In the attempt to improve the quality of geometry instruction in schools, researchers and teachers alike have given considerable attention to the van Hiele theory of geometry learning and development, which proposes a series of cognitive levels through which every geometry student passes. This paper reports a study to determine the extent to which…

A study was conducted at North Shore Community College (NSCC) to determine whether there was a particular score on the General Education Development (GED) Writing Skills Test that would predict a passing score for GED recipients on the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) General English Composition Examination. A total of 73 GED recipients…

The Diablo Valley College (California) Research Office assessed the variation of grades in multiple-section courses and its impact on the ability to predict student success. All classes selected for the study were general education offerings applicable for the Associate of Arts degree and/or transfer, and were taught by more than one instructor. A…

Trichotillomania (hair-pulling) and delicate self-cutting are self-destructive behaviors which utilize the body as a vehicle for self-expression. Like anorexia and bulimia, these behaviors occur primarily in young women. This study compared groups of women college students who engage in these self-destructive behaviors with those who do not. It…

Drawing from research and observations at Lansing Community College (Michigan) (LCC), this paper argues that typical arithmetic courses do little to prepare students to master algebra, and proposes an alternative set of arithmetic skills as actual prerequisites to algebra. The first section offers a description of the algebra sequence at LCC,…

The precise events that cause embarrassability (a chronic susceptibility to embarrassment) have yet to be fully understood. Some theorists argue that embarrassing circumstances cause an acute concern for the manner in which one is being evaluated by others. Other theorists argue that maladroit interaction is the only necessary cause of…

The focus of this study was on the identification of adolescents with physiologically based extreme behavior problems (explosive, hostile, aggressive type) through the use of evoked potential studies. Through interviews two distinct types of explosive behavior were identified based upon how individuals came out of the rage or explosive period. In…

The study explored the qualifications of learning-disabled college students by examining the academic performance (first year grade point average--GPA) of 179 learning-disabled and 249 nonlearning-disabled students classified by two objective admission criteria--either Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or high-school class rank. Overall, the scores…

Career development programs can benefit from knowledge of the needs and characteristics of their participants. To investigate whether certain types of individuals seek career development assistance more often than others, 279 self-selected white collar employees of a large, federal biomedical research company completed the Myers Briggs Type…

While data on the onset of cigarette smoking among younger adolescents has been investigated extensively, it is less clear whether the same social factors influence older adolescents. To examine these social factors, as well as the influence of personality and beliefs, 1,977 high school participants in an anti-smoking study completed a…

As part of an ongoing effort to understand the nature of student performance and persistence at Southwestern College (SC), a study was conducted in fall 1976 to determine the effect of reading ability on student course performance. An analysis of the Nelson-Denny Reading Test (NDRT) scores of 4,610 students revealed that, on an average, students…

Sixty-one children, originally identified at the beginning of kindergarten on the basis of four distinct clusters of observable classroom behavior, were evaluated at completion of first grade. Children in the nonrisk cluster continued to do well, while children in the high-risk cluster were still doing poorly in some areas. (Author)

First stages in a longitudinal study evaluating the behavioral science curriculum at New York Medical College revealed (1) no relationship between the number of behavioral science courses taken in college and performance in medical school behavioral science courses, and (2) better class performance when material on disordered behavior was…

Multiple linear discriminant function analyses were performed using academic, performance, and personality variables to discriminate among groups of transfers, persisters, and dropouts two years after college matriculation. Analysis of all variables combined added no predictive power beyond that by either subset alone. The results held up on…

The article relates the results of an attempt to use cumulative junior high records to help high school students in their vocational decision-making. (HMV)