Findings of a study of the attitudes, values, educational achievements, and life goals of U.S. college freshmen are summarized. The study report, "The American Freshman: Twenty Year Trends, 1966-1985," is based on the Cooperative Institutional Research Program's annual surveys of college freshmen. Major findings from the study point to…

This report summarizes the results of research designed to study the psychometric and technological feasibility of adaptive testing to assess spatial ability. Data was collected from high school students on two types of spatial items: three-dimensional cubes and hidden figure items. The analysis of the three-dimensional cubes focused on the fit of…

Tracking--the system of grouping students for instruction on the basis of ability--reflects the class and racial inequalities of American society and helps to perpetuate them. In the junior and senior high schools studied, there were clear differences between upper and lower tracks in: (1) content and quality of instruction, (2) teacher-student…

To understand the goals and methods of writing instruction in Samoa and Tonga, a study involved (1) a survey of the literature on communication in those countries, (2) an interview of 40 Brigham Young University-Hawaii Campus students from those two island nations, (3) travel to Samoa and Tonga to interview teachers, (4) a survey of instructional…

This critical analysis examines the claim that learning within the student's zone of proximal development is enhanced by "making connections to what the learner already knows." It is argued that Rogoff's and Gardner's use of Vygotsky's theory to explain learning in school-like tasks places primary emphasis on how the adult should connect…

The relative effectiveness of verbal and visual augmentation of rate-modified speech in the presentation of technical material was investigated. Subjects were 40 graduate students who used instructional materials consisting of normal and compressed audiotape versions of the Dwyer heart script, printed copies of the script, and black and white…

In order to gain a better understanding of metaphor comprehension in different cultural contexts, this study compared the performances of two groups of children from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds but with common schooling experiences on two tests of metaphor: the Metaphor Triads Task (MTT) and the Proverbs Test. The Ravens Colored…

Two recent studies imply that there is a negative selection process at work which systematically attracts and then holds in the teaching profession young people with modest verbal and quantitative abilities. The Vance & Schlecty study compared "recruits"--those who had: (1) majored in education; (2) taught school; or (3) obtained a certificate to…

In this study, simulated and actual Air Force test data were used to compare the different procedures for equating mental tests: conventional (equipercentile and linear), Item Response Theory (IRT), and strong true-score theory (STST); data collection designs used were single-group, equivalent-groups, and anchor test. Equating transformations were…

Interactive videodisc computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on land navigation tasks for M1 Abrams tank commander was developed and installed in a Basic Noncommissioned Officer's Course (BNOC) classroom at Fort Knox, Kentucky. A two-sided videodisc was developed to support the CAI courseware, which was developed on Hazeltine Corporation's…

To determine whether children's knowledge of arithmetic facts becomes increasingly "automatic" with age, 7-year-olds, 11-year-olds, and adults were given a number-matching task for which mental arithmetic should have been irrelevant. Specifically, students were required to verify the presence of a probe number in a previously presented pair (e.g.,…

A multidimensional program of student assessment that has been used for over 7 years at Ohio University is described. Between 200 and 250 freshman actually participate each year. Various forms of value-added testing, measures of social and academic integration, and alumni outcomes measures are used. The program is unique in that general education…

In order to determine what is known about the relationships between father absence, socioeconomic status, race, and children's cognitive performance, a systematic analysis of related literature was undertaken. This study used the quantitative integrative review methodology of meta-analysis, involving transforming the findings of each study to a…

The Teacher Cadet Program (TCP) provides a course of study to encourage academically-able high school students to consider teaching as a career. Reported is an evaluation of the program's effectiveness based on data collected from a survey of college freshmen who were high school cadets, interviews with a sample of the surveyed college freshmen,…

This bibliography provides a recommended list of research and theoretical literature in the field of secondary education. It contains approximately 350 references which are organized into three main topics: (1) references for general interest; (2) references for reform strategies designed to promote academic achievement; and (3) literature…