Investigation of the relevance of student background discipline (185 college students studying science and technology, biology, and humanities and social science) on tests of reading comprehension in English as a foreign language found that content area passages do affect student performance on reading comprehension tests but not as greatly as…

Analysis of the length of time required for limited English proficient students (N=1,548) to become proficient in English for academic purposes while receiving instruction in English in all subject areas indicated that at least four to eight years may be required for subjects to reach national grade-level norms of native speakers. (Author/CB)

Describes study of undergraduates conducted to test the effectiveness of illustrations in texts, based on two hypotheses concerned with the differences between analogical and literal illustrations in serving two specific instructional functions and ways in which male and female students utilize illustrations. Results are analyzed, and…

Limited-English-speaking students (N=198), taking college admissions tests, were studied in terms of reading, writing, and listening test scores and their university performance (grade point average, dropped classes, etc.). Results indicate that the English language test scores are not always related to the students' academic achievement. (CB)

Proposes that the study of basilectal and acrolectal Singapore English can contribute to a better understanding of second language acquisition and use, emphasizing the operation of the monitor and specifications of the hierarchy of difficulty in the acquisition of syntactic structures. (Author/CB)

This study tested the multifaceted, hierarchical structure of self- concept (SC) against alternative models and determined whether academic SC can be discriminated from academic grades. Results supported the multidimensional interpretation of SC and demonstrated that general SC could be interpreted as distinct from but correlated with academic SC.…

A "system" comprising the learner-speaker, the specific linguistic system itself, and the interactions with native speakers is posited to explain the dynamics of the acquisition of French as a second language. Through self-regulation, this system devises solutions which pertain to that common area in language at the crossroads of…

The performance of native and nonnative Hindi-Urdu speaking children (N=131) and adults (N=30) in the comprehension of the Hindi-Urdu correlative constructions was analyzed. Results indicated that Hindi-Urdu correlative constructs are acquired relatively late by both native and nonnative speakers, suggesting that language universals are available…

Describes a survey of 356 adult students enrolled in university-level courses at the Open Learning Institute which was conducted to assess the predictive validity of Tinto's theoretical model of student dropout. It was found that, overall, the Tinto model appears to be a useful framework for such investigations. (Author/LRW)

This study, conducted in three elementary schools, examined several merit pay issues: (1) the congruence of teachers' ratings of themselves and their peers with principals' ratings; (2) teacher confidence in the ratings by themselves, their peers, and their principals; and (3) the relationship of teaching experience, teacher rating, and teacher…

The relationship between 13 demographic social variables and the numbers of students placed in four objective and four subjective special education classifications for one school year was examined using 50 states and Washington, DC. None of the objective, but two of the subjective classifications were strongly associated with socioeconomic…

Trends and patterns of adolescent drug use were examined through consideration of over 125 psychosocial correlates with drug use and nonuse. A sample of over 480 Philadelphia high school students was given personal interviews and a survey questionnaire that included several psychological scales and test batteries. (Author/LMO)

Describes an investigation of time as a learner variable in an individualized mode of health instruction where time was permitted to vary, hypothesizing that aptitude as measured by a standardized test could correlate more closely with time in instruction than with achievement where students were expected to reach criterion levels. (MBR)

Relates the self-reported behavior of 19 mothers and 19 fathers with their ratings of the activity levels, mood quality, intensity, approach behavior, adaptability, and persistence of three- to four-year-old children. Results suggest that the child's behavior style may contribute to the parents' behavior style and that mothers and fathers may…

Reports on test development and validation research in computer literacy among elementary and secondary students. Empirical data collected in testing 3,000 students in grades four, seven, and 11 are presented which evidence psychometric properties of the testing instruments and address questions of interrelationships among student and classroom…