The following research projects are described in this annual report: (1) "Concept Learning in Discrimination Tasks," which indicates that kindergarten children are able to discriminate the letters "b,""d,""p," and "q"; (2) "Discrimination of Letter-like Forms," indicating that nursery…

The problem of retaining Mexican American students in institutions of higher education is reviewed in these 5 papers: "The Retention of Mexican American Students in Higher Education with Special Reference to Bicultural and Bilingual Problems" by Manuel H. Guerra; "Mexicanismo vs. Retention: Implications of Retaining Mexican American…

Intended to encompass individuals in need of special treatment, teachers, and areas of knowledge relevant to either or both groups, the text discusses the following subjects: the nature of reading; the nature of learning difficulties; the development of reading instruction in the United States; the development of instruction for children with…

The beneficial and harmful effects of acting out are studied in a series of short essays by numerous authors. Included are four articles on the theoretical and dynamic considerations of acting out, along with five clinical manifestations of acting out involving suicide and criminality in adolescents and adults. Special forms of harmful acting out…

A 3-year study attempted (1) to predict reading achievement through third grade, (2) to establish data for a nonverbal discrimination test, (3) to devise supplementary perceptual instructional programs, and (4) to develop screening devices to assess perceptual abilities and identify potential learning disabilities. In first, second, and third…

An attempt was made to examine the factors affecting women of different ages in their selection of clerical and secretarial occupations. The factors considered were: health, intelligence, interests, previous work experience, stated reasons for present occupational choice, knowledge of employment opportunities and job requirements, influence of…

A literature review of research and demonstration findings by the adult basic education (ABE) practitioner, considers some of the current dominant issues in research and development in adult basic education; presents findings in the areas of adult intelligence, adult learning, methods for undereducated adults, recruitment, correctional…

The present study investigated the effects of sex of child, level of attractiveness, and conduct on teacher ratings of academic ability, post high school training, vocation, and leadership potential. A total of 404 male and female classroom and special education (i.e., art, music, physical education) teachers in grades one to six, from a large…

Much of our thinking about contemporary social problems reflects tacit presuppositions regarding the operation of heredity and environment in human behavior. These beliefs have important implications for practical decisions. Advances in genetics, psychology, anthropology, and other disciplines have contributed much to a clarification of the…

This study attempted to answer the following questions. Do differences in academic achievement, grade level, sex, and race influence peer perceptions of black and white students as satisfiers of needs achievement recognition and succorance? Can interracial peer acceptance be predicted from intelligence, academic achievement, attendance, age, sex,…

Those of us who are committed to the pedagogical enterprise are called upon to re-examine, clarify, and perhaps justify the presuppositions, methods, and goals that provide the framework within which education and development are carried on. Recent publications by several writers have reintroduced notions that demand critical examination,…

Thirty-three low achieving regular class (RC) and 46 educable mentally retarded special class (SC) adolescents from a white, low-income, urban district were administered the learning potential measure and were interviewed to determine difference in attitude toward school and status as students. Results indicated that more RC than SC Ss saw a…

The purpose of this paper is to present some preliminary findings on the effects of racial status, socioeconomic status (SES), and measured ability (MA) upon academic performance of students in a liberal arts college. Preliminary analyses of academic performance (cumulative grade point averages and semester-by-semester grade point averages) among…

This publication continues the descriptions of the cognitive, psychomotor, and socioemotional measures used in all years of the Head Start Planned Variation Evaluation study. Included is a detailed examination of each measure, a discussion of the theory behind it, and a review of the available data on the measure's reliability, validity and other…

This study examined the effect of a Specialized Language Activities curriculum upon the language development of 40 selected ninth graders who prepared short improvised dramas for production on videotape. Working on the premise that concentration on one aspect of the language arts would aid development in other areas, students in this experimental…