The author examines national differences in scholastic performance, as indicated by IEA Study test scores, between the developed and less-developed nations, and outlines hypotheses for the poorer performance of the less-developed nations. This article is the second of three in a symposium on the IEA Studies. (SJL)

Examined the effects on their test performance of junior high school students changing responses. Results indicated that changing answers neither increases the reliability nor decreases the standard error of measurement of the test. (Author/RC)

Before practice teaching, 174 student teachers completed four self-esteem/self-concept measures. Their cooperating teachers rated their student teaching performance. Subjects with low self-esteem experienced more psychosomatic symptoms, more emotional stress, more days of absence, and were rated lower on general teaching competence, staff…

Examines differences in course performance and attitude of college students identified by the Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control Scale as external and those identified as internal. An interaction was found between the type of reinforcement expected, type of pacing treatment, and course performance. References are included. (Author/BK)

A study of the effects of temperature and protective clothing upon task completion time, work quality, and student attitude toward learning revealed that students can be exposed to temperatures as low as 50 degrees Fahrenheit for up to forty minutes without adversely affecting their work quality. (LRA)

Addresses problems involved in developing and using performance tests, creating job-like testing situations, specifying measurable criteria, and controlling external factors to reduce problems of test reliability. Placing trainees in on-the-job training environments when training cannot be provided in the classroom or laboratory is recommended.…

Explains how clear communication of job performance expectations and evaluation can help employees improve productivity. (JM)

A combination of Eastern philosophy and cybernetics leads to a method of improving athletic skills (especially basketball) which is based on the theoretical basis of Maltz's philosophy of successful goal attainment. The method is relevant to the total educational process and to counselors. (SB)

When 64 college students were randomly assigned to one of four self-concept treatment conditions and given a paired-associate learning task, the mean task performances for the raised self-concept, therapeutically lowered self-concept, and control groups were equal to one another but superior to the performance of the counter-therapeutically…

A study to determine the effectiveness of the personalized system of instruction format used in the introductory economics course at Empire State College is reported. Also addressed are the ability of adult students in the personalized system to learn as much as students in conventional settings, and the explaining and predicting of adult…

This study examined the association between selected family characteristics and some gross motor traits of children diagnosed as either educable mentally retarded or minimally brain-injured. (MM)

In a study 12 normal children and 12 reading disabled (word recognition difficulties) children (mean age 9.2 years) were compared for reading and listening comprehension to test whether disabled readers, given an auditory presentation, would show comprehension of material comparable to that of normal readers given visual presentation. (PHR)

The Raven Coloured Progressive Matrices and a Piagetian battery were administered to a sample of hearing-impaired elementary school children under six different conditions. Results indicated that scores varied as a function of the degree and type of feedback or elaboration. (JKS)

Investigated were the problems of whether a sex difference in spatial visualization ability exists among early adolescent students (ages 11-13), and whether the spatial visualization ability of these boys (N=32) and girls (N=27) is differentially affected by instruction. (HM)

Describes a study of fifth and sixth graders that investigated the effects of cooperative training and ability grouping on microcomputer learning. Results on four measures of achievement did not support the use of cooperative learning or ability grouping to enhance achievement in computer-assisted instruction. (Author/LRW)