Discusses two facets of the disparity between the way children learn and the way they are tested: the necessity of practice and the importance of prior knowledge. (FL)

Results question the validity of Cummins's threshold hypothesis and suggest that degree of bilingualism is related to variability in cognitive measures only before a certain threshold of proficiency in the second language is attained. A cause-effect model in which degree of bilingualism appears as the causal factor affecting children's cognitive…

Examines the stratifying processes of grouping and tracking in the primary grades among high- and low-ability reading groups and presents a framework for comparing students' experiences in the reading groups. (HOD)

Studies the development of word-retrieval speed and its relationship to reading in 72 average and 11 severely impaired readers in kindergarten through the second grade. (HOD)

A study examined the reading apprehension, writing performance, and perceived job reading requirements of 91 students enrolled in an upper-division business writing course. Results indicated that students with higher course grades showed lower levels of reading apprehension and anticipated higher reading requirements in future jobs. (SRT)

Sex differences in performance on the Australian Scholastic Aptitude Test (ASAT) were investigated. No significant direct effect of sex on performance was found. Sex differences were found to be the result of females having a higher verbal ability, males studying more mathematics, and males having greater confidence in ASAT success. (LMO)

Describes a study which sought to determine whether differences existed between girls and boys in terms of their concept structure interrelatedness competence (ConSIC) in the areas of physical science, life science, earth sciences, between sciences, within sciences and across all sciences by measuring ConSIC. (ML)

For primary and secondary schools, the evidence concerning the effects of streaming (grouping by overall ability) and mixed-ability grouping is inconclusive. Many have concluded that there is no difference between the two systems in their effect on academic progress, social adjustment, attitudes toward school, or friendship patterns. (RM)

Reports an experimental investigation of the influence of linguistic factors on linguistic performance. The factors studied were interpretive complexity and surface length. Results show an interaction between types of linguistic complexity and type of linguistic performance. (Author/SED)

Low IQ should not be deemed as an index of poor learning ability. Information about middle school children's learning efficiency as measured by the Learning Efficiency Test Battery was found to be more useful for predicting reading ability than conventional types of assessment. (Author/RM)

Describes development of a causal model to test effects of scholastic ability, computing attitudes, and computing background of university undergraduates on use of a computer-assisted instructional system, PLATO-LDEC; on attitudes toward PLATO-LDEC; on computing attitudes after students' PLATO-LDEC experience; and on course grade. (Author/MBR)

Reports on two experiments that explore the comprehension difficulties of children with normal word recognition ability. Concludes that skilled readers engage in more constructive processing and that comprehension difficulties are not the result of a defective working memory. (SRT)

The initial effort in applying the SAT-M to young Chinese students revealed that many of them reason extraordinarily well mathematically before age 13 and before having covered the bulk of the high-school mathematics curriculum. The conclusion seems to be that they must have keen analytical ability. (MLW)

Reports on a program for the improvement of reading skills of children whose scores were below the 50th percentile on the reading subtest of the Stanford Achievement Test. Concludes that, in general, the program helped poor readers improve their reading skills. (SRT)

Chinese, Japanese, and American children at grades 1 and 5 were given a battery of 10 cognitive tasks and tests of achievement in reading and mathematics. Goals were to determine (1) possible differences in cognitive abilities and (2) the possible differential relation of scores on cognitive tasks to reading by children of the three cultures.…