Presents the story of a research team's efforts to conduct a multisite case study of 10 racially mixed schools engaged in trying to reduce ability grouping or tracking. When case boundaries are coconstructed with the help of respondents they become a finding of interest as well as a methodological approach. (SLD)

Developmental changes and individual differences in children's conceptions of transgression were studied in 46 children from preschool through 1st grade. Differences in response to moral transgressions in kindergarten were related to mothers' control management and to siblings' friendly behavior in the preschool period, early understanding of…

Describes a Canadian study attempting to relate the motivating power of interest to children's writing performance by supplementing background knowledge with topic relevant information. Reports that children with tutorial support on high interest subjects performed no better than others. Concludes that the motivational power of interesting topics…

In their efforts to help preschool and primary grade children understand the passage of time, teachers can relate time to physical objects or events that are meaningful to the students. Innovative ways for students to develop and use calendars are described. (BB)

Describes a study of junior college students that examined the interrelationship of structural cueing and graphic organizers, two prose processing adjuncts intended to convey the presence and nature of structure in text to learners with high, middle, and low level reading skills. Treatment of the experimental and control groups is explained, and…

The existing methods for graphically illustrating projection and coordinate systems for manual and computer-aided drafting and design are examined. Inconsistencies in methods used to graphically depict first and third angle projection in texts and the lack of attention in the relationship of projection to coordinate systems are noted. (KR)

An algorithm is described for generating smooth curves of first-order continuity. The algorithm is composed of several cubic Bezier curves joined together at the user defined control points. Introduced is a tension control parameter which can be set thus providing additional flexibility in the design of free-form curves. (KR)

The focus of this article is on how computer graphics can be integrated throughout the engineering graphics curriculum to increase visual perceptual skills. Visual perception is defined, the need to develop it is described, and methods which engineering graphics educators can use to develop it are outlined. (KR)

Explored the notion that children's difficulty in reading is a sign of a general inability to selectively attend to parts of perceptual wholes. Children and adults classified triads of spoken syllables and visual objects. Classification of speech was related to reading and spelling ability, but not to classification of visual stimuli. (BC)

Associations between community environment and cognitive ability were studied in 167 adoptive and 175 nonadoptive Colorado families. Seven families were omitted. A proposed model, tested by census measures, finds several aspects of communities showing environmental relationships with child IQ over parental influences. Rural communities have a…

Contributions of motor skill and cognition to sport performance change across age, expertise, and sports. Knowledge and decision making should not limit the development of expertise. Specific strategies for teachers may help students develop expertise. The paper discusses the contribution of knowledge and skill to expertise and its development.…

A questionnaire concerning weighted grades in high school honors classes was sent to state directors of gifted education. Findings indicated that 86% of respondents reported their states allowed high schools to use weighted grades. Other findings addressed charges of elitism, public support, and identification of non-European-American children.…

Investigates the types and depths of cognitive complexity that 11th-grade readers of high, average, and low reading ability exhibited when given either text-based comprehension questions or reader-based journal response writing assignments. Finds significant differences between the groups in type and depth of cognitive complexity, engagement with…

Argues there is reason for more optimism concerning the effects of reading to preschoolers than suggested by the Scarborough and Dobrich review in this issue (PS522390). Discusses methodological problems in many studies; cites studies indicating direct and indirect links between reading to preschoolers and reading achievement, suggesting that…

Comments on Scarborough and Dobrich review in this issue (PS522390), which found that parents' shared book reading with preschoolers accounts for only 8% of the variance on literacy outcome measures. Addresses the following three points: (1) the merits of further attention to shared book reading; (2) improvements in methodology; and (3) the…