bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Homocysteinemia, hypertension, and family history of diabetes in a smoking male population in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Al-Daghri Nasser , Al-Attas Omar
Published: March 2008

Arabs have a lower incidence of atherosclerosis than other ethnicities, but few studies have examined homocysteine (HCYS) as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in this population. Here, we investigated the association between serum HYCS levels and risk factors for cardiovascular disease (smoking, hypertension, and family history of diabetes) in Saudi males. A total of 50 smokers and 72 nonsmokers completed a general health questionnaire. In addition, their lipid profiles were measured using routine methods and HCYS levels by high-performance liquid chromatograph with electrochemical detection. Regression analysis showed negative associations between HCYS and glucose (r = −0.22; P < 0.05) as well as family history of diabetes (r = −0.21; P < 0.05). HCYS levels were similar between hypertensive and nonhypertensive smokers, but they were significantly elevated in hypertensive nonsmokers (P = 0.027) and lower in smokers with family history of diabetes (P = 0.01). Levels of HCYS among nonsmokers inversely correlated with history of diabetes and elevated glucose. Nonsmokers’ HCYS levels were significantly elevated in the presence of hypertension and correlated with diastolic blood pressure. Thus, HCYS may be a predictor of hypertension among nonsmokers. Until further trials are conducted, we recommend vitamin B6/folic acid supplementation for the Saudi hypertensive population as an adjuvant therapy.
Reproducibility and Minimal Detectable Change of Three-Dimensional Kinematic Analysis of Reaching Tasks in People With Hemiparesis After Stroke
Authors: Wagner Joanne M , Rhodes Jennifer A , Patten Carolynn
Published: March 2008

Background and Purpose

Three-dimensional kinematic analysis of reaching has emerged as an evaluative measure of upper-extremity motor performance in people after stroke. However, the psychometric properties supporting the use of kinematic data for evaluating longitudinal change in motor performance have not been established. The objective of this study was to determine, in a test-retest reliability manner, the reproducibility and minimal detectable change for reaching kinematics in people after stroke.

Subjects and Methods

Fourteen participants with hemiparesis after stroke performed forward reaching tasks on 2 occasions 37.3 (SD=9.8) days apart. At each session, participants performed 4 forward reaching tasks produced by the combination of 2 target heights (low and high [109 and 153 cm from the floor, respectively]) and 2 instructed movement speeds (self-selected and as fast as possible). Two analytical methods were used to calculate kinematic parameters.

Results

Relative reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient) ranged from .04 to .99, and absolute reliability (standard error of measurement) ranged from 2.7% to 76.8%, depending on the kinematic variable, the demands of the motor task (target height and movement speed), and the analytical method. Bland-Altman analysis, a statistical method used to assess the repeatability of a method, revealed few systematic errors between sessions. The minimal detectable change ranged from 7.4% to 98.9%.

Discussion and Conclusion

Depending on the demands of the motor task and the analytical method, most kinematic outcome measures (such as peak hand velocity, endpoint error, reach extent, maximum shoulder flexion range of motion, and minimum elbow extension range of motion) are reliable measures of motor performance in people after stroke. However, because of the magnitude of within-subject measurement error, some variables (such as peak hand velocity, time to peak hand velocity, and movement time) must change considerably (>50%) to indicate a real change in individual participants. The results of our reliability analysis, which are based on our cohort of participants with hemiparesis after stroke and our specific paradigm, may not be generalizable to different subpopulations of people with hemiparesis after stroke or to the myriad movement tasks and kinematic variables used for the assessment of reaching performance in people after stroke.
An Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Pupil Responding and Teacher Reacting on Pupil Achievement
Authors: Hughes David C.
Published: March 2008

Three 40 minute science lessons, which had been carefully planned to minimize extraneous teacher behavior, were taken by the writer with Form II (Grade 7) classes. During the lessons pupil responding and teacher reacting variables were experimentally manipulated. A posttest of achievement was administered following the lessons and predicted posttest scores were calculated from the regression of a number of pretest measures (e.g., verbal ability, prior knowledge, attitudes) on this posttest. Residual achievement scores, calculated by subtracting predicted from obtained posttest scores, were used in analyses of variance to determine treatment effects. Results indicated that pupil participation, in the form of overt pupil responses to teacher questions, was a weak variable having little effect on pupil achievement. However, regular positive teacher reactions to pupil responses facilitated pupil achievement significantly more than minimal teacher reactions.
Components of Accurate Problem-Solving Communications
Authors: Baldwin Thelma L. , Garvey Catherine J.
Published: March 2008

A type of problem-solving communication is defined in which, it is hypothesized, communication accuracy may be facilitated by specified communication behaviors. Forty-three pairs of fifth grade children were observed performing three representative problem-solving tasks. Although the specific content of the three tasks differed, accuracy scores were significantly correlated. Three components of problem-solving communication were assessed: (1) orientation to other’s point of view, (2) communication of essential information and (3) verification of solutions. These components were used to account for communication accuracy and to reexamine previously reported relationships between children’s social characteristics and communication accuracy.
A New Explanation for Students’ Course Evaluation Tendencies
Authors: Granzin Kent L. , Painter John J.
Published: March 2008

This study of the student course evaluation process discovered significant correlations between course ratings and variables representing commitment and course-end attitudes toward the course. It found relationships of lesser significance for attitude change measures, while demographics provided generally nonsignificant correlations. Stepwise regression equations developed for their power to predict course ratings relied most heavily on course-end attitude variables. Factor analysis of the variable set revealed 6 factors underlying the course evaluation structure studied, and this analysis guided formulation of new regression equations having reduced predictive power but greater independence among included predictor variables. Conclusions focused on the study’s contributions to understanding the course evaluation process and suggested steps an instructor might take to improve his ratings.
The Plight of the Woman Doctoral Student
Authors: Holmstrom Engin Inel , Holmstrom Robert W.
Published: March 2008

Utilizing data from the 1969 ACE-Carnegie higher education survey, the present study investigated factors underlying discrimination against woman doctoral students. Stepwise multiple regression analyses were used to identify factors related to reports of experiencing emotional strain and doubts about completion of graduate work. Analyses revealed that faculty attitudes and behaviors toward woman doctoral students contributed significantly to their emotional stresses and self-doubts. Interaction with faculty, while related to general satisfaction with graduate school for both men and women doctoral students, revealed a bias in favor of men. Recommendations to remedy sex discrimination in doctoral programs are briefly presented.
Student Ratings as Criteria for Effective Teaching
Authors: Doyle Kenneth O. , Whitely Susan E.
Published: March 2008

Considerable concern has been generated in many quarters about the use of student ratings as criteria for effective teaching. In the present study, a rating instrument was administered to students in a multi-section beginning language course. “Across-” and “between-sections” data were studied for generalizability and validity. The results indicated that student ratings overlap with one of the principal criteria of teaching effectiveness, namely, class-room achievement, yet possess a unique component. Ramifications of the “across” and “between” distinction were explored.
Teachers’ Sensitivity to the Reliability of Information in Making Pedagogical Decisions
Authors: Shavelson Richard J. , Cadwell Joel , Izu Tonia
Published: March 2008

Models of teaching as a decision-making process have questioned whether teachers make judgments about student performance following Bayes’ theorem or simpler heuristic rules that may lead to systematic errors. Although research suggests that people are not Bayesian, Winkler argues that professional decisions may be Bayesian. To determine whether teachers’ estimates of student performance are consistent with Bayes’ rule, 164 subjects (teachers and non-teachers) were randomly assigned to one of 16 cells (24 design). Sixteen different stories about a fictitious student were constructed and presented to the subjects. These stories varied in terms of the reliability and valence of the information they contained. Subjects read the first section of the story and were asked to make initial estimates of the student’s future academic performance and preinstructional and interactive decisions. They then read the second section and were requested to revise their estimates and decisions based on the additional information. A comparison of the data with a path model representing Bayes’ rule showed that subjects’ estimates and preinstructional decisions roughly followed Bayes’ rule, while subjects may have found information about general ability less relevant to interactive instructional decisions.
A Typology of Junior High and High School Classrooms
Authors: Moos Rudolf H.
Published: March 2008

Cluster analysis of nine dimensions of the social environments of 200 junior high and high school classrooms yielded five distinctive groups of classes: control oriented, innovation oriented, affiliation oriented, task oriented and competition oriented. The last three types were composed of structured and unstructured subtypes, and the competition oriented classes also had a subtype characterized by an emphasis on student affiliation. The clusters showed systematic differences in student satisfaction and mood, and in teacher satisfaction.
Teacher Planning, Teacher Behavior, and Student Achievement
Authors: Peterson Penelope L , Marx Ronald W , Clark Christopher M
Published: March 2008

This study investigated individual differences in teacher planning and the relationship of teacher planning to teacher behavior and student achievement. Each of 12 experienced teachers taught a social studies lesson to three groups of junior high students (N=8 per group) randomly formed from 288 paid volunteers. Before teaching each group, teachers had 90 minutes to “think aloud” and plan the lesson. Teachers’ planning and teaching were recorded and coded. Students completed achievement and attitude measures after the lesson. Results indicated that generally, the greatest proportion of planning statements concerned the subject matter, but substantial differences occurred. Planning differences were related to teachers’ cognitive styles and abilities. Relationships between teacher planning, teacher behavior, and student outcomes also appeared.
Self-acceptance: The Evaluative Component of the Self-concept Construct
Authors: Shepard Lorrie A.
Published: March 2008

The validity of the construct self-acceptance was tested to map the evaluative dimension of self-concept. Three constructs—self-acceptance, self-description, and acceptance of others—were each measured by seven methods (checklist, rating scale, sentence completion, forced-choice questionnaire, semantic differential, TAT, and Q-sort) to create a multitrait-multimethod matrix of intercorrelations. Instruments were either selected from the literature or developed by the author and were administered in counterbalanced order to 137 individuals ranging in age from 14 to 82. The average convergent validity values were .55 for self-acceptance, .42 for self-description, and .41 for acceptance of others. Both of the self-constructs had strong discriminant validity from acceptance of others; the average correlation of .22 between self-acceptance and acceptance of others was consistent with their theoretical relationship. Self-acceptance was only slightly discriminated from self-description (convergent validity coefficient of .55 compared to average discriminant correlation of .41). Although some additional evidence of discriminant validity exists in the patterns of correlation with age and other constructs, self-acceptance and self-description were not as distinct as the semantic definitions of the constructs imply.
Application of Alternative Statistical Techniques to Examine the Hierarchical Ordering in Bloom’s Taxonomy
Authors: Miller William G. , Snowman Jack , O’Hara Takeshi
Published: March 2008

Working from data originally collected by Kropp and Stoker (1966) on the validity of Bloom’s Taxonomy, the present paper attempts to demonstrate that a multiplicity of analytic methods leads to a clearer conception of causal relationships than any single method.
Student Ratings and Instructor Self-ratings and Their Relationship to Student Achievement
Authors: Braskamp Larry A. , Caulley Darrel , Costin Frank
Published: March 2008

Self-ratings and student ratings of 17 instructors who served as teaching assistants in a large introductory psychology course for two consecutive semesters were compared with student achievement on an externally constructed final examination. Instructor self-ratings and student ratings demonstrated good convergent validity during the second semester, especially on scales measuring student involvement in the classroom, teacher support, and teacher skill. There was significant discriminant validity, but student ratings on all scales were more highly intercorrelated than were the instructor ratings. Student ratings of the instructor’s control of classroom correlated with achievement during the second semester.
The Influence of Direct Instruction on Student Self-appraisals: A Hierarchical Analysis of Treatment and Aptitude-Treatment Interaction Effects
Authors: Corno Lyn , Mitman Alexis , Hedges Larry
Published: March 2008

The study analyzed student self-appraisal data from an instructional experiment in the third grade. Treatment and aptitude-treatment interaction (ATI) effects were assessed on self-esteem, attitude, anxiety, and locus of control Analyses were performed at the student and class levels to accommodate the hierarchical character of the data. Results showed the instruction favorably influenced self-esteem, attitude, and anxiety. In particular, parent instruction in learning skills resulted in significantly higher average scores on self-esteem and attitude and lower scores on anxiety. Class-level ATI's were also evidenced among the parent instruction and selected student aptitudes. Second-order ATI's are illustrated with a new technique developed by Hedges.
The Impact of Leisure-Time Television on School Learning: A Research Synthesis
Authors: Williams Patricia A , Haertel Edward H , Haertel Geneva D , Walberg Herbert J
Published: March 2008

To integrate empirical findings concerning the impact of leisure time television viewing on student achievement in grades K-12, 274 correlations were assembled or calculated from 23 educational and psychological review articles, doctoral dissertations, statewide assessments, national surveys, articles from refereed journals, technical reports, books, and unpublished papers. For each study, characteristics of the sample, type of outcome, quality of the study, method of collecting viewing data, mean hours of viewing, and strength and direction of observed relationships were coded. The overall correlation of hours of televiewing and achievement is negative but small (–.05). Regardless of the sample size, year and location of the research, the effect remains consistent. The overall effect, however, is not constant across the range of viewing times. The effects are slightly positive for up to 10 hours of viewing a week, but beyond 10 hours the effects are negative and increasingly more deleterious until viewing time reaches 35 to 40 hours, beyond which additional viewing has little effect. Females and high IQ children are more adversely affected than other groups.
Teacher-Student Interaction Patterns in Classrooms with Mainstreamed Mildly Handicapped Students
Authors: Thompson Ray H. , White Karl R. , Morgan Daniel P.
Published: March 2008

Teacher-student interaction patterns in 12 third-grade mainstreamed classrooms were observed with four groups of students: (1) nonhandicapped high achievers, (2) nonhandicapped low achievers, (3) learning disabled, and (4) behaviorally handicapped. Teacher-student interaction was defined using 16 dependent measures derived from the Brophy-Good Teacher-Child Dyadic Interaction System. Multivariate and Univariate Analysis of Variance procedures demonstrated that statistically the groups were significantly different on 8 of the 16 dependent measures. Although the behaviorally handicapped students were treated differently by their regular classroom teachers more frequently than students in the other three groups, no group was given consistent preferential treatment. Most student initiations were nonacademic, and almost one-half of teachers’ feedback and initiations were nonacademic. Furthermore, teachers used more disapproving than positive feedback. The results indicate a need for teachers in mainstreamed classrooms to devote more time to academic tasks and to use better classroom management techniques.
The Relationship of Student Ability and Small-Group Interaction to Student Achievement
Authors: Swing Susan R. , Peterson Penelope L.
Published: March 2008

This study examined student ability and student behaviors during small-group interaction as hypothesized mediators of the effectiveness of small-group learning. Fifth-grade students (N = 43) completed ability and attitude pretests. Students were stratified on ability and randomly assigned to small groups within class. The small groups were assigned randomly to either a treatment or control condition. The treatment group was trained in small-group interaction. Students received regular classroom instruction in mathematics for 4 weeks. Each day after the teacher presented new material using direct instruction, students worked on assignments in mixed ability groups of four students. Achievement, retention, and attitude toward mathematics were assessed. A Mann-Whitney comparison showed that trained students participated in more task-related interaction than did control students. Results suggested that task-related interaction in the small group enhanced the achievement and retention of high and low ability students but did not facilitate the achievement of medium ability students.
Teacher-Pupil Relationships in the Elementary School Classroom: Teacher-Gender and Pupil-Gender Differences
Authors: Stake Jayne E. , Katz Jonathan F.
Published: March 2008

This study examined teacher-sex differences in attitudes and behaviors toward male and female pupils. Observation data were obtained from the classrooms of 11 female and 10 male upper grade elementary school teachers. Following the 4½ hours of observation periods, the teachers described their attitudes toward their pupils on 7-point scales. No evidence was found for teacher bias toward pupils of either gender. A number of significant findings and nonsignificant trends combined to suggest that (1) boys received more reprimands than girls, and (2) female teachers were more positive than male teachers in their attitudes and behaviors toward their pupils. The combination of observational and self-report methodologies appeared to be useful in gaining a more complete understanding of teacher-pupil relationships in the classroom.
Structure of Children’s Reasoning About Attributes of School Success and Failure
Authors: Cauley Kathleen M. , Murray Frank B.
Published: March 2008

Second and third graders’ competence to integrate knowledge of their ability and effort, as they would function in the child’s success on a reading task, was examined. Forty adults were also asked to evaluate the effects of ability and effort on the children’s future success. The children treated the negation and reciprocal relationships among the ability and effort attributes consistently and in ways not significantly different from the ways adults evaluated the effects of the child’s effort and ability on success and failure.
Predicting Students’ Outcomes from Their Perceptions of Classroom Psychosocial Environment
Authors: Fraser Barry J , Fisher Darrell L
Published: March 2008

Relationships between students’ affective and cognitive outcomes and their perceptions of classroom psychosocial environment as measured by the Individualized Classroom Environment Questionnaire (ICEQ) and the Classroom Environment Scale (CES) were investigated for a sample of 1,083 junior high school students in 116 classrooms. Six different statistical analyses (simple correlation, multiple correlation, and canonical correlation analysis conducted separately for raw post-test scores and residual posttest scores adjusted for corresponding pretest and general ability) revealed sizable environment-outcome associations. Further analyses showed that the ICEQ and CES made appreciable, unique contributions to explaining outcome variance, and that the magnitudes of environment-outcome relationships were larger when the class was employed as the unit of analysis than when the student was used.
Consequences in High School and College of Sex Differences in Mathematical Reasoning Ability: A Longitudinal Perspective
Authors: Benbow Camilla Persson , Stanley Julian C.
Published: March 2008

Between 1972 and 1974 the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY) identified over 2,000 7th and 8th graders who scored as well as a national sample of 11th and 12th grade females on the College Board’s Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) Mathematics or Verbal tests. A substantial sex difference in mathematical reasoning ability was found (Benbow & Stanley, 1980b, 1981). The consequences and development of this sex difference over the following 5 years were investigated longitudinally. Over 91 percent (1,996 out of 2,188 SMPY students) participated. This study established that the sex difference persisted over several years and was related to subsequent sex differences in mathematics achievement. The sex difference in mathematics did not reflect differential mathematics course taking. The abilities of males developed more rapidly than those of females. Sex differences favoring males were found in participation in mathematics, performance on the SAT-M, and taking of and performance on mathematics achievement and Advanced Placement Program examinations. SMPY females received better grades in their mathematics courses than SMPY males did. Few significant sex differences were found in attitudes toward mathematics.
The Effects of Class Size: An Examination of Rival Hypotheses
Authors: Hedges Larry V , Stock William
Published: March 2008

There has recently been a great deal of interest in the use of meta-analysis to integrate research findings. Glass and Smith used meta-analytic techniques to describe the relationship between class size and academic achievement or classroom processes. The statistical methods used by Glass and Smith are open to criticism on several grounds. The present paper reports the results of reanalyses using statistical methods that can be rigorously justified. The statistical methods used herein can be shown to have certain optimal properties for the analysis of effect size data, and therefore the results of analyses based on these methods are generally preferable. The results of our analyses suggest that the use of suboptimal statistical methods did not greatly affect the results of the meta-analysis by Glass and Smith.
Sex Differences in Quantitative SAT Performance: New Evidence on the Differential Coursework Hypothesis
Authors: Pallas Aaron M , Alexander Karl L
Published: March 2008

Recent research has questioned socialization explanations for sex differences in mathematics performance. In particular, the hypothesis that differences in the details of males’ and females’ high school programs are responsible for the sizable average difference between the sexes in quantitative Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) performance has been challenged in a recent study by Benbow and Stanley (1980) . This research, however, considered sex-linked coursework differences only indirectly and was based on the experiences of an unusual sample of gifted youth. Using a more broadly representative sample, we provide a direct test of the hypothesis that the sex difference in quantitative SAT performance may be due to differences in the pattern of quantitative coursework taken by males and females in high school. We find that the male-female gap in SAT-M performance shrinks considerably when sex differences in quantitative high school coursework are controlled. These findings suggest that increasing females’ rates of enrollment in high level mathematics courses would greatly reduce the sex difference in quantitative SAT performance and that it is premature to reject socialization and experiential explanations for the male-female gap in levels of quantitative performance.
Teachers’ Verbal and Nonverbal Communication Patterns as a Function of Teacher Race, Student Gender, and Student Race
Authors: Simpson Adelaide W , Erickson Marilyn T
Published: March 2008

Teachers’ verbal and nonverbal behaviors were examined in the natural classroom setting to assess differences based on sex of child, race of child, and race of teacher. The subjects were 16 (8 black and 8 white) female first grade teachers in an urban public elementary school system. All teachers’ classrooms contained students of both races with at least a 1 to 3 ratio of one race to the other. Trained observers recorded verbal and nonverbal behavior for each instance of teacher behavior directed toward individual children in each classroom. The results indicated that white teachers directed more verbal praise and criticism and nonverbal praise toward males and more nonverbal criticism toward black males.
Dropping Out of High School: The Influence of Race, Sex, and Family Background
Authors: Rumberger Russell W
Published: March 2008

This paper examines the extent of the high school dropout problem in 1979 and investigates both the stated reasons students leave school and some of the underlying factors influencing their decision. Particular attention is focused on differences by sex, race, and family background. Data for this research come from a new, national sample of youth who were 14 to 21 years of age in 1979. A multivariate model is developed to estimate the effects of family background and other factors on the decision to drop out of school. Several results emerge from the study: The reasons students cite for leaving school vary widely, with women more likely to leave because of pregnancy or marriage and men more likely to leave to go to work; family background strongly influences the propensity to drop out of school and accounts for virtually all the racial differences in dropout rates; various other factors, including ability and aspirations, also influence this decision.
Multitrait-Multimethod Analyses of the Self-description Questionnaire: Student-Teacher Agreement on Multidimensional Ratings of Student Self-concept
Authors: Marsh Herbert W. , Smith Ian D. , Barnes Jennifer
Published: March 2008

The Self-description Questionnaire is a multidimensional instrument designed to measure seven facets of self-concept hypothesized in Shavelson’s hierarchical model. Fifth and sixth grade students (n = 654) completed the SDQ and several other instruments. Factor analysis of their responses clearly demonstrated the seven factors that the SDQ was designed to measure. Teachers were also asked to evaluate each student’s self-concept along the same seven dimensions, and a multitrait-multimethod analysis offered support for both the convergent and divergent validity of the self-concept dimensions. Not only was there substantial student-teacher agreement on the seven dimensions, but agreement on any one dimension was relatively independent of agreement on other dimensions. The pattern of small correlations among the student self-concept dimensions was generally consistent with those observed for the teacher ratings and those predicted by the hierarchical model on which the instrument was based. Student and teacher ratings of students’ self-concepts each showed similar and predictable correlations with attributions for academic achievement, sex of student, and reading achievement, thus offering further support for the construct validity of interpretations based on the SDQ.
Sociocultural and Educational Correlates of Success-Failure Attributions and Evaluation Anxiety in the School Setting for Black, Hispanic, and Anglo Children
Authors: Willig Ann C. , Harnisch Delwyn L. , Hill Kennedy T. , Maehr Martin L.
Published: March 2008

The role of social, cultural, and personal factors in moderating achievement attributions and evaluation anxiety as they affect math performance in school was studied for 397 Anglo, black, and Hispanic students in grades four to eight. Cross-group analyses indicated that motivation contributed to low academic achievement in all groups, but different factors were important for different groups; causal attributions were more predictive of math scores for the black and Anglo children, while anxiety scores were more predictive for the Hispanic children. Across ethnic groups, those children who do experience a debilitating constellation of motivational variables are from families who are upwardly mobile and on the borderline of socioeconomic or cultural strata. The findings suggest the importance of developing instructional activities to facilitate positive motivation that are in accord with the motivational needs of the particular child as well as further research to pinpoint the motivational needs of different groups of children.
Effects of Teacher Enthusiasm Training on Student On-task Behavior and Achievement
Authors: Bettencourt Edward M. , Gillett Maxwell H. , Gall Meredith Damien , Hull Ray E.
Published: March 2008

Two experiments were done to assess the effects of enthusiasm training for teachers on students, academic performance. Teachers were randomly assigned to training and no-training conditions in each study. Trained teachers became significantly more enthusiastic than untrained teachers (both experiments). After the training period in Experiment I, all teachers taught the same curriculum unit to their students. Contrary to previous research findings, students of trained teachers did not achieve more than other students. However, the no-training group used their natural teaching style, whereas in previous studies control group teachers displayed artificially depressed levels of enthusiasm. In Experiment 2 students of trained teachers were observed to be more often on-task. Possible explanations of this result were found in research on nonverbal communication and on attention.
Evaluation of a Cooperative Learning Strategy
Authors: Moskowitz Joel M. , Malvin Janet H. , Schaeffer Gary A. , Schaps Eric
Published: March 2008

Cooperative learning techniques have been promoted for the development of social competencies and constructive peer relationships. One such technique, Jigsaw, was evaluated for its effects on students’ attitudes and behaviors with regard to themselves, peers and school. Fifth- and sixth-grade teachers implemented Jigsaw for about 2 hours each week over a school year. Using a randomized invitation design, these teachers were compared with controls who were willing to be trained in Jigsaw had they been offered it. Few affective gains were found although participants in Jigsaw rated their classes as less competitive and sixth graders rated their classes as more cooperative. Analyses of exemplary Jigsaw classes revealed similar results and also improved attendance. Results were discussed in terms of problems inherent in the strategy and the generalizability of the findings.
Gender Differences in Motivational Orientations Toward Achievement in School Science: A Quantitative Synthesis
Authors: Steinkamp Marjorie W , Maehr Martin L
Published: March 2008

In a comprehensive review of the literature containing comparisons between boys and girls on some measure of motivation in science and/or some measure of achievement in science, findings were transformed into a common metric—an effect size—and analyzed meta-analytically. Drawn from articles and reports, large-scale national and international studies, and standardized testing procedures, the data base provided a total of 207 effect sizes for motivation and 406 effect sizes for achievement in science. It was found that sex differences in both motivation and achievement are smaller than is generally assumed, but they do occur, and, with few exceptions, they tend to favor males. The literature sources contained information on 25 variables suspected of impinging on motivation in science. These were analyzed in depth and related to the direction and magnitude of sex differences in motivational orientation.
Effects of Discourse Type on Recall
Authors: Meyer Bonnie JF , Freedle Roy O
Published: March 2008

Discourse can be organized in different ways; four of these ways are comparison, problem/solution, causation, and a collection of descriptions. These four discourse types correspond to schemata that vary in their organizational components; these differences were expected to result in differences in processing text. The more organized discourse types of comparison, problem/solution, and causation were predicted to yield superior recall of information than when this same information was cast as a collection of descriptions about a topic. The data from two studies support the hypothesized facilitation of the more organized types of discourse and have implications for understanding memory and writing instructional materials.
Cross-Sex Collaborative Learning in Elementary Classrooms
Authors: Lockheed Marlaine E. , Harris Abigail M.
Published: March 2008

Structured naturalistic observations, representing about 1,400 hours of classroom behavior, and student surveys were analyzed to determine: (a) the extent to which small group instruction was used in elementary school classrooms, (b) the academic conditions under which small group instruction was used, and (c) the effects of small group instruction on student attitudes and perceptions, particularly those related to gender stereotypes. In 29 fourth and fifth grade classrooms 23,590 observation records were collected; approximately 11% of the records indicated the use of instructional small groups, of which 8% were mixed-sex groups. Small groups were observed more often in physical education and reading classes and less often in art classes. The use of small groups was not related to gender stereotypes regarding student competence but was negatively related to more general gender stereotypes held by female students. Attitudes toward cross-sex cooperation were negatively related to cooperative groupings for both male and female students, although cross-sex peer ratings by females were positively related to cooperative groupings. Perceptions of oneself as a problem solver were positively associated with cooperative groupings for male students only. The results are discussed in relationship to the characterization of sex as a status characteristic influencing the dynamics of group interaction.
Evaluating Teachers as Social Agents: Students’ Ratings of Domain Appropriate and Domain Inappropriate Teacher Responses to Transgressions
Authors: Nucci Larry P.
Published: March 2008

This study examined if students evaluate teachers as respondents to social transgression on the basis of whether the teacher provides responses that are concordant with the domain (i.e., moral or conventional) of the transgressions. Findings were that students rated domain appropriate (DA) teacher responses higher than domain inappropriate (DIA) or domain undifferentiated (command) responses. In addition, subjects were found to generalize their ratings of responses to their ratings of the teachers. Subjects rated teachers employing DA responses higher than subjects employing DIA responses
Management Succession, School Socioeconomic Context, and Basic Skills Achievement
Authors: Rowan Brian , Denk Charles E
Published: March 2008

This study assessed the effects of a change in principals, called management succession, on school-level basic skills achievement using longitudinal data on 149 schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. The analysis showed that a change in principals at a school did not affect basic skills achievement until the second year of a new principal’s tenure. It was also found that the effects of principal change differed depending on the socioeconomic composition of the school. In schools with low proportions of students who receive Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), the effects of succession on achievement were negative, but as the percentage of AFDC students in a school increased beyond 20%, succession effects on achievement turned positive. The findings indicate that changes in school leadership can affect basic skills achievement, but that leadership effects are slow to develop and are conditioned by the socioeconomic context of the school.
Classroom Structure and Student Participation: An Aptitude-by-Treatment Interaction Approach to Instructional Research for the Hearing-Impaired
Authors: Dowaliby Fred J , Curwin Richard , Quinsland Larry
Published: March 2008

This study investigated instructional outcomes for postsecondary deaf students due to classroom structure, student participation, trait anxiety, and locus of control. Fifty-seven students at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology were administered the aptitude measures and then instructed in four groups. A 1-hour facsimile of a classroom situation varied in terms of low versus high levels of structure and participation. Results were consistent with findings from similar studies with learners with normal hearing, and indicate the importance of an aptitude-by-treatment interaction paradigm for instructional research with deaf learners.
Increasing Students’ Awareness of Sources of Information for Answering Questions
Authors: Raphael Taffy E. , Pearson P. David
Published: March 2008

The ubiquity of oral and written questions in classrooms and reading tasks has been well established. It is obvious that students’ background knowledge is a primary determinant of how well they can answer comprehension-promoting or assessment-oriented questions. Less obvious is the need to access appropriate sources of information used in answering questions. A training study was conducted with 59 sixth grade students of high, average, and low reading ability levels, instructing half of students in each ability level in the relationship of a question, the text to which the question refers, and the reader’s knowledge base. Repeated measures multivariate analyses of variance on two passages indicate that the training enhanced students’ understanding of task demands of questions and their answer quality as measured by (a) their ability to correctly identify the question-answer relationship represented, (b) their consistency in providing an answer from the source of information they had indicated they were using, and (c) the quality of their answers. The training appeared to be most facilitative for those of average and lower ability levels, consistent with similar findings in other studies that trained cognitive skills. Knowledge of sources of information may be fundamental to students’ ability to access appropriate information for answering comprehensive questions.
Multidimensional Adolescent Self-Concepts: Their Relationship to Age, Sex, and Academic Measures
Authors: Marsh Herbert W , Parker John , Barnes Jennifer
Published: March 2008

The Self Description Questionnaire II (SDQ II) was administered to 901 students (11 to 18 years old) in grades 7 through 12 who attended one public coeducational high school. Factor analysis clearly identified the 11 SDQ II scales, each scale was reliable (median alpha = .86), and correlations among the factors were small (median r = .17). All of the SDQ II scales were significantly correlated with sex and/or age, though the effects of sex and age were small and independent of each other. The direction of the sex effect varied with the particular scale, and was not significant for the sum of all the SDQ II scales. This total score, and most of the separate scales, had a quadratic age effect where self concepts started out high, reached their lowest level in grade 9, and then increased. At every grade level academic criterion measures were significantly correlated with every academic scale, but not with the nonacademic scales. Verbal achievement was most highly correlated with Verbal self-concept, while mathematics achievement was most highly correlated with Math self-concept. These findings not only demonstrate the multidimensionality of self-concept, but also show that its relationship to other constructs cannot be adequately understood if this multidimensionality is ignored. The findings have important implications for the study of adolescent self-concept and support the construct validity of the SDQ II and the Shavelson model on which it is based.
Pupil Race and Elementary School Ability Grouping: Are Teachers Biased Against Black Children?
Authors: Haller Emil J.
Published: March 2008

This study investigates the claim that pupil race affects the reading grouping decisions of elementary school teachers, causing black children to be overrepresented in lower ability groups. Analyses were carried out of teachers’ remarks made while engaged in the process of grouping children, and of the racial composition of the groups they actually formed. Taken together, these analyses failed to uncover evidence of conscious or unconscious racial bias, though black pupils were much more likely to be placed in the lowest groups.
Postsecondary Educational Attainment Among Whites and Blacks
Authors: Wolfle Lee M.
Published: March 2008

Previous research has indicated that social background variables are more important determinants of educational attainment among whites than among blacks. The present study, based on more recent data and methods that control for estimated measurement error structures, finds that social background plays a similar role for whites and blacks. Increments in background social status variables lead to similar increases in educational attainment for whites and blacks. Moreover, the effects of personal characteristic variables (ability, curriculum, grades) of whites and blacks as they influence educational attainment are also similar for both groups.
A New Look at the Effect of Course Characteristics on Student Ratings of Instruction
Authors: Cranton Patricia A. , Smith Ronald A.
Published: March 2008

Faculty members who are interpreting student questionnaire results often assume that smaller class sizes and higher levels of instruction receive higher ratings, even though researchers report conflicting results. This study examined the effect of course characteristics on student ratings in a variety of instructional situations. Data were collected in 1,777 classes in five departments at all levels of instruction over 3 years. When results were analyzed overall, the generally accepted trends were confirmed; however, in specific departments, or at particular levels of instruction, the relationships varied dramatically. It was concluded that the effect of course characteristics on student ratings of instruction varied depending on the situation in which the ratings were collected, and that the relationships are complex. Comparisons among professors and the use of norms in the interpretation of the evaluation results must be done with caution and must consider the instructional setting.
Problem-Solving Strategies and Group Processes in Small Groups Learning Computer Programming
Authors: Webb Noreen M. , Ender Philip , Lewis Scott
Published: March 2008

This study investigated the planning and debugging strategies and group processes that predicted learning of computer programming in small groups. Thirty students aged 11 to 14 learned Beginners All-Purpose Symbolic Instructional Code (BASIC) in 2-person groups. Students showed little advance planning; their style of planning and debugging was opportunistic. Specific planning and debugging variables that predicted learning included high-level planning of chunks of the program, and low-level planning and debugging of single statements. Group interaction variables related to learning included giving and receiving explanations, receiving responses to questions, and verbalizing input aloud while typing at the keyboard. Student demographic characteristics, aptitudes, and cognitive style measures did not predict planning, debugging, or verbal interaction.
Maps, Mode of Text Presentation, and Children’s Prose Learning
Authors: Abel R. Robert , Kulhavy Raymond W.
Published: March 2008

This study examined the effects of reference maps on what children remember from written and aurally presented discourse. Subjects were presented one of three maps that varied in feature configuration and spatial distribution, and were asked to study these maps before reading or listening to a related story. Results of tests across both prose and maps conflicted with previous research in which learners appeared unable to maintain visual images while reading. We found essentially no differences in recall due to mode of text presentation, but the type of map that was presented profoundly influenced recall from both the text and the map. Maps that had pictorial features logically organized according to passage content greatly increased the learning of text that was related directly to map content. This indicates that maps serve a mnemonic-like function for remembering prose.
Comparison Of Computer-Assisted Cooperative, Competitive, And Individualistic Learning
Authors: Johnson Roger T. , Johnson David W. , Stanne Mary Beth
Published: March 2008

The effects of computer-assisted cooperative, competitive, and individualistic instruction were compared on achievement, student-student interaction, and attitudes. Seventy-four eighth-grade students were randomly assigned to conditions, stratifying for sex and ability. Computer-assisted cooperative instruction promoted greater quantity and quality of daily achievement, more successful problem solving, more task-related student-student interaction, and increased the perceived status of female students.