bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
THE EFFECT OF WESTERN EDUCATION ON SCIENCE CONCEPTUALISATION IN NEW GUINEA
Authors: PRINCE J. R. 
Published: May 2011

Summary. A pilot survey of the development of basic physical science concepts was undertaken in three areas of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. In the course of the survey certain special groups were tested and these results, together with those of the main survey, have been examined for the light they throw on the effect of environmental and inheritance factors on conceptual development.The three diverse areas of the Territory yield similar results when test performance is analysed by school grade but there are differences between the areas when the results are analysed by calendar age. It appears that school grade is more significant than calendar age in determining conceptual development in the Territory, and this suggests that educational environment may be a major factor in conceptual development in the Territory. This conclusion is supported by the performance of a teachers' college group which had had special instruction regarding substance and weight and a primary school which had undertaken a comprehensive programme of experience in measurement.The performance of a group of students at a non‐English medium teachers' college reveals significantly poorer development in all test items requiring the concept of conservation. Statistical analysis of these test results against years of total schooling and years of English education reveals that English education is more significant in relation to physical concepts than total years of schooling.The four lines of evidence considered in the paper all point to the importance of environmental factors, particularly those connected with certain aspects of education, in developing concepts which involve the conservation of physical quantities.
TEACHING APPROACH AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIVERGENT THINKING ABILITIES IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS
Authors: HADDON F. A. , LYTTON HUGH 
Published: May 2011

Summary. This research was designed to evaluate the effects of differing teaching approaches on divergent thinking abilities, the hypothesis being that informal, progressive teaching would promote these abilities more than formal, more subject‐centred teaching. Two‐hundred‐and‐eleven children, 11 to 12 years old, of all ability levels, were tested, half coming from ‘Formal’ and half from ‘Informal’ primary schools which were matched for verbal reasoning quotient (VRQ) and socioeconomic background. The results showed that pupils from the Informal schools were significantly superior in divergent thinking abilities. The difference in means often reached the .01 level of significance and was in no case in the unpredicted direction. The hypothesis was thus confirmed.A subsidiary hypothesis—that the correlation between VRQ and divergent thinking abilities would decrease as the VRQ of each sub‐group rose—was also supported. As expected, these correlation values were generally higher in the Informal schools.
SELF IMAGES AND SMOKING BEHAVIOUR AMONG SCHOOL BOYS
Authors: McKENNELL A. C. , BYNNER J. M. 
Published: May 2011

Summary. Four semantic differential questionnaires were employed to investigate the ways in which boys aged 11–15 perceive smoking. Each questionnaire consisted of 19 bi‐polar scales against which the boys had to rate the following four concepts: ‘the boy smoker’; ‘the boy non‐smoker’; ‘the self’; and ‘the ideal self.’ 5,601 boys completed the four questionnaires.Factor analysis of the intercorrelations between the scales showed that the boys were rating the concepts largely in terms of three basic dimensions: ‘Educational Success,’ ‘Toughness' and ‘Precocity.’ Toughness which boys associate with smoking appears to provide an incentive both for non‐smokers to take up smoking and for smokers to continue to smoke. Smokers also associate smoking with Precocity, an attribute which they think non‐smokers lack. Although the smokers' Precocity does not have much attraction for non‐smokers the value smokers place on it provides an incentive for them to go on smoking. The one attribute non‐smokers have which is attractive to smokers, even though they feel they lack it, is Educational Success. This last finding casts doubt on the theory that smokers have identified themselves with an out‐of‐school youth culture, which is completely antagonistic to the adult values represented by the school.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCALES TO MEASURE JUNIOR SCHOOL CHILDREN'S ATTITUDES
Authors: LUNN JOAN C. BARKER 
Published: May 2011

Summary. This paper describes ten attitude scales for use with pupils aged 9 to 11 years. These are: attitude to school; interest in school work; importance of doing well; attitude to class; ‘other’ image of class; conforming versus non‐conforming pupil; relationship with teacher; anxiety about school work; social adjustment; self‐image.The scales were derived empirically and each is made up of a number of statements made by children during group discussions and selected after factor analyses and scalogram analyses. For each scale the aim has been to achieve homogeneity of content and where possible a cumulative structure. The internal consistency of each scale is expressed in terms of Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The intercorrelations of the scales with each other and also with external data are given. Information for the latter came from several sources. These were (a) personality and ability ratings of the pupil by the teacher; (b) parents' ability ratings and educational aspirations for the child; (c) sociometric data; (d) achievement test scores; and (e) interest scores.
THE RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF SELECTED TESTS OF CREATIVE THINKING IN A SAMPLE OF SEVENTH‐GRADE WEST AUSTRALIAN CHILDREN
Authors: DEWING KATHLEEN 
Published: May 2011

Summary. Four tests from the Minnesota Tests of Creative Thinking (two verbal and two non‐verbal) were administered to 394 Grade 7A children from 10 metropolitan schools in Perth, Western Australia. All tests were scored for fluency (number of responses) and originality (infrequent responses). Data were also collected relating to five measures of creative performance in real‐life situations, within and outside the classroom.Test‐retest reliability for the tests of creative thinking were consistently higher for non‐verbal than verbal tests, and for fluency than originality.A highly significant relationship was found between scores on the tests of creative thinking and the measures of creative performance.It was not assumed that the performance measures would be related to each other (creativity in one sphere does not imply creativity in another) but a moderate amount of generality was, in fact, found. In most cases the average correlations between measures were between 0·150 and 0·350 (N = 394). The teacher and peer ratings of creativity in school were clearly related, as were the two questionnaires concerned with leisure activities. Imaginative writing was related to both in‐school and out‐of‐school measures.The correlation between the total creative thinking score and IQ on the ACER Intermediate Test D was 0·143 (p<·05). Within the high‐creative thinking group (the top 20 per cent on the tests) differences in performance were not related to intelligence.No sex differences were observed with regard to either test scores or creative performance.
THE ABILITIES OF PARTIALLY HEARING CHILDREN
Authors: HINE W. D. 
Published: May 2011

Summary. 100 children aged 8 to 16, in a residential school for the partially hearing (48 boys, 52 girls) were tested on the performance and verbal subscales of the WISC and on tests of reading and arithmetic. Measures of hearing loss and social adjustment were obtained. Age, sex, parental social class and supposed aetiology were recorded for each child. Ratings of parental interest in the child's school progress and the amount of parental pre‐school guidance received were also made.The distribution of quotients on the WISC Performance subscale was found to be closely similar to that of the standardisation population. However, the distributions of quotients on the verbal subscale and the measures of attainment, though normal, were depressed by up to 21 points from the standardisation means. The social adjustment of the children was found to be significantly worse than that of a group of normal 7‐ and 8‐year‐olds, the predominant pattern of maladjustment being demonstrative rather than withdrawing. The first three factors obtained from a principal components analysis rotated to the Varimax criterion were identified as Verbal, Numerical and Performance Ability. These three factors were contrasted with the two found by analysing Wechsler's correlation data on the WISC.
LINEAR EQUATIONS FOR ESTIMATING A PERSON'S OCCUPATIONAL ADJUSTMENT, BASED ON INFORMATION ON OCCUPATIONAL PROFILES
Authors: TATSUOKA M. M. , CATTELL R. B. 
Published: May 2011

Summary. There are broadly two models for vocational guidance, estimating respectively the ‘efficiency’ of the individual against a performance criterion and ‘belongingness or adjustment’ based on similarity to the typical member. The former has attractions of positiveness, but data for the latter are easier to get.It is shown in this paper that, with certain reasonably acceptable assumptions, mean occupational profile data can be used via the point‐biserial to get regression equations permitting the more convenient usage of the ‘efficiency’ approach (though the criterion is still ‘adjustment’). An illustrative example is worked, discussion is given of how the proposed ‘adjustment score’ functions, and a tentative decision rule is stated.
A SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL COMPARISON OF CERTAIN ATTITUDES OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS FROM CO‐EDUCATIONAL AND SINGLE‐SEX SCHOOL TOWARDS THEIR SCHOOLS*
Authors: DALE R. R. , MILLER P. McC. 
Published: May 2011

Summary. Scores on the ‘evaluation,’ ‘potency’ and ‘activity’ of four concepts concerning school and four about the university were obtained from a Semantic Differential test completed by 274 first‐year university students. The women from girls’ schools tended to evaluate ‘my school’ and ‘school teacher’ lower than did the co‐educated women (P<<0–1 and 0–2, respectively). On the Pleasant/Unpleasant scale within the evaluation of ‘my school’ both co‐educated men and women rated their schools as more pleasant than did men and women from single‐sex schools (P<0–05).Co‐educated students rated ‘school,’ ‘teacher,’ and ‘classroom’ as significantly less potent than did those from single‐sex schools. The latter saw ‘university’ as less potent than ‘my school’ (P<0–01), ‘lecture‐theatre’ less than ‘classroom’ (P<0–05), while the co‐educated did not.
THE USE OF DIACRITICAL MARKS IN TEACHING BEGINNERS TO READ
Authors: JOHNSON H. , JONES D. R. , COLE A. C. , WALTERS M. B. 
Published: May 2011

Summary. Parts of books used in a well‐known reading scheme were modified by the addition of diacritical marks to indicate the sounds of letters. Children using this diacritical marking medium were compared with matched children using orthodox versions of the books by means of the Burt Word Reading Test and the Schonell Spelling Test (Form B).It was found that children who used this medium were superior in reading not only in their own medium but also in traditional orthography. Their spelling and the quality and quantity of their free composition was also superior.
THE URBAN OR RURAL BACKGROUND OF FIRST‐YEAR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN RELATION TO THEIR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE*
Authors: DALE R. R. , MILLER P. M. 
Published: May 2011

Summary. The association of the urban/rural variable with university academic performance was assessed by a matched pair procedure. Variables matched were sex, co‐educational/single‐sex school, examining board (W.J.E.C. only), Arts/Science faculties, and (for A‐level) number of subjects taken, best subject, average grade and number of attempts. Social class was mostly matched but partly balanced. Student pairs were selected from a three‐year entry to Welsh University Colleges, with first‐year results unknown.A comparison of urban (over 16,000 population) versus rural, produced little difference between the matched samples, except that the urban Arts students from single‐sex schools did better than their rural counterparts. Limiting urban to cities over 100,000 while still opposing this to rural (under 16,000) increased the differences, so that in four separate matched samples namely, city co‐educated Arts versus rural co‐educated Arts, city co‐educated Science versus rural co‐educated Science, and similarly for single‐sex schools, the city students had the better first‐year performance, statistically highly significant for the combined samples. Students from intermediate sized towns in all groups performed less well than those from both city and rural schools, producing a curvilinear relationship between performance and the urban/rural variable.
CHILDREN'S ROAD BEHAVIOUR AND PERSONALITY
Authors: FINLAYSON HELEN M. 
Published: May 2011

Summary. 198 children age 5 to 10, from two schools, were filmed on seven days out of a period of two weeks, as they crossed the road at particular sites at the end of each school day. Their behaviour on approaching and crossing the road was analysed from the films and they were classified accordingly into three behaviour groups. Most of the children over 7 years old then completed ESPQ and CPQ personality questionnaires in school.The three behaviour groups were ‘safe,’ ‘careless’ and ‘unsafe.’ The ‘unsafe’ tended to act unpredictably, typically running down the path and into the road without stopping. These were almost all boys. The ‘careless’ would not look round before crossing the road, but would just walk across in a predictable manner.The three groups of boys were found to be significantly different in personality, when the whole profiles were compared. The analysis of boys and girls together from one school also showed different personality profiles in the three behaviour groups.
PERSONALITY AND PERFORMANCE IN ELEMENTARY MATHEMATICS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ITEM TYPE
Authors: LEWIS D. G. , KO PENG‐SIM 
Published: May 2011

Summary. A stratified sample of 160 fourth and fifth‐year secondary school pupils, all of whom had completed a mathematics course leading to the Certificate of Secondary Education, were given a series of mathematics tests. These tests were structured into four sections according to item type, multiple‐choice, data sufficiency, multi‐facet and traditional, each section being divided into two broad content areas, number and space. A six‐way analysis of variance of the scores, separating the main and interactive effects of extraversion, neuroticism, ability, sex, item type and content area, showed that: (i) extra‐verted boys and introverted girls constitute a higher performing group within their own sex; (ii) the overall performance of both stable introverts and neurotic extraverts stands out in relation to that of the other personality types; (iii) among those of high ability introverts do better, while among those of lower ability extraverts do better; and (iv) stable pupils do better than the neurotic on traditional items in space content, this being the only significant difference in a directly opposite pattern of neurotic‐stable differences in the two content areas.It is suggested that introversion might become advantageous at an earlier age for girls than for boys, and that all future studies in the field should take account of both the form and content of the assessment procedure.
THE EFFECTS OF AGE, STIMULI AND ORDER OF PRESENTATION OF THE STIMULI ON CONSERVATION OF NUMBER
Authors: KAHN J. V. , GARRISON M. 
Published: May 2011

Summary. TWO experiments were conducted to investigate possible differences in observed conservation of number due to the stimuli utilised. In the first experiment, 20 kindergarten, 20 first grade, and 20 second grade subjects were given Piaget's one‐to‐one correspondence experiment: one half had trials with small candies (Smarties or M and Ms) followed by trials with paper clips and one half had trials with paper clips followed by trials with small candies. Significant F ratios were found for the main effect, grade, and for the interaction between stimulus and order of presentation. This result was taken as indicating that when small candy trials were first, this helped performance on the paper clips, while when paper clip trials were first, this had a slight opposite effect on the small candy trials.The second experiment investigated the three suggested interpretations of the findings of the first experiment: according to learning theory, according to an attentional hypothesis, and according to Piaget's theory of equilibration. The results tended to support the first two interpretations. The implications of the results of the two experiments, for Piagetian training studies and for education, were discussed.
CONTEXT IN READING AND LISTENING: A COMPARISON OF CHILDREN'S ERRORS IN CLOZE TESTS
Authors: NEVILLE MARY H. , PUGH A. K. 
Published: May 2011

Summary. Sixty‐six children aged 9–10 years were tested in two groups with two parallel cloze tests of reading comprehension. The same tests were then given as cloze tests of listening comprehension. Each group received different parallel forms in each of the language modes. The scores for the listening tests for both groups were significantly lower than the reading scores.Significantly fewer responses were made in the listening mode. Analysis of errors made in both modes revealed that 44 per cent of errors in the reading tests and 37 per cent of errors in the listening tests were syntactically appropriate responses.
THE PENDULUM PROBLEM: PATTERNS OF PERFORMANCE DEFINING DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES
Authors: SOMERVILLE SUSAN C. 
Published: May 2011

Summary. Performance on Inhelder and Piaget's pendulum problem was obtained as a validating measure in a study of the transition from concrete to formal thinking. The sample consisted of 236 children aged from 10 to 14 years. A detailed scoring procedure was devised, which distinguished method from content aspects of performance on the problem and which allows categorisation of each child into one of nine developmental stages. Quantitative performance scores were also derived.Overall level of performance on the pendulum problem is strongly related to age, but not to sex or to school attended. In general, the results support Inhelder and Piaget's account of the transition from concrete to formal thinking. However, a specific problem, for their theory, arises from the relationship between method and content aspects of performance in the early formal operational stage (IIIA). This problem is discussed in detail and attention is drawn to the effects of a child's expectations on his performance.
THE TEACHING OF SERIAL TASKS USING CHAINING STRATEGIES
Authors: WILCOX B. 
Published: May 2011

Summary. The experiment was concerned with teaching two types of chain or serial task. The chain types were paper‐folding, regarded as a motor assembly task, and numerical procedures.The aim of the experiment was to investigate the effect of chain length (short, medium and long) and teaching strategy (backward chaining, forward chaining and whole method) on the acquisition and retention of the two types of chain. 176 women students were randomly assigned to nine groups (3 × 3) defined by chain length and teaching strategy. Within each group a motor and a number chain were taught by means of self‐instructional programmes and followed by practice to a criterion of one promptless trial. One week later the tasks were relearned to the same criterion.No advantage was found for backward chaining in the case of the motor chains and the short and medium number chains. However, for the long number chain there was some indication that backward chaining was superior to forward chaining. Both methods were in general inferior to the whole method.
THE EDUCATIONAL PRIORITY SCHOOL
Authors: WILSON J. A. , TREW KAREN J. 
Published: May 2011

Summary. The study was designed to establish, on a regional basis, the validity of a set of measures of social handicap as predictive of educational backwardness and to identify the characteristics of those schools which are most effectively compensatory in adverse social conditions. Backwardness was defined in relation to scores on standardised intellectual tests for 7‐year‐old and 10‐year‐old children attending 115 Northern Ireland primary schools. The proportion of backwardness was then predicted from thirteen demographic variables, commonly used in describing educational priority areas, by the application of step‐wise multiple regression analysis.Parental unemployment and the occupational status of the school neighbourhood emerged as the strongest pointers to educational backwardness. The social variables predicted backwardness least accurately in smaller, less well equipped and rural schools. The schools which were most effectively compensatory tended to be urban, to have less physically adequate classrooms, female principals, and a higher proportion of graduate‐trained teachers.
PREDILECTION FOR GENERALISING AND ABSTRACTING
Authors: PEEL E. A. 
Published: May 2011

Summary. This study reports the development of a sentence preference test designed to contrast tendencies to abstract, generalise and particularise in thinking. Certain terms carry both general and abstract meanings. Using such words in sentences bringing out these differing meanings provides an indication of readiness to use abstractions and generalisations. A variety of samples of secondary school pupils in the age range 11+ to 16 years were used to provide evidence of reliability and validity, and also to trace changes with age of responses to the sentences. The results confirm earlier work with a word test which showed that tendencies both to generalise and abstract increase during adolescence.The potentialities of the technique are discussed in relation to language usage and comprehension and to higher level thinking processes required during secondary school and afterwards in higher education.
PIAGETIAN PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION: TIME FOR REVISION
Authors: BROWN G. , DESFORGES C. 
Published: May 2011

Summary. The relationships between Piaget's theory and education are discussed. The accumulated data from studies based upon the theory are examined in terms of (i) shared assumptions which govern the interpretation of replication studies, (ii) the extent to which a stage can be meaningfully defined, and (iii) the nature of the developmental process proposed by the theory.It is concluded that Piaget's search for generalities in cognitive development has been unsuccessful, and that an approach based upon a skill‐integration model might be more profitable.
GENERALISING THROUGH THE VERBAL MEDIUM
Authors: PEEL E. A. 
Published: May 2011

Summary. When presented with abstract notions through the verbal media of books, newspapers, talks, TV and radio, people often produce quite erroneous generalisations. Thus the notion aggression can evoke, besides a true generalisation inhumanity, a particularisation imperialism, a transductive exploitation, and an associated but non‐essential attribute detestable, each of the last three being mistaken as a notion more general than the original concept. These aberrations may be more marked, the more persuasive the medium and the more emotionally involved the listener or recorder.This paper describes a method of investigating such possible trends among young people and adults and reveals their extent in samples of graduates, undergraduates, further education students and secondary pupils. A test of generalising, embodying the alternatives set out above, revealed that whilst 90 per cent of students in all groups correctly responded to the concrete items, their responses to the abstract items ranged from some 80–60 per cent. The implications of these findings are discussed against the possible intellectual confusion arising in less sophisticated adults when they encounter ideas in verbal experience and discourse.