Comparison of self-perceptions of academic competence and actual competence of depressed (n=56) and nondepressed (n=71) children (grades five and eight) with and without learning disabilities (LD) found that the depressed LD group was more accurate in their self-perceptions of academic competence than the nondepressed LD group. (Author/DB)

Frame-of-reference theory was applied to verbal and mathematics self-concept and achievement measures with 103 high school students, ages 13 through 15, who were academically able. Path analysis verified the influence of both internal ability comparisons across academic areas and external ability comparisons relative to peers in determining…

This interview with an author who investigated "untracking" in America's schools discusses whether tracking enhances academic achievement, why tracking is harmful, how common tracking is, what elementary school tracking looks like, advantages to grouping children homogeneously for certain subjects, alternatives to tracking, cooperative learning,…

The value of certain nonschool experiences is demonstrated in the University of California-Berkeley's summer Academic Talent Development Program (ATDP), which supplements school experiences by inviting adolescents into academic communities. The paper describes ATDP, arguing for a less school-centered vocabulary that will enrich the available…

The "curriculum of the home" consists of patterns of habit formation and attitude development that prepare children for academic learning and sustain them through the schooling years. Building on Herbert Walberg's educational productivity findings, this article isolates family values (high regard for personal development, communication,…

An attempt to portray the nature of the learning task in university engineering courses is presented. Introductory courses are described first and are then compared to the upper level courses. Emphasis is put on three introductory courses to determine what skills students bring into the introductory course, what the learning task is, and how…

Henry M. Levin finds Balfanz's article a dispassionate attempt to explore the connections between workplace performance and curriculum reform. Educational reform efforts often misinterpret and simplify the relationship between informal knowledge, academic skills, and individual productivity. Consequently, the U.S. public's productive capacity is…

Seven liberal arts college students were recruited to seriously audit first year science courses, keeping a journal about how the class was structured, their reactions to the material, and the classroom culture. The students' experiences are discussed, and the implications for improvement of science education are examined. (MSE)

Analyzed the relative contributions of academic ability, music experience, and musical aptitude to predicting grades in college freshman music theory courses. Found that the best predictor of grades was the mathematics component of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Data analysis revealed five factors that accounted for 78.6 percent of the…

Explicates the construct of asynchronous development, advocating for its inclusion in planning for and educating gifted students. The paper examines the work of several researchers as it relates to asynchronous development of gifted students. It also discusses social and emotional aspects of vulnerability; socialization versus social development;…

Examines various assumptions that underlie current definitions guiding the assessment of gifted and talented students, making suggestions reflective of the synthesis of available constructs defining gifted education. Implications of these assumptions for assessment (primarily identification) of gifted and talented students are noted. Using types…

Examines the scale of drop-outs across colleges. Considers appropriate analytical treatments in a number of colleges in the further education funded sector and investigates the resource effects. Identifies prior achievements of enrollments as a major factor of non-retention in courses and discusses some of the educational implications of the…

Studied five tutors' personal constructs about their students, as identified by repertory grid interviews and interpreted by cluster analysis. All tutors judged and classified students in similarly defined terms of motivation and intellectual ability. Implications for programming computer-based tutors are discussed. (Author/MAK)

A study of 174 academically talented eighth-grade students found they had significantly higher academic self-concepts than their peers but similar social self-concepts. Results found that talented females had stronger needs for achievement, dominance, and endurance than typical females, and high verbal students had less interest in relationships…

College athletic coaches bridged the gap between athletics and academics, dispelling myths about student athletes. Examination of athletic and nonathletic students' grade point averages (GPAs) found that athletes had higher GPAs. Athletic directors disseminated that information and developed programs so faculty could integrate athletics and…