A discussion of the preference structure of repair sequences in conversation argues that the structure varies predictably from one context to the next, based on the interpersonal relationship of the interlocutors. In particular, it is said to depend on the asymmetrical distribution of knowledge among the interlocutors, including knowledge of the…

In order to determine the knowledge and skills needed by novice programmers to successfully learn computer programming, four studies were conducted using a clinical interview technique. The first study determined that many systematic errors in programming were due to programmers' high-level misconceptions of the nature of the computer and of the…

Children learn arithmetic procedures by rote, rather than by constructing them with an understanding of numbers. Rote learning produces lack of flexibility, nonsensical errors, and other difficulties. Proposed is a theory of conceptual understanding and its role in learning and executing arithmetic procedures. The basic hypothesis is that…

This paper is the result of a study of ninety-two essays on three different topics by fifth-form pupils in the city of Ibadan. (Author)

The major emphasis of this paper is in the examination of test item response patterns. Tatsuoka and Tatsuoka (1980) have developed two indices of response consistency: the norm-conformity index (NCI) and the individual consistency index (ICI). The NCI provides a measure of the degree of consistency between the response pattern of an individual and…

If older children automatically label pictorial stimuli, then their performance should be impaired on tasks in which such labeling would increase the error rate. Children were asked to learn pairs of verbal or pictorial stimuli which, when combined, formed a different compound word (BUTTER-FLY). Subsequently, a false recognition test that included…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of two methods of teaching reading upon reversal errors. A sample of 210 pupils in grades one through four were selected for this study. One half of the group had learned to read through an analytic method while the other half had learned through a synthetic method. Since the synthetic group had…

Reported are the results of a study to determine if specific errors in subtraction occur when students demonstrate ability to apply selected decimal numeration system principles. A secondary purpose was to examine and compare errors made by various subsets of the sample population characterized by grade level, arithmetic achievement, mental…

This issue contains five articles dealing with several aspects of linguistic theory. The first, "Origine et evolution de la notion de 'situation' de 'l'Ecole linguistique de Londres': de Malinowski a Lyons," examines the origin and meaning of the concept of "situation" in articles by the London school of linguists. The second, "Some Aspects of a…

This paper reports the results of a study in which interviews were conducted with each of 35 sixth graders who made errors that might have been due to reading on the word problem portion of the Metropolitan Achievement Test. To discover evidence of poor reading affecting word problem success, the investigators asked each child to read aloud those…

Processing requirements in letter discrimination for beginning readers with reflective-impulsive and field-dependent--field-independent learning styles were investigated. Results were interpreted in terms of feature analyses employed in letter identification and discrimination. (BJG)

A sample of 107 subjects including kindergarteners, fifth graders, high school sophomores, parents of kindergarteners, and master artists were presented with a 108-item color perception test to investigate surface color perception at these age levels. A set of surface color perception rules was generated. (GO)

Preschool children copied peg locations with standardized comparison pegboards aligned horizontally and diagonally and with three levels of pegboard complexity. Error patterns varied with type of alignment and display complexity. Results failed to support Bryant's hypothesis that mirror image confusions are no more frequent than other in-line…

This study compared the WISC-R and PPVT scores for a group of 65 students classified as mentally retarded, ranging in age from 7.5 to 14.5. For this sample of mildly retarded children and youth, the PPVT IQ score is significantly higher than the Full Scale IQ from the WISC-R. (Author)

Reports the results of an experimental study concerning the effects that place of measurement might have on measuring attitudes of school age children. (Author/DEP)