictors.…

Used longitudinal data collected from parents, teachers, and children to test social psychological predictors of early school adjustment of 1,255 low-income children from kindergarten to fourth grade. Found that parent involvement was positively related to achievement and teacher ratings of school progress. (MM)

A study of 20 graduate medical students who received unfavorable evaluations and 20 who received the highest evaluations found little difference between the groups in medical school admission qualifications, overall academic achievement, or standardized test performance. Ratings appear to be the result of personal or motivational issues, not…

Evaluated the associations of hypothesized protective and risk factors with assessments of social, literacy, and cognitive competence. Subjects were 117 Head Start graduates attending kindergarten in rural Georgia. Found that caregiver self-esteem, independence-promoting developmental goals, and responsive caregiver-child interactions were…

A follow-up study of 148 medical school graduates investigated the predictive value of medical college admissions data for choice of a generalist career (family practice, general internal medicine, general pediatrics). Factors indicating a high orientation toward community service before medical school were found predictive of generalist choices.…

Researchers examined relationships between students' home language and academic achievement. National Education Longitudinal Study data indicated socioeconomic and social psychological variables explained the association of home language with academic performance for Mexican-Americans. For Asian Americans, speaking another language at home related…

Forty-nine families of children with mental retardation (ages 2-11) were assessed before and after a parent training program. Parents showed small but significant decreases in reports of depression, parent and family problems, overall family stress, and dissatisfaction with the family's adaptability. Family characteristics were predictive of…

Presents a quantitative study of the development of a theoretical model of drop-outs from distance education courses. Data collected by the Distance Education Student Progress (DESP) questionnaire from 1,060 students in Hong Kong investigated how students were able to integrate demands of their academic course with those of families, employers,…

Providers' demographic characteristics, training, support networks, business practices, and stability of services were examined relative to their caregiving practices. Results from a schematic model approach suggest correlations between some of these factors and variances in ratings of caregiver practices. (LB)

Examines the degree to which states' political climates, resources, policies, and interagency services predict progress in the implementation of Part H of Public Law 99-457, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). (Author/BB)

The hypothesis that college grade point average (GPA) is predictable by student time management was tested. Ninety college students completed a time-management questionnaire in 1983. Four years later, comparison with cumulative GPA indicated that time-management practices may influence achievement. Time management was a better predictor than…

Results of an 18-year longitudinal study of 48 Israeli high school students who were seniors at the study's start suggest that measures of creative thinking and creative leisure activities were more important than school-oriented predictors of intelligence and school grades in predicting creative attainments in adults. (DB)

Discusses variables that affect the success of distance education programs in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education or corporate training environments. Topics addressed include needs assessment, audience analysis, instructional design, course selection and reconfiguration, instructional delivery systems, adapting media and other…