A limited attempt to teach and assess the ability of native English-speaking adolescents is described. The concern is not to teach more language but to encourage use of existing language in a formal interview with maximum flexibility and effectiveness. Possible ties into second language instruction are considered. (Author/MSE)

Topics include: (1) the content, style, and level of physics' textbooks; (2) suggestions for in-class use; and (3) recommendations for upgrading current texts. (SK)

Believing that examinee-by-item interaction should be conceptualized as true score variability rather than as a result of errors of measurement, Lu proposed a modification of Hoyt's analysis of variance reliability procedure. Via a computer simulation study, it is shown that Lu's approach does not separate interaction from error. (Author/RL)

Children's occupational choices were scored for complexity using the code numbers of the Occupational Titles. Findings indicated a positive relationship between socioeconomic status and complexity of data manipulation in occupational choices and greater complexity of interaction with things in the occupational choices of boys. (Author/JAC)

The author suggests that the complex educational problems touched on by the television special "Is Anyone Out There Learning?" can only be solved by leadership at the building level. This entire journal issue consists of comments on this CBS news special, aired in August, 1978. (SJL)

Second-grade children completed a reading task during the first half and at the end of the school year identifying words preceded by a congruous, incongruous, or neutral sentence context. The effect of context on reading times decreased with development and practice and increased with word difficulty. (Author/DB)

Studies in self-management, attribution, and achievement motivation challenge the view that basic skills instruction requires strong teacher control, structure, convergence on learning activities, less pupil freedom, and less experimental teaching activities. Student-managed instruction yielded the greatest achievement gains and heightened…

Variation in syntactic difficulty in arithmetic problems is studied to determine its influence on students' ability to solve problems correctly. Findings in a study of elementary school students indicated syntactic difficulty affects problem solving ability, regardless of sex (f=fiche number). (MH)

The construct validity of reading comprehension test items was studied in a two-stage process. Five characteristics of task difficulty were defined and a heterogeneous set of 52 items were rated for these characteristics. Then correlations were obtained between ratings and item difficulty data. (CTM)

A model of reading comprehension focuses on eye fixations, which are related to the level of reading processes--words, clauses, and text units. Longer pauses are associated with greater processing difficulty. This model is illustrated for a group of undergraduate students reading scientific articles from "Newsweek" and "Time" magazines. (GDC)

Research on levels of questioning and their effects on learning is reviewed. It is shown that higher level questions facilitate reproductive and productive knowledge, but the reasons why are not clearly understood. An information processing model which accounts for question level effects is discussed. (MH)

A study examined 515 Norwegian sixth graders' scores on a future time orientation test in relation to student sex, motives, ability, and delay of gratification. Several interaction effects were revealed that suggest complex relationships between these factors and student future time orientation. (RL)

Presents findings from five studies measuring students' attitudes towards mathematics, perception of performance, perception of the importance of mathematical problem solving, and perception of problem difficulty. The interaction of affect and cognition and the implications for assessing and teaching mathematical problem solving to students with…

Storytelling by six teachers of the deaf was videotaped under three simulated conditions, as if they were presenting to hearing listeners, to oral deaf listeners, and to users of simultaneous communication. A number of grammatical and lexical characteristics were examined including Type-Token Ratios, a measure of lexical diversity, and Minimal…

Investigates reliability of two approaches for estimating text difficulty at the first-grade level: the Scale for Text Accessibility and Support and the Fountas/Pinnell system. Supports the predictive validity of the two rating scales with performance data. Suggests potential benchmarks for first-grade performance: 95% accuracy; 80 words per…