The relationship between anxiety and learning was examined within the context of drive theory and trait-state anxiety theory. Results indicated that trait anxiety had a causal influence on state anxiety and on test performance. The possibility of a reciprocal relationship between state anxiety and performance was suggested. (Author/BH)

Self-concept test scores among Inuit, Montagnais Indian and White seventh and eighth graders in four Labrador communities showed some differences in net conflict, self-satisfaction, self-criticism and identity. These may be due to several factors: reading ability, cultural differences, isolation, and other factors in Labrador culture. (MH)

Six experiments investigated the informational value of praise and criticism. Praise after success and neutral feedback after failure led to perceptions that an acting person's ability was viewed as low. Neutral feedback after success and criticism after failure led to perceptions that an acting person's ability was viewed as high. (Author/RD)

This study investigated pre-test scores and number of items correctly answered on a programed lesson as predictors of post-test scores. Students studied either an expository lesson, a programed lesson with minimal instructional support, or a programed lesson with maximal instructional support. Results did not support an aptitude-treatment…

Discusses five factors that may influence the reading readiness of mainstreamed children: visual and auditory capabilities, motor development, spatial concepts, vocabulary development, and social and emotional status. Offers suggestions for use in facilitating a mainstreamed child's reading development. (FL)

Reported is the production of an instructional methodology harmonizing with Piagetian theory and enabling teenage students, including those initially mismatched to the task, to understand the mole, as revealed by their performances on a test of basic skills considered fundamental to that concept. (DS)

The potentially gifted (those who could achieve excellence under the right conditions) as well as those who are conspicuously talented need support. Three traits to look for in gifted students are: above average general ability, task commitment, and creativity. (CJ)

Criticism has been made of continuing to increase expenditures of funds to assist the economically disadvantaged and the handicapped. Past decades have seen discrimination against "gifted" children due to a fear of creating an "elite." Recent federal funding has begun to create special programs for gifted children. (JN)

Thirteen predictors of self-reported high school leadership were investigated using data from the Project TALENT sample of high school seniors. The high school leader was characterized as mature, interested in business management, self-confident, socially sensitive, vigorous, and having high socioeconomic status. Cognitive variables were not…

Results indicated the degree to which the cognitive performance of classes and individuals was influenced by the combination of student ability and anxiety aptitudes, and teacher structuring and demand for student participation. Four aptitude-treatment interactions were found; these were consistent with prior research. (Author/CP)

Topics concerning latent trait theory are addressed: (1) dimensionality of latent space, local independence, and item characteristic curves; (2) models--equations, parameter estimation, testing assumptions, and goodness of fit, (3) applications test developments, item bias, tailored testing and equating; and (4) advantages over classical…

Sections of the Comprehensive Ability Battery, the High School Personality Questionnaire, and the School Motivation Analysis Test were administered to a sample of tenth grade students. Correlations of these measures with end of year grades and among each other are presented. (JKS)

The accuracy of estimation of the subjects' latent ability maintained by tailoring for each testee the order of item presentation and the border of item dichotomization was compared to the information provided by the original graded test items. (RC)

Discusses a computer-assisted instruction study that examined the impact of group composition on student achievement, time on task, and group interactions when completing integrated learning system (ILS) math activities in cooperative pairs. The study paired elementary school students homogeneously or heterogeneously based on ability. (Author/LRW)

A study of 55 Anglo-American middle school teachers investigated their recommendations for student inclusion in gifted programs. Results found the teachers did not nominate any students with limited English proficiency, emphasized the verbal skills of students, and tended to select members of their own culture. (CR)