A sample of 524 Israeli school children in grades 4 through 8 was used to investigate the relationships of game-playing with school achievement, family background, and several psychological characteristics. Game playing was found not to be directly related to school achievement when abilities and attitudes were controlled. However, the playing of…

This paper applies cost-effectiveness analytic techniques to decisions on teacher recruitment and retention. The data are derived from the U.S. Office of Education's Survey of Equal Opportunity for the school year 1965-66. Evidence relating teacher characteristics to student achievement is combined with data on the costs of obtaining teachers with…

This study attempted to determine the extent to which phonemic-graphemic correspondence problems adversely affect reading comprehension among black children who are nonstandard speakers of English. An instrument requiring both silent and oral reading was devised by the investigator to test the effects of phonemic-graphemic correspondence problems…

GRADES OR AGES: Grades K-6. SUBJECT MATTER: Science; the earth. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide is in three main parts: 1) atmosphere; 2) lithosphere; and 3) hydrosphere. Each section is subdivided into initiatory activities, developmental activities, evaluations, vocabulary, children's books, and films. The guide is mimeographed…

The purpose of the study was to develop and try out two forms of a short (40-50 item) diagnostic test in five skill areas (Library Use; Dictionary Use; Use of References; Reading Graphs and Tables; Reading Maps) for use in Grades 4, 5, and 6, and designated as research study skills. A related problem was the development of five short (31-44 item)…

This study attempts to determine the relative ranking value of information gathering devices that could be substituted for tests of mental maturity. Results indicate that the three best devices are: a standardized test of academic achievement, a test of personality, and a self-concept inventory, all of which are easily administered, scored, and…

The effects of competitive treatments on performance, interest, and retention were examined with the use of a ten-day vocabulary task administered to 2,256 sixth graders. The four major objectives of this experiment were: (1) to examine educational competition within a learning, as opposed to a testing, situation; (2) to examine competition using…

Mechanical aptitude is considered to be a composite of several abilities--general intelligence, spatial, mechanical knowledge and comprehension, and relevant manual dexterity and coordination. Abilities are conceived as if organized in a hierarchical model and are assumed to develop as overlearned and generalized response patterns to particular…

This paper describes test development efforts for measuring achievement of selected concepts in social studies. It includes descriptive item and test statistics for the tests developed. Twelve items were developed for each of 30 concepts. Subject specialists categorized the concepts into three major areas: Geographic Region, Man and Society, and…

Test development efforts for constructing 12 items to measure achievement of each of 30 selected language arts concepts are described. Item and total score statistics for data collected on 186 boys and 259 girls who had just begun the sixth grade are presented and discussed. (Author)

Describes a study of content area textbook use, in which three teachers' explanations of their use of textbooks differed from those derived from observations, and that this ambiguity may serve to confuse students. (HTH)

Considers the instructional potential of computer adventure games to develop text-processing skills. Design improvements to increase metacognitive skills are discussed, a prototype adventure game utilizing intact prose is described, and a study using the game with sixth-grade readers of varying ability is reported. (LRW)

Claims that teachers sometimes need to set up and direct purposeful writing situations to make sure that children gain experience in different kinds of writing. Discusses how teachers can help students tackle a challenging writing task, and describes strategies which students use to deal with a difficult writing assignment. (MM)

When second, fourth, and sixth grade students were asked "What's this?" questions (differing in intonation and stress) and guessed whether there were new or different objects pictured on cards, results indicated that use of intonation was recognized as a marker for topic collaboration by grade four. (Author/CB)

Provides four learning activities for upper elementary grade level students. The activities are designed to help students learn about the history of South Africa, learn the meaning of apartheid, understand how apartheid would affect their lives, and practice citizenship participation skills by writing either a government official or a U.S. company…