Discusses three uses of prediction: (1) as a purpose-setting process; (2) as a reading-critical thinking process; and (3) as a comprehension-controlling process. Provides an overview of the importance of prediction, identifying key concepts and practices spanning the late 1960s to the 1990s. (RS)

Describes use of a computerized simulation to study prediction in a complex environment (i.e., bus traffic control). Nature of the task, presentation method, number of repetitions, and length of time taken for prediction were measured. Prediction was significantly affected by all factors except number of repetitions. No learning effect was…

Analysis of patterns of participation of 1,104 adults in South Wales shows that socioeconomic background, more than educational attainment, plays a crucial role in educational participation. Over time, immediate and later patterns of participation are determined by separate influences. (SK)

Assesses discriminate validity of teacher judgments in differentiating various groups of students who are at risk for learning difficulties based on referral to School Study Teams (SSTs). Large differences are found between controls and at-risk groups. Results from cross-validated discriminate function analyses shows teacher judgment correctly…

Uses data from the North Carolina End-of-Grade test of eighth-grade mathematics to estimate the achievement results on the scale of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Trial State Assessment. Uses linear regression models to develop projection equations to predict state NAEP results. (SLD)

Examines whether violence, rather than being an isolated subculture in itself, is part of a general subculture of delinquency. Data from 3,819 Icelandic high school students support the notion that violence is part of a general subculture of delinquency. (SLD)

Examined beliefs of elementary, middle, and high school mathematics teachers regarding algebra development. Found that teachers held a symbol-precedence view of student mathematical development. High school teachers were most likely to hold the symbol-precedence view and made the poorest predictions of students' performance, whereas middle school…

Examines structural features of grade point averages (GPAs) and offers examples showing that GPAs cannot consistently determine class rank since class rank is sometimes permuted with arbitrary change of scale. Notes relativistic efforts to resolve inconsistencies are insufficient. Discusses the function of GPAs as predictors of academic…

Describes a classroom demonstration called the Gambler's Fallacy where students in an introductory psychology statistics class participate in simulated gambling using weekly results from professional football game outcomes over a 10 week period. Explains that the demonstration illustrates that random processes do not self-correct and statistical…

Business students' academic records were analyzed using traditional (linear and nonlinear regression) and nontraditional (neural network) methods. Results demonstrated the value of using qualitative performance predictors such as neural networks in the graduate admissions process. (SK)

Tests predictions based on reactance theory, postdecisional regret, and language expectancy theory in a study altering logical style (inductive versus deductive) and language density in messages to parents advocating family sun safety. Finds influence of message varies by stage of progression to action, which has implications for tailoring health…

Confirmatory factor analysis was used to derive and cross-validate the factor structure of the Pain Response Inventory (PRI), a measure of children's coping responses to recurrent pain, with 688 school children, 120 children with abdominal pain, and 175 former abdominal pain patients. Results suggest that different health outcomes are predicted by…

Although it is possible to point to problems and content in educational research that are likely to be the focus of attention in the future, there is a high degree of uncertainty about research trends. The fields of social ethics in education and mapping the role of education in the society of the future seem probable focal points. (SLD)

Questionnaires and grade point averages were used to examine the academic, psychosocial, cognitive, and demographic predictors of academic performance of first-year Australian university students. Found that previous academic performance was the most significant predictor; integration into university, self-efficacy, and employment responsibilities…

Eleven medical students were followed through their first two years of medical school. Career development indices (career planning, exploration, decision making, occupational information) accounted for significant amounts of variance in the prediction of success beyond that of academic indices (grade point average, test scores). (SK)