Four statistical methods for identifying biased test items were used with data from two ethnic groups (1,691 black and 1,794 white high school seniors). The data were responses to 150 items in five subtests including two traditional tests (reading and mathematics) and three nontraditional tests (picture number test of associative memory, letter…

In order to develop a scientific theory of curriculum, a method for measuring the curriculum-related planning activity of teachers is proposed. This choice of focus is based on the assumption that a logical connection can be made between the level of teacher planning, the quality of the resulting actions, and the corresponding goal attainment by…

This paper reports a pilot study of ecological variables in a kindergarten play area. Behaviors in ten complex categories were recorded for all children present in the area. The level of experimental control was similar to the level of control that the teacher would have in the manipulation of the normal classroom environment. Subjects were 20…

This technical report is in three parts. Part I is a conceptual treatment of communication in which the human being is viewed as a goal-attainment system. The goal-attainment problem is defined as a discrepancy between the current state of the system and a specified goal state. Several forms of the communicative relationship are outlined. Part II…

A series of studies was performed to explore the possibility of substituting listening for reading requirements, with special reference to marginally literate Category IV personnel. Time-compressed speech was evaluated as a means of producing listening rates comparable to silent reading rates. The results indicated that, for both average and low…

The effectiveness of the Delphi Technique is evaluated in terms of immediate and delayed controlled information feedback (feedback within 5 seconds as compared with a 24-hour delay); and the relationships that exist among measures of integrative complexity, estimations about the time of occurrence of future events, and time delay between task…

Creative products submitted in response to a contest were examined to discover whether creativity was related to the sex and socioeconomic status of the respondent and whether characteristics of the objects could be specified which would predict their level of rated creativity. No sex difference was found, but socioeconomic status was…

The study investigated which addition facts children and preservice teachers view as being difficult, whether it is possible to determine facts which are difficult for all children, and whether children and adults agree on which facts are difficult. Results indicated that children and adults disagree about the difficulty of facts. (PK)

Assessed the level of cognitive demand inherent in the manner in which students were held accountable for activities and tasks in seventh grade life science classes. Notes that most tasks placed minimal cognitive demand on students, as they involved copying or simple step-by-step procedures. (SKC)

Proposes that the study of basilectal and acrolectal Singapore English can contribute to a better understanding of second language acquisition and use, emphasizing the operation of the monitor and specifications of the hierarchy of difficulty in the acquisition of syntactic structures. (Author/CB)

To estimate reading difficulty of items on a sentence repetition task, a study had 50 adult English as a second language (ESL) students repeat each of 26 sentences immediately after two presentations. High-difficulty items were derivationally more complex than low-difficulty items, and the most difficult items involved the processing of…

Reports an experimental investigation of the influence of linguistic factors on linguistic performance. The factors studied were interpretive complexity and surface length. Results show an interaction between types of linguistic complexity and type of linguistic performance. (Author/SED)

Reviews earlier studies of the effect of student background knowledge on reading comprehension and then reports on a third investigation into the same effect. Concludes that the test results obtained in the study can be accounted for in terms of an interaction between background knowledge and linguistic proficiency. (Author/SED)

This study sought to identify the academic, personal, and social expectations of incoming college freshmen and examine the effects of orientation programming on modifying unrealistic expectations held by some students. A total of 201 paid-deposit incoming freshmen at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, completed a 30-item survey questionnaire mailed…

This report examines the need for and status of remedial education at colleges in the 15 member states of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). It notes that too many (one of every three) entering college students currently take at least one remedial course and suggests that this number could be reduced if high school students planning to…