High and low academic achievers from each of two grades, fourth and seventh, were assigned to one of two experimental conditions. Some were told they were going to take a test. Others were told they would play a game. Findings suggest that game task-definition does not always enhance performance. (Author/BEF)

The scores of 60 first graders on the Concepts about Print Test (Sand) indicated that above-average readers were superior to below-average readers in print-direction concepts, letter-word concepts, and advanced concepts about print. (Author/MKM)

Findings of a study of children's reading errors indicate that proficient readers concentrate on sense and grammatical flow rather than on graphic and phonemic aspects of print. The findings suggest that low ability readers should be helped to fixate less on the physical aspects of print and more on meaning and grammatical flow. (AEA)

Investigated group interaction and mathematical errors of 11th-grade students working individually and in four-person heterogeneous ability groups. Averaging over all types of errors, high-ability students did best in individual conditioning, low-ability students did best in group conditioning, and medium-ability students did equally well in both.…

The cognitive patterns of 58 "retarded" and 38 below-average readers were compared with controls, according to Luria's simultaneous and successive modes of information processing. Factor Analysis showed different cognitive patterns for disabled and nondisabled readers. Reading skills, rather than cognitive ability, were shown to be…

Participants showed low drop-out rates and high levels of expressed satisfaction; were likelier to engage in extracurricular health-related activities; studied and trained more; explored more before making an employment choice; and showed higher levels of job satisfaction, higher earnings, and less turnover. (Author)

A comparison of reading subtests of the Wide Range Achievement Test, Peabody Individual Achievement Test, and Slosson Oral Reading Test showed a high correlation between the WRAT and PIAT. Suggests the WRAT and PIAT measure the same dimension of reading achievement, possibly verbal fluency. (Author/JAC)

Thirteen New York City third graders and 72 sixth graders completed a state reading test and the Learning Style Inventory (LSI) by Dunn, Dunn, and Price. Eleven LSI variables accounted for significant differences between high and low achievers in reading. Variables include preferred learning environment, learning modalities, and personality…

The ability of elementary children to read texts distorted to reduce sound, shape, or orthographic cues was observed. Good readers (reading age of over seven years) found distorted orthographic cues more difficult than reduced sound or shape cues. Poorer readers were not differentially affected by the three types of distortions. (Author/SJL)

Data on teacher expectation research have revealed that some teachers treat high- and low-achieving students differently and that teachers' expectations appear to be associated with student achievement. (Author)

From a review of studies of the relationship between cultural experience and language development, it is evident that ways must be found to aid children from impoverished backgrounds to use their basic intelligence to operate in the verbally oriented tasks demanded in the academic domain. (Author/EB)

The opportunity to read orally to a reinforcing audience (the psychologist) successfully increased the rate of completion of other academic tasks, over a four-week period, by a learning disabled student. The checklist used to record task completion was a simple, inexpensive, and quick technique. (CP)

Capsule summaries of eight projects reveal clues to key findings in educational research. (MB)

Suggests that "branding" students "at risk" draws attention away from political, educational, and institutional failures. Describes how a student's at risk status can be reinforced through inadequate literacy instruction. Discusses how a high school teacher reduces the debilitating effects of at risk labeling and curriculum building by creating a…

Describes three years of research in intensive long-term writing intervention with adolescents with learning disabilities (LD) and low achievement. Successful intervention was attributed to the genre-specific strategies used, the focused and intensive nature of the writing instruction, and the use of interactive dialogs in conferences between…