A taxonomy of 43 rules for writing multiple-choice test items is presented, based on a consensus of 46 textbooks. These guidelines are presented as complete and authoritative, with solid consensus apparent for 33 of the rules. Four rules lack consensus, and 5 rules were cited fewer than 10 times. (SLD)

A new type of gifted underachiever, the child who excels in regular education but becomes discouraged and withdraws from challenges in special gifted programs, is described. Coping and self-evaluation strategies to help the child are discussed. (MSE)

Describes the results of a survey of library schools that examined the prevalence and extent of instruction in cataloging three dimensional objects and faculty perceptions of such instruction. The discussion covers the effects of a possible print bias on library school graduates. (12 references) (Author/CLB)

Attempted to determine whether 170 third and sixth graders would benefit from the simultaneous use of 2 mnemonic strategies. Findings suggest that categorical sorting and active rehearsal combine to facilitate recall performance. (RJC)

Perceptual categorization and consistency of synthesized speech was studied with 10 normally articulating children (aged six-seven), 10 children producing /r/ misarticulations (aged five-eight), and 18 adults. Results revealed that variability in stimulus response was influenced primarily by subjects' productive ability, whereas differences in…

A typology of the influencing strategies used in academic decision making in higher education institutions is proposed, then applied to one university program development project. The typology assumes two basic influence modes (pressure and legitimization) and seven types of organizational resources (expertise, money, information, time, rules,…

Describes and categorizes the ways in which first graders (two good and two poor spellers) used and talked about their spelling knowledge during a formal spelling test and an informal writing activity. Results suggested three categories of spelling knowledge: developmental stage spelling knowledge, suggested by written spellings; verbalized…

In three experiments, three normal preschoolers were presented with sorting tasks ordinarily insoluble for four-year-olds. Found that, although the subjects had difficulty correctly sorting the pictures when told what criterion to sort by, they could provide correct answers when asked what they were looking for. This self-instructional effect was…

Suggests a revised Montessori elementary biology sequence based on the new five-kingdom model. In keeping with Montessori principles that move the learner from the whole to the parts and from the simple to the complex, offers a proposed outline of instruction for the lower elementary (6-9) level and for the upper elementary (9-12) level. (TJQ)

Notes that sorting is an early classification activity; as language develops, objects can be sorted by various attributes and described. Describes key experiences in this developmental sequence, and provides guidelines and specific suggestions for selecting for classroom use "attribute materials" designed to lead students to both…

Responds to previous article (Gresham and Gansle, 1992) which argued that Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition-Revised (DSM-III-R) was irrelevant for practice of school psychology and that absence of treatment validity was most serious issue among problems with DSM-III-R. Elaborates on several issues surrounding…

Reports on two empirical studies that examined the nature and causes of information management indeterminism in an online research environment. A knowledge-based design for alleviating indeterminism which contains a system-generated thesaurus and an inferencing engine is proposed. (Contains 63 references.) (JLB)

This study found that categorization strategy training resulted in increased performance on unidimensional, bidimensional, and tridimensional sorting tasks by 4 males (ages 12-16) with autism. Three subjects also showed improvements on generalization probes and maintenance of performance. (Author/JDD)

Examines the structure and components of information storage and retrieval systems and information filtering systems. Identifies 13 components as representations of data objects (copies, excerpts, descriptions, abstractions, and identifying references) and functions that operate on them. Reduces the functional components to transformation and…

Two studies involving 195 undergraduates investigated memory errors occurring when the context standard used in judging target behaviors differs from the category norm standard available when behaviors are recalled. Results support a "natural" tendency to use the current categorical meaning of a judgment to reconstruct the referent of…