Analyzes the effect of language of instruction on the verbal reasoning of sixth grade French-English bilinguals (N=36). Results showed a significant interaction between language of instruction and language of presentation and differences associated with level of difficulty and mean response times. (Author/CB)

Processing of verbal analogies was evaluated by recording eye fixation patterns during solution of problems that represented a broad range of difficulty. Findings on easier problems replicated previous work. On difficult items, high verbal ability individuals adapted processing strategies to a greater extent then did low ability students.…

A study examined the relationship between pharmacy graduates' scores on high school examinations at ages 16 and 18 and the complete pattern of university examination scores and concluded that the scores on advanced tests at age 18 could be useful for student selection and achievement prediction. (Author/MSE)

A study found that in dental schools, a heavier student workload is associated with higher student ratings of dental courses, suggesting that workload may bias student perceptions. (MSE)

Two experiments examined hyperactive children's tendency to underfocus their attention during learning. Taken together, the results of both experiments demonstrated the validity of the attentional diffusion hypothesis and indicate the need to assess the central processing demands associated with central and incidental learning in order to evaluate…

The matching model of education, in which instructional activities are matched to the conceptual level (abstract to concrete) of the students, is recommended for second language instruction. Suggestions are made for varying the amount of structure in communication-centered activities. (MSE)

When running out of time on a multiple-choice test such as the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), some test takers are likely to respond rapidly to the remaining unanswered items in an attempt to get some items right by chance. Because these responses will tend to be incorrect, the presence of rapid-guessing behavior could cause these items to…

This study explores the relative merits of a potentially useful item response theory (IRT) linking design: using a single set of anchor items with fixed common item parameters (FCIP) during the calibration process. An empirical study was conducted to investigate the appropriateness of this linking design using 6 groups of students taking 6 forms…

New and returning camp staff were surveyed about the difficulty of camp-specific skills and knowledge and their own abilities. A summer-camp training inventory of 24 camp-specific skills and knowledge statements was administered to a total of 702 new and returning staff at eight camps on the first and last day of pre-season training sessions and…

Paper presented to the staff of the English Language Branch--Defense Language Institute; Lockland Air Force Base, Lockland, Texas, 1973. (HW)

Study hypothesized that lower class school children would be less cognitively complex and consequently show less advanced moral judgment than would middle class children. (Authors/CB)

Analysis showed that a word problem is difficult to solve if: it is of a different type from the problem that preceded it; its solution requires a large number of different operations; its surface structure is complex; it has a large number of words; or it requires a conversion of units. (Authors)

Study was designed to determine whether certain commercial 10-item multiple-choice reading comprehension tests were vulnerable to guessing. It was concluded that more valid comprehension tests could be developed if items were tested for guessability. (Author)