Computer literacy has been identified as one of the most important factors for the effective use of computer-based technology in the workplace. Managers need to know the most efficient methods available to teach computer skills to their employees in a short time. Such methods need to be suitable for all employees, whether academically gifted or…

This paper suggests that students' opportunities to learn may be stratified both between and within schools. Schools serving a more affluent and able clientele may offer more rigorous and enriched programs of study, and students in college preparatory curricular programs may have greater access to advanced courses within schools. This notion is…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 11 titles deal with the following topics: (1) teacher self-assessment and analysis of feedback to student miscues during oral reading; (2) the humor found in basal readers appropriate to second and fourth grade students; (3) an…

A study examined the use of lookback strategy (selective rereading of text material to clarify inconsistent information) employed by good and poor readers attempting to monitor their own reading comprehension. Using microcomputers, narrative and expository texts containing inconsistencies were presented one line at a time on a "page" of…

Sex-related bias on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) was studied in a sample of 1,112 students in SAT coaching classes who took the SAT. Of these, 1,028 answered an additional questionnaire (Appendix A of this report) about high school grade point average, perceived abilities, and background. Almost all of the subjects were 11th graders (97.8%),…

Methods used to diagnose a seven-year old boy's reading problems illustrate the fact that reading assessments based upon a reader's strengths and a reader's understanding and control of the process will provide information which is more useful to teachers and parents than that provided by the numerical results of standardized tests. After Andrew,…

The proceedings of the fourth annual meeting of the College Reading Association (a fledgling organization in 1961 when this meeting was held) consisted of two symposia, a number of papers, and special reports on research related to reading, as follows: (1) "Opening Remarks" (Albert J. Mazurkiewicz); (2) "Improving Reading in the…

The United States is not doing as well as it could in assessing educational outcomes in the 1980s. The assessment movement of the 1980s indicates that its institutional memory is poor, and when coping with outside pressures, it is slow to recall how it coped the last time it was under pressure. It is important to remember such events and pressures…

The papers of this proceedings are organized into four parts : religion and education; the politics of urban education; issues in minority education; and concepts of childhood. The first paper in part 1 "I will Declare What He Hath Done for My Soul: Female Conversion Narratives in the Early Nineteenth Century" (V. L. Brereton) explores…

This study determined if overall mathematics performance of male and female students was: (1) different within each of six content areas; (2) differentially affected by ability grouping within each of the six content areas; and (3) differentially affected by the combination of ability grouping and grade level within each of the six content areas.…

This paper examines the sample-free test calibration claim, derived from Rasch's structural model for test items, by comparing item difficulty and log ability estimates between different samples of ability levels. Three tests from the Ball Aptitude Battery--Inductive Reasoning, Paper Folding; and Vocabulary--were administered to three samples of…

A study investigated 261 Mexican American mothers' estimations of their preschool children's cognitive performance. Existing literature on parental estimations was reviewed. The McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) were administered to 107 boys and 154 girls, ranging from 32 to 75 months of age. The children's mothers were then asked how…

Two studies examined possible effects of four modes of infant care on child behavior exhibited later. Modes included care at home by the mother, at home by a relative or sitter, at a sitter's home, and in a group care center. First, a longitudinal study assessed children at 2 years of age on a wide array of personality and cognitive measures. A…

Lateral brain research can be used to develop an understanding and appreciation of the vocational and occupational significance of black expressive behavior manifested in some blacks. Historically, employers have placed primary emphasis on cognitive abilities--functions of the left side of the brain. Research has shown, however, that the right…

This study investigated the effects of verbal factors on item performance in mathematics tests. Experimental tryout units were constructed that varied the verbal load of each of 21 mathematics test items. Each tryout unit was randomly assembled to include A, B and C versions of items so that no examinee took a unit of only one item format. Each…