Presents results of an empirical study of the effects of demographic trends on a local government occupational group--public welfare workers. Considers effects of these trends on managers' abilities to foster new ideas, to achieve affirmative action goals, and to ensure employee motivation, performance, and productivity. (Author/CH)

The number and type of errors in self administration and scoring made on Holland's Self-Directed Search (SDS) and Self-Directed Search Form Easy (SDS-E) were examined. Subjects were 96 learning disabled and 96 non learning disabled high school students. All subjects made more errors on the SDS than on the SDS-E. Differences are discussed.…

Presents findings on relationships between Black children's self-perceptions, their achievement, and teacher's perceptions. Reports that factors influencing Black student achievement are not as singular or as insular as previous research has suggested. (KH)

Before and after taking math and spelling tests, a group of 165 students (grades five through six) were given questionnaires which assessed actual performance, subjective ratings of success or failure, and performance expectations for future tests. Boys were more likely than girls to attribute math success to ability, but not failure to lack of…

Examines (1) the relationship between children's scores on the Home Observation for Measurement of Environment (HOME) Inventory and their achievement test scores, and (2) the relationship between children's intervening home environments and their school achievement. Data were gathered from 37 normal first-grade children and their families.…

This article explores the purposes, methods, and future directions of social-skill training research from the perspective of a cognitive-social learning explanation of behavior change. Research findings are reviewed with respect to important or promising variables, their hypothesized function in behavior change, and their effects on children's…

The longitudinal study efforts at McMaster University's medical school are used to illustrate the problems that confront educators interested in studying the impact of a curriculum on the later professional activities of its graduates. (Author/MLW)

Cognitive processing and language awareness in relation to reading were studied. Language awareness involved understanding of phonological representation, ambiguities, and incongruities. Second and fourth graders were administered seven "simultaneous-successive" tasks. Results showed a much greater direct effect from language awareness…

This article evaluates five causal model of educational productivity applied to learning science in a sample of 882 fifth through eighth graders. Each model explores the relationship between achievement and a combination of eight constructs: home environment, peer group, media, ability, social environment, time on task, motivation, and…

This study of 26,279 high school sophomores attempted to correlate fixed and alterable conditions which influence student achievement in academic subjects. Major differences in achievement appear to be due to fixed characteristics of students and outside school experiences, not to the private-school superiority hypothesis. (Author/MT)

Administered eight spatial tests including tests of rule inference and of rule application to 420 individuals aged 20-75 years. As expected, performance on all eight tests was better in subjects with higher education. Decline in performance with increasing age was not universal. (JAC)

A synthesis of 15 empirical studies shows that homework consistently benefits elementary and secondary students' achievement and attitudes, especially if it is commented upon or graded. (MCG)

Effects of goal setting on motor skill performance were studied with 93 fifth graders who were asked to set their own performance goals, given high but attainable teacher-set goals, or given a general goal (do your best). Specific goals set by student or teacher produced higher levels of performance. (JHZ)

First- and fifth-grade children were presented a hypothetical case in which a child, who circumstantial evidence suggests might have committed a "crime," is punished by a parent. Subjects were asked to indicate whether or not they believed the punishment to be fair and the child guilty. (Author/RH)

Two experiments investigated young children's ability to use the spatial context in which objects are encountered to aid later recall of the objects themselves. Results indicated that, at least in meaningful situations, the ability to use the spatial context of items to facilitate item recall is present from a very early age. (Author/RH)