Literature review suggests structural characteristics which prevent counselors from performing optimally in a parochial school setting. Counselors ranked 20 obstacles, indicating that lack of clerical help, high student-counselor ratio, and insufficient time for professional improvement were most serious. (CJ)

Three convergent studies investigated the hypothesis that task-irrelevant status attributes of peers influence judgment of deservingness more for younger than for older children. Race of participants, relative size, task performance, grade level, and retention in grade were variables explored. (Author/RH)

Results from achievement and ability testing of about 150 Swedish urban children in third, fifth, and sixth grades were analyzed according to the children's physical maturity and social background. Social background played the main role in performance on the achievement and most of the mental ability tests. (MP)

Compared laboratory and naturalistic content influences on formal reasoning tasks of 90 13-, 15-, and 17-year-olds, focusing on tasks requiring ability to control variables. Results indicate that 8 to 20 percent of performance variance was associated with task content. Content effects were also shown to reflect expectations about task variables.…

Contrasted high-functioning and low-functioning persons in small groups using two studies based on Carkhuff's and Maslow's models of effective functioning. Results revealed high-functioning persons perceived interpersonal effectiveness as a Gestalt; low-functioning persons perceived interpersonal dimension operating independently. (JAC)

Researchers studied the effect of interpolating extraneous information on students' ability to process cognitive information concerning their prior performances on the McCloy block test. The extraneous information was given in the interval between their last test and their next attempt to perform it. Results are discussed. (Author/PP)

Experiments with fifth grade, tenth grade, and college students showed that, while students believe that teachers and they themselves appreciate effort more than ability, they actually would rather be perceived as having ability than as exerting effort. Fifth graders reacted more favorably to effort exertion than did the older groups. (Author/GC)

The variance in earned credit rates in an urban community college system was examined. An ANOVA design was employed to estimate the effects of four variables: college, department, course, and teacher. The results of the analysis indicate significant effects on earned credit rates due to college, department, and teacher. (Author/MLW)

Investigated whether students perceive science classroom environment in significantly different ways depending on their science teacher's sex. Reported differences (such as perceiving classes taught by males as more difficult), and possible relationships between these differences and changes in girl's preference for science are discussed.…

This review compares and contrasts eight instructional models presenting holistic conceptions of student learning in classroom settings. Major constructs posited by different theorists are cross-tabulated and related to factors of the model of educational productivity. (Author/PN)

Apparently positive behaviors, such as praise, help-giving and pity, may indicate low estimation of ability to the student, and blame, relative neglect, and anger may be perceived by the recipient as high estimations of ability. These behaviors influence recipient self-perception and determine expectations, affective reactions and performance.…

Introduces Heinz Kohut's psychology of the self and its counseling implications and reports on the development of 10 eight-point rating scales of counseling outcome that are derived for his theory. Reports data on interrater reliability and agreement for the 10 scales. (Author)