This study examined the effects of direct instruction in the phonology/orthography of Spanish on the native language skills and foreign language aptitude of 14 high school women at risk for foreign language learning problems. Pretest/posttest comparisons with students not at risk showed that subjects made significantly greater gains on…

Replication and extension of previous research linking child age to referral for psychological services indicates younger students were referred more often, the referral pattern could not be explained by competency differences, Caucasian students were referred at higher rates, and a trend linking the proportionate referral rate of students…

This article responds to MacIntyre's (1995) critique of the Linguistic Coding Differences Hypothesis (LCDH), which posits that language aptitude is the primary source of individual differences in foreign language (FL) achievement. It defends the LCDH and suggests that difficulties exist with theories that attribute affective and social context…

This article responds to Sparks and Ganschow's (1995) defense of their Linguistic Coding Differences Hypothesis (LCDH), arguing that the LCDH ignores the context in which language learning occurs. It asserts that LCDH is so focused on the learning of the sound system of language that it ignores affective variables. (22 references) (MDM)

This study examined the relationships between children's musical ability and various factors of social environment and child characteristics. There was a positive correlation between children's musical aptitude and fathers' encouragement and children's cognitive and creative abilities. Cognitive ability was the only significant predictor of…

The dimensional structure of the 6 subtests of the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test was investigated using data from 10 versions of the test administered to approximately 50,000 examinees in 1984-88. The best alternative appeared to be a model with two orthogonal factors. (SLD)

Schools can develop worker traits, behaviors, values, and attitudes in students by taking the view that school is a workplace and learners are workers. This concept involves analysis of classroom work functions and tasks, worker characteristics, physical demands, environmental conditions, and interest in, involvement in, and performance of work…

Discusses the difficulty of teaching computer-based remote sensing to students of varying levels of computer literacy. Suggests an instructional method that accommodates all levels of technical expertise through the use of microcomputers. Presents a curriculum that includes an introduction to remote sensing, digital image processing, and…

Examines the role of economics in a business school curriculum from the perspective of student outcomes. Focuses upon an empirical analysis of the relationship between student understanding of basic economic principles and their success in an accredited business curriculum. (Author/JOW)

Although recent educational reforms have called for different types of assessments with more relaxed time requirements, the revised Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) allows less than one minute per verbal and math problem. According to an SAT tutor who took the new exam along with his students, the new test is unnecessarily tricky and should…

States that initial impressions form student perception of the classroom environment and instructor's communication style. Uses the "Individualized Classroom Environment Questionnaire" (ICEQ) and the "Components of Communicative Competence Scale" (CCCS) to understand how students perceive their own communication abilities and…

This study examined above-grade-level abstract reasoning abilities of 150 students (grades 2-6). Understanding of abstract concepts varied by age for only four of eight subscales or concepts: probability, proportion, momentum, and frames of reference. Performance varied widely within age level for the understanding of volume, correlation,…

An instrument for assessing children's interests was developed, and the structure of Holland-type career interests in children was examined. Differences between interests and competence perceptions were evaluated across ages. Results show few differences between interests and competence perceptions, which varied across age; fit of the circular…

Presents the President's address from the 1999 annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Asserts that the mathematics classroom teacher must create an environment that supports students and mathematics growth at many different levels, and suggests ways in which to achieve this. Considers the changing societal…

Reports on an ESRC-funded study of the levels of knowledge about language of first-year undergraduate student learners of French and the relationship between this metalinguistic knowledge and language proficiency and aptitude. (Author/VWL)