The hypothesis was tested that students with a field-independent cognitive style would learn most about numeration systems if they had minimum guidance and maximum opportunity for discovery through the use of manipulative materials. Data were gathered on 46 prospective elementary school teachers. The hypothesis was supported. (Author/MH)

Examines the effectiveness of block-word diagrams in science instruction for ninth graders using directed graphs that express content structure as key concepts joined by arrows. Results include the finding that the effect of text-plus-diagram treatment compared to text-only treatment was different for learners of different ability. (CS)

The author's response to H. Reed's paper (EC 115 148) on the nature of the relationship between biological defects and educational aptitude and achievement stresses that knowledge of biological causes provides educators with little, if any, practical information to help affected children progress. (For other responses and a rebuttal see EC 115…

No matter how they seem, young people worry a lot. The guidance business in the United States is booming. (Author)

This article contains a summary of the predictive data obtained in a follow-up study of students who entered four Ottawa high schools in September 1971. The differences among the schools involved in this study suggest that the school, rather than the school system, is an appropriate unit to examine. (Author)

A good test should have three qualities: validity, reliability and practicality. It should be designed, keeping the instructional objectives of the course in mind. Language tests can be made to test: (1) knowledge and perception; (2) manipulation; (3) understanding and production; and (4) overall communication proficiency. Examples of test…

Three former secretaries of education--William Bennett, Lauro Cavazos, and Terrel Bell--have touted state-level SAT scores as proof that educational financing does not matter. Recently, Brian Powell and Lala Carr Steelman adjusted scores for participation rate and detected a very strong relationship between expenditures and SAT scores. Bigger…

Describes a project involving student journal writing designed to examine middle graders' mathematical thinking and disposition. Teachers gained insight into students' conceptual and procedural knowledge and attitudes toward mathematics. Students' responses suggested that they found journals to be a way of sharing their thoughts about mathematics,…

Used the structural equation model approach to test a model hypothesizing the influence of parental involvement on students' academic aptitudes, self-concept, and causal attributions, as well as the influence of these variables on academic achievement. Results for 261 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years suggest that cognitive-affective variables are…

A survey of 909 seventh-graders and their parents about their participation in a regional talent search, preparation, and feelings while taking the test, found students participated primarily to gain experience taking the test and to learn about their abilities. Students and parents reported taking the test was a positive experience. (Contains…

Many gifted women are unaware of or ambivalent about their potential, due to interpersonal obstacles, socio-cultural barriers, and intrapersonal factors. Guidelines and resources are offered for counseling gifted women to recognize and externalize cultural and familial devaluation and to envision new possibilities for personal fulfillment.…

Validity of the Cognitive Levels Test (CLT) was evaluated by correlating test scores of 48 gifted 10-year-olds with scores on the Stanford-Binet intelligence scale as preschoolers as well as with scores from the California Achievement Test. Results indicated high degrees of CLT validity in both measuring cognitive ability and predicting academic…

This paper discusses applications of intelligence tests in schools, considering Binet's original warnings that his tests were primarily useful for identifying students needing intervention and inappropriate for classifying normal students. American applications of Binet's work for ranking are seen as stages of shifting from remedial to custodial…

Standardized tests have been introduced to promote more uniform measurements of cognitive abilities and science achievement. With faculty redirecting their efforts to conform to the design and content of standardized tests, tests like the National Board of Medical Examiners examinations, have begun to direct the content of medical education. (MLW)

Elementary school children (n=336) were assessed on their self-efficacy beliefs. Mainstreamed mildly handicapped students reported lower academic and social self-efficacy than their nonhandicapped and gifted peers. No differences in academic self-efficacy were reported between gifted and nonhandicapped students; however, gifted students reported…