This study investigated the relationship between locus of control orientation and adoption of cigarette smoking among ninth grade urban black Southern students. It sought to identify this relationship and determine if school-setting (junior or senior high school) or gender-related differences exist. The following information was used to assess…

A series of studies are underway at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Audience Research Facility to examine the impact of interactivity on informational and entertainment based television viewing. In order to examine the learning of spatial skills from videogames, the first study compared the learning of spatial content from interactive…

The relationship between student personality traits and achievement with either mediated self-instruction or didactic large group instruction was investigated. Subjects were 159 female third-year nursing students at Loyola University of Chicago. Subjects received instruction on tracheostomy care and intravenous (I.V.) therapy through either a…

A prescriptive theory for learning which delivers prescriptions for designing prototypes of instructional materials with different knowledge structures, the Elaboration Theory of Instruction (ETI) is based on important principles and theories of learning and instruction. This paper reports three experiments which tested ETI. The first experiment…

This study examines the consumption of resources by retired persons by distinguishing between institutionally controlled resources (social security, medicare, prescription discounts, medicaid, heating subsidy, supplemental security income, veterans' benefits, disability income, and meals-on-wheels) and personally controlled resources (gardens,…

A study was conducted to determine whether there is an identifiable coping personality related to academic achievement and retention for black college students. Low coping students were also taught coping strategies to determine whether mastering academic requirements facilitates achievement and persistence. The relationship of black student…

Locus of control, a generalized belief about causality in one's personal life, was identified as a potential variable impinging upon the acquisition of science-related attitudes in classes of high school students from 10th grade biology, and 11th and 12th grade chemistry, and of college elementary education majors. Correlations of the…

The relationships between teachers' attitudes toward responsibility and locus of control and other characteristics such as stress, educational attitudes, and attitudes toward change were studied in 54 (35 female and 19 male) experienced primary and secondary school teachers taking a course on classroom-based research. Attitude toward…

Approximately 700 Mexican American and Anglo students in grades 9, 10, and 11, who were identified as having superior mathematical ability, were surveyed to identify the factors affecting mathematics participation, determine the relative importance of these factors, and determine their stability over time. Five variables were studied: cognitive…

A study to determine teachers' attitudes toward inservice education programs was conducted in relation to the RISE (Regional In Service Education) Teacher Center (Connecticut), which provided two types of service: mandated inservice programs for participating schools, and voluntary professional development programs. Data for the study were…

Inservice programs that are likely to accomplish their objectives are characterized by: (1) differentiated training experiences; (2) teachers in active roles; (3) an emphasis on demonstration, supervised trials, and feedback; (4) sharing and mutual assistance; (5) activities linked to a general effort of the school; (6) teachers who choose goals…

All nine administrators at Los Angeles Southwest College (LASC) were surveyed to determine their political, social, and psychological background. Three separate instruments focused on leadership style, need for authority, and locus of control. Comparisons were made to determine the extent to which leadership styles were similar and to discover…

The development and validation of the Multidimensional-Multiattributional Causality Scales (MMCS) are described. The scales are distinctive because they measure locus of control specific to two goals--achievement and affiliation. Half of the items concern success, and half concern failure experiences. Results of four validity studies with under…

This study of Piagetian formal reasoning in seventh grade students reports the relationships between four aspects of the ability to control variables in an experiment and the relationships between those four aspects and other constructs. The four aspects of the ability to control variables identified are: (1) set up a controlled experiment, (2)…

Life Lab, an alternative educational program stressing self-directed learning at Miami-Dade Community College, is discussed in terms of its development, impact, and student attributes. More than half of the document presents personal histories and opinions of students and staff, alternating with the views of Dr. MacGregor Smith, program founder.…