Reports on a study of 101 Canadian librarians that tested individual differences important to enhanced use of the Internet. Analysis of covariance, hierarchical regression, and structural equation modeling provided evidence that technical and procedural knowledge had a significant influence on attitudes toward the Internet and the frequency of…

Investigated developmental change and patterns of individual differences in dimensions of infant temperament. Rothbart Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) was completed for subjects 5 times between 6 weeks and 30 months of age. Interpretable age changes were found for emotional reactivity, but not for the index of regulation (IBQ soothability).…

This study, with 19 fifth graders having learning disabilities (LD) and 20 fifth graders without LD, examined cognitive and motivational variables. Although some differences between groups were found, differences in the motivational and cognitive variables generally cut across a priori categories of children with and without LD, forming three…

Introduces this theme issue by synthesizing findings obtained using diverse methodologies derived from different theories about children's friendships. Comments on the trend away from studying global peer acceptance to studying friendship dyads. Discusses the features--individual, age, and gender differences--of children's friendships. (DR)

This article urges educators to incorporate Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences (MI) into their classrooms to broaden the learning opportunities for all students. MI theory is briefly explained, examples of its application are described, advantages of MI are pointed out, and criticisms of MI are noted. (DB)

This article advances a view of disability as interaction-specific rather than person-specific, as arising when the nature of the academic task or instructional environment fails to support adequately the learning characteristics of the student. The implications of this view for all students in higher education are explored. (MDM)

Finds that parent-offspring resemblance in families of reading-disabled probands does not differ substantially from that in families of controls; and correlations and regressions for monozygotic twins are greater than those for dizygotic twins, suggesting that individual differences in reading achievement are due in part to heritable influences.…

This article responds to MacIntyre's (1995) critique of the Linguistic Coding Differences Hypothesis (LCDH), which posits that language aptitude is the primary source of individual differences in foreign language (FL) achievement. It defends the LCDH and suggests that difficulties exist with theories that attribute affective and social context…

This article responds to Sparks and Ganschow's (1995) defense of their Linguistic Coding Differences Hypothesis (LCDH), arguing that the LCDH ignores the context in which language learning occurs. It asserts that LCDH is so focused on the learning of the sound system of language that it ignores affective variables. (22 references) (MDM)

Contrasts the instructional process for canoeing (explanation of the skill, demonstration, imitation by trainees, correction of errors by the instructor, and trials for further practice) with the coaching process (observation by the coach, analysis of technique by coach, goal setting, trials of modified behavior by trainee, observation and…

Cultures have distinctive learning style patterns, but the great variation among individuals within groups requires educators to use diverse teaching strategies. Researchers identify three kinds of information about culture and learning styles: observation-based descriptions of cultural groups of learners, data-based descriptions of specific…

The representational abilities of 24 preschool children were investigated in relation to their ability to use their knowledge of graphic notation. Although the children came from similar backgrounds, their responses showed varying constructs about the appropriate graphic notation to use in referential tasks. (SLD)

This study found that 49 adolescents with learning disabilities (LD) scored lower than 49 normally achieving peers on a self-image questionnaire. Later-diagnosed adolescents with LD scored higher than early diagnosed adolescents. LD severity was not related to self-image. Moderate relationships were found between parents' perceptions and…

Explores the neural and hormonal basis of human intellectual function that gives rise to sex differences in the brain. Discusses behavioral, neurological, endocrinological studies, and studies of the effects of hormones on brain functioning that show a relationship between cognitive variations and sex. (MCO)

The development of early vocalizations was investigated with 13 infants who had Down's syndrome and 27 infants developing normally, at bimonthly intervals from 4 to 18 months of age. Both groups demonstrated increased production of mature syllables over time as well as large variations in vocal development, both within and across groups and across…