After consideration of difficulties and shortcomings in the field of research in reading retardation, the evidence about specific factors contributing to reading achievement is reviewed. Factors considered include intelligence and patterns of scores on intelligence subscales, processing of verbal and auditory stimuli, and personality…

The ability of the Slosson Intelligence Test to predict academic achievement was assessed by using three samples of pre-kindergarten pupils from three successive years in a large midwest school district. Results indicate a moderately good predictive power of the instrument. (Author/JKS)

The interaction of mental ability and of two different instructional methods was investigated for a second grade linear metric curriculum unit. Mental ability was positively correlated with achievement under the guided discovery method, but essentially uncorrelated for the self paced mastery learning method. (Author/JKS)

Investigates the differences in attitudes toward academic achievement and personality characteristics of third generation Japanese Americans (Sanseis). Sanseis were grouped by sex and high and low achievers and were administered the Adjective Check List and the Asian American Survey. Results show that Sanseis are relatively heterogeneous with…

Analyzes racial differences in status attainment by examining the extent to which initial attainment differences are accounted for by theoretically related variables and the extent to which the entire attainment process differs between uses, using data from a recent longitudinal sample of the U.S. high school population. (Author/JM)

Poor academic performance can result from single, multiple, interacting, and unknown causes, rather than being an entity with a specific cause and course. It is better to adopt a descriptive approach and define retardation as relative failure on a cluster of socially determined behaviors, varying over cultures and over time. (Author)

The data suggest that the WISC-R Verbal, Performance, and Full scales are almost equally lacking in racial bias and that all three scales are less biased than the PPVT. If the PPVT is used for initial screening, it will be important to follow up with a more thorough psychological evaluation. (Author)

Part of a special issue on adaptive behavior, the article reviews adaptive behavior research in areas which include the relationship between adaptive behavior and intelligence and school achievement, relationship between different measures of adaptive behavior, predictive aspects, declassification, group differences in adaptive behavior,…

Reviews the use of computers in the teaching and practice of writing in university courses. Highlights include hardware considerations; software options for grammar, punctuation, stylistic analysis, and prewriting (or invention) skills; artificial intelligence, composition, and literature; collaborative learning; and faculty development. (LRW)

Examined the relationship between Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) score, Callifornia Achievement scores, and grade point averages for Black and White elementary and middle school students (N=168). Found little evidence of differential prediction. Results suggest that the WISC-R IQ is an…

The impact of ICAI systems on teacher role, classroom structure, educational goals and preservice teacher training are discussed. The artificial intelligence research community is urged to consider the societal impact of its work. (Author/JL)

Discusses the theoretical basis, implementation, and pedagogical considerations of CALLE (Computer-Aided Language Learning Environment), a dialogue-based beginning Spanish language instruction system. CALLE uses Lexical Functional Grammar Theory to analyze errors in student input. Sample screen is shown. (Author/LMO)

SPANLAP (SPANish LAnguage Processing) is a computer program which attempts to engage students of Spanish in a free-form written dialog by allowing them to ask questions. The morphological and syntactic parsing process used in SPANLAP is explained. Sample dialog illustrates limitations of the current model. (Author/LMO)

Reviews key developments in information technologies, and describes the possible convergence of these developments in the creation of a new publishing and communication medium. The impact of this technology on the organization and role of libraries is discussed. (4 references) (CLB)

Methodological tools such as analysis of variance designs can reflect bias. Difficulties in the interpretation of cross-cultural differences can be avoided only if the researcher considers all external variables which account for the variance. No variance should be left to be explained in terms of culture. (VM)