Examines the performance and construction of subjectivities of four early adolescent, sixth-grade girls as they read and discussed a novel about two adolescent Mexican children seeking a new life in America. Suggests they engaged in ongoing construction of their subjectivities as they interacted with the text and each other. Notes the girls…

Notes that professional reflection is a powerful aspect of practice and, in welcoming many "English Journal" colleagues back to another academic year, the author suspects that many are thinking a good deal about grading. Discusses the importance of feedback for student writing. Suggests the need to relocate teacher feedback to the public forums of…

In-the-moment events, which may take unexpected, negative turns and require unplanned responses, necessitate teacher flexibility to maintain an effective learning environment. Case studies within the framework of experiential learning theory illustrate flexible responses. Flexibility may be expanded by assessing learning style, experimenting with…

Structural equation modeling was used to test theoretically based models in which psychological separation and attachment security variables were related to career indecision and those relations were mediated through vocational self-concept crystallization. Results indicated that some components of separation and attachment security did relate to…

Describes ways in which a small group of preschool children in an urban Head Start Program responded to typical information books during read-aloud sessions. Notes results of a group pretend reading of books children had just heard. Concludes even young children are attuned to characteristics of texts. (PM)

To demonstrate that some methods used to assess item fit can be applied to assess person fit and vice versa, performance of a chi-squared item-fit statistic was compared with that of a likelihood-based person-fit statistic for examinees and items under Monte Carlo conditions. (SLD)

A logistic regression model for characterizing differential item functioning (DIF) between two groups is presented. A distinction is drawn between uniform and nonuniform DIF in terms of model parameters. A statistic for testing the hypotheses of no DIF is developed, and simulation studies compare it with the Mantel-Haenszel procedure. (Author/TJH)

Procedures based on latent trait models and the Rasch model are described for computation and asymptotic statistical inference for two decision consistency indexes often used in mastery or competence testing. Simulations were conducted for typical mastery testing situations to illustrate the procedures. (SLD)

Explores how the sex role orientation of adult observers relates to their perceptions of boys' and girls' aggression. Sex-typed and androgynous undergraduate subjects viewed videotapes of aggressive behavior between a girl-boy pair. Overall, subjects differed in their perceptions of the purposefulness of aggression and concerning appropriate…

Analyzes undergraduates' interpretations of a short story that presents a relatively balanced argument between a man and a woman. Finds both male and female students arrived at androcentric readings by solving text ambiguities in favor of the male character. Presents methods that encourage students to recognize and reevaluate their reading…

Shares experiences from three teachers in the following articles: "Integrating Content Area Skills with Fiction Favorites" (Hilda E. Ollmann); "Turning Teenagers into Reader Response Researchers" (Sharon Kane); and "Increasing Student Awareness of the Importance of Reading" (Rose Katz Ortiz). (MG)

Six preschool children with moderate mental retardation were placed in dyads to study their reciprocal interactions. Following a teacher-mediated intervention procedure, children displayed noticeable increases in the number and length of interactions during instruction, but generalization to free play varied among participants. (Author/JDD)

Shares the observations of an educator visiting a high school classroom. Comments on how planning can support students' initial responses and their deeper thinking. Argues that teachers of literature can be both intuitively planful and planfully spontaneous in providing students with powerful language tools for shaping personal meaning. (MG)

This editorial reviews the literature on the emotional states of gifted children, pointing out design flaws and the problem of using averages in such studies. Specific topics discussed include supersensitivity, guilt feelings in those who are gifted, the gifted underachiever, stress and coping, and fields for future research. (PB)

Examines issue-learning outcomes in three intra-party political debates during the 1984 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. Finds significant viewer learning about the issue positions of each participating candidate, about most issues, and among all categories of viewers. (KEH)