Structure and meaning of efficacy were examined for 182 prospective teachers, and efficacy was related to beliefs about control and motivation. Results support competing formulations of efficacy as teacher efficacy and personal efficacy. Interaction of these factors makes important contributions to prediction of pupil control ideology and…

The effectiveness of an abridged group assessment procedure in predicting initial teaching success, where success was measured largely through practice teaching evaluations, was tested with a sample of 247 female graduates of a teacher training college in Israel. Results justify use of the assessment in the college admission process. (SLD)

A stepwise multiple regression analysis of final course grades of 184 psychology students revealed that scores on a self-assessment of memory ability were the best predictors of final course grades, followed by locus of control, and scores on the Self-Concept of Academic Ability Test. (SLD)

The Carolina Longitudinal Learning Disabilities Project identified 42 first- and second-grade students with learning disabilities (LD) and compared their development over 5 years with that of randomly selected peers. Different variables were predictive for the two groups. Teacher perceptions of intelligence, measured intelligence quotient, grade…

Studied whether individual differences in print exposure and exposure to other media can account for individual differences in acquired declarative knowledge, controlling for confounds between experience and ability. Results with 268 undergraduates (90 males and 178 females) suggest that exposure is a significant contributor to knowledge…

Investigates home ownership differences among 12 racial and ethnic groups using the Public Use Sample data of the 1980 Census. Majority group members have the greatest probability of home ownership. Results support an assimilation perspective on home ownership. (SLD)

Used longitudinal data from a sample of African-American children of teenaged mothers in the Baltimore, Maryland, area to examine determinants of functional literacy in adulthood. Found that preschool cognitive and behavioral functioning predicted literacy in young adulthood. Family environmental factors that predicted literacy in young adulthood…

Describes a study conducted at the University of Western Sydney (Australia) that investigated primary student teachers' use of computers with children in schools and factors that contributed to that use. Home use and supervising teachers' use of computers are cited as significant factors, and implications for course design are suggested. (13…

Predictive links between social difficulties in early childhood and problems in middle childhood were examined. Peer, teacher, and self-assessments of behaviors and difficulties were obtained. Early peer rejection and aggression predicted later externalizing difficulties. Early poor peer acceptance, social isolation, and social incompetence…

Children with specific language impairments (eight learning Italian, eight learning English as a first language) were studied for grammatical deficits. Italian-speakers used noun inflections, verb inflections, copula forms more than English-speaking counterparts, matched by utterance length. Articles were used similarly. Results were consistent…

A study at a small liberal arts college found grades earned in a required, interdisciplinary freshman year seminar (FYS) were better predictors of academic achievement and persistence than high school rank, Scholastic Assessment Test scores. FYS grades were found a useful substitute for cognitive and noncognitive variables that correlate with…

Investigates group differences in the relationship between stress-coping variables and substance use with urban middle school students. African-American adolescents had the lowest rate of substance use, Hispanics were intermediate, and Whites had the highest rate. The strength of predictive relationships for stress-coping variables was lower for…

Examines the correlates of substance abuse among New Jersey middle school students by employing an epidemiological perspective in which an individual's risk of using cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs is predicted to increase in relation to the amount of vulnerability and/or risk an individual faces. (Author/MKA)

A study of 76 college students with learning disabilities (LD) participating in a liberal arts college LD program found that students with more inclusive, less structured supported programs within the secondary school settings were more successful in graduating from college. Although neither performance nor full-scale IQ interacted with these…

Examined the context of class activities and teacher/child interaction in 10 preschool centers in Bahrain. Found that children at educationally-oriented centers played more at cognitively challenging tasks and engaged in more dialog with others than counterparts at care-oriented centers. In general, children were more likely to engage in…