A Study of Factors that Contribute to the Curricular Interests of Students of the Ninth Grade with Special Reference to Physical Education

The study examined relations between intelligence and academic achievement scores at different levels of socio-economic status and refined family environment measures for English children from three different age cohorts. Data were collected as part of a national survey of 11-, 12-, and 15-year-old schoolchildren. Regression surfaces were constructed from models which examined possible linear, interaction, and curvilinear relations between the variables. The Jackknife technique was used to adjust the significance levels in the investigation. At each environment level, increments in intelligence test scores are associated with increases in academic achievement, while there are differential gender relations between the measures of family environment and achievement at different levels of intellectual ability.     

The psycho-social adjustment of gifted children in middle-childhood

The psycho-social adjustment of 50 gifted (mean IQ=127) and 50 German ten-year-olds of average intelligence (mean IQ=106, matched individually on socio-economic status and gender) was compared. Data from different sources (children, parents, teachers) on social behaviour, (therapy-relevant) behaviour problems, and emotional stability revealed no significant differences between the two ability groups. Gifted elementary-school children are socially and emotionally at least as well adjusted as their non-gifted age-mates.     

Characteristics of children referred to school psychologists: A discriminant analysis

This study compared characteristics of 114 elementary school children of average intelligence who had been referred for psychological services with 120 children of average intelligence who had not been referred. Variables included, sex, relative age, race, socioeconomic status, familial stability, achievement test scores, and intraschool factors. At the primary level, significant differences were found between the groups in terms of sex and relative age. Boys were referred 4 times as frequently as girls, and 16 times as many boys within the relatively youngest group were referred as girls within the oldest group. The total groups were successfully discriminated using math achievement, sex, race, and father of the same name in the household. The variables that best discriminated the primary level groups included sex, relative age, father with the same name in the household, and having attended the same school the previous year. Implications and possible preventative measures are discussed.     

Modeling complexity and difficulty in measures of fluid intelligence

This article applies structural equation modeling to the simultaneous study of task complexity and difficulty in measures of fluid intelligence. The interrelation between 3 tests of fluid intelligence, 2 experimental tasks, and age is examined. Each experimental task is decomposed into 4 subtasks, with the most intellectually demanding ones being measures of fluid intelligence, and the remaining 3 levels constructed to be gradually simpler. The findings suggest that the experimental manipulations produced systematic changes in 3 sets of parameters. These are: (a) the mean intercept parameters of the structural equation model—interpreted as “pure test difficulties” reflecting task‐specific demands placed on elementary cognitive processes of the “same kind” (b) factor loadings on 2 subtask‐specific narrow factors (SWAPS and TRIPLETS) that reflect demands placed on processes of “similar kinds,” that is, processes common to variations within the same experimental task; and (c) factor loadings on a fluid intelligence factor (Gf) that reflect demands placed on processes of “diverse kinds,” which are common to measures of a broad range of different cognitive tasks. The results indicate that as task requirements become more demanding, cognitive processes of the same kind, which are involved in solving the easier subtasks, are no longer critical to performance, but the demand on processes of similar and diverse kinds is increased. It is suggested that for human subjects, increase in task complexity may be associated with lapses of attention in the course of carrying out a series of interconnected steps.     

Longitudinal correlation analysis of standing height and intelligence

Intercorrelations of 10 successive years of measurement of height and intelligence are presented for separate samples of girls and boys. These correlations are based on data originally gathered and published by Dearborn, Rothney, and Shuttleworth as the Harvard Growth Study. Sample size varies from correlation to correlation, but most of those for girls are based on samples of 500-700 and those for boys on samples of 400-500. The intercorrelations of each of the 2 variables over 10 occasions do not differ appreciably by sex, but there are significant differences between the sexes in the cross-correlations. For the sample of girls there is clear evidence that individual differences in height at 8 and 9 anticipate later individual differences in intelligence. Correlations of early height with intelligence at 11 and 12 are especially high (.40). There is little evidence for similar anticipation of intelligence by height for boys. Correlates for both height and intelligence are found in socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and age of first menstruation for girls. Only the last of these contributes to the explanation of the changes in the cross-correlations with age. Analyses of sitting-height correlations with intelligence indicate that length of the long bones of the legs is also related to the observed pattern of correlations.     

Qualitative descriptions of error recovery patterns across reading level and sentence type: an eye movement analysis.

Purposes of the present study included describing a variety of error recovery patterns based on eye movement (EM) measures of sentence parsing across reading level and error type. A qualitative pattern analysis of EM mappings was completed for students with reading disabilities (n = 10) and nondisabled students (n = 10) who were parsing control and erred sentences. Independent variables included error type (syntactically ambiguous, semantically anomalous, and control sentences) and reading proficiency level. Dependent variables consisted of seven eye movement measures. Chi-square analyses were performed to examine group differences across frequencies per pattern. Results suggest that the error recovery strategies deployed by both groups were similar in pattern and frequency; patterns were largely organized, strategic, and efficient, as predicted. Evidence for seven newly defined strategies was found, with indications of multiple strategies within sentences by both groups. Strategies tended to be error "reanalysis" (vs. "recovery") heuristics, in that readers from both groups used regressions to reanalyze regions of inconsistency rather than regions of disambiguation. Earlier conclusions regarding disorganized processing and individual differences among adolescents with reading disabilities are discussed.     

城市流动儿童就读学校效能的实证研究——基于多层线性模型（HLM）的分析?

对3714名流动儿童城市就读学校进行了调查,运用多层线性模型对流动儿童城市就读学校效能的影响因素进行了实证分析。研究结果显示,在控制家庭背景因素后,流动儿童城市就读学校民工子弟学校与公办学校效能之间存在明显的组间差异,其中有7.14%的学校效能差异来自于这种组间差异,而且城市民工子弟学校效能的组内差异要明显大于公办学校,这反映了流动儿童的学业成就低落很大程度上受到了学校层面因素的影响;而在考虑学校层面与班级层面的因素后,学生的性别因素、家庭社会经济状况、家庭教育支出水平以及学生个体满意程度对流动儿童城市就读学校效能均有显著的正向影响。这说明改善流动儿童个体及其家庭社会经济状况是提高流动儿童城市就读学校效能的关键。     

Parental education, grade attainment and earnings expectations among university students

While there is an extensive literature on intergenerational transmission of economic outcomes (education, health and income for example), many of the pathways through which these outcomes are transmitted are not as well understood. We address this deficit by analysing the relationship between socio-economic status and child outcomes in university, based on a rich and unique dataset of university students. While large socio-economic differences in academic performance exist at the point of entry into university, these differences are substantially narrowed during the period of study. Importantly, the differences across socio-economic backgrounds in university grade attainment for female students is explained by intermediating variables such as personality, risk attitudes and time preferences, and subject/college choices. However, for male students, we explain less than half of the socio-economic gradient through these same pathways. Despite the weakening socio-economic effect in grade attainment, a key finding is that large socio-economic differentials in the earnings expectations of university students persist, even when controlling for grades in addition to our rich set of controls. Our findings pose a sizable challenge for policy in this area as they suggest that equalising educational outcomes may not translate into equal labour market outcomes.     

COGNITIVE,MOTIVATIONAL AND TEMPERAMENTAL INDICANTS OF CREATIVITY AND INTELLIGENCE1

Relationships between measures of creativity and measures of intelligence were analysed to show that even when the intercorrelations among the former are not appreciably larger than correlations between creativity and intelligence measures, dimensions of creativity are found to be psychometrically and conceptually distinct from dimensions of intelligence. One hundred eighty-eight art and engineering college students were administered objective tests and questionnaires designed to tap a number of ability and nonability indicants of creativity and intelligence. Some of these measures were of a kind that some investigators would regard as “criterion” measures of creativity and intelligence. Data were analysed by means of correlational and factor analytic procedures. Eight major influences were indicated by independent factors rotated to approximate simple structure. The influences represented by these factors were identified as: fluid intelligence, crystallized intelligence, memory, fluency, rule-orientation versus intuitive thinking, and self-sufficient-calculated-risk-taking. The fourth, seventh, and eighth factors were discussed as representing distinct cognitive, motivational, and temperamental aspects of creativity. At the level of test intercorrelations discriminant validity did not obtain–measures of creativity did not intercorrelate more highly among themselves than they correlated with measures of intelligence. The putative factors of creativity did correlate more highly with creativity criteria, however, than did the factors identified as representing intelligence. Moreover, the intelligence factors were more highly related to intelligence criteria than to creativity criteria. Thus the evidence of this study suggests that it is useful to think of creativity and intelligence as the outgrowths of distinct (although overlapping) sets of influences, even when this is not well indicated by discriminant-convergent validation analyses carried out with respect to tests (in contrast to factors).     

The mathematical abilities of dyslexic 10-year-olds

Seventy-two items testing various aspects of mathematics were given to 12,131 ten-year-old children. Criteria for specific developmental dyslexia (SDD) and for other groupings are specified. Despite the absence of differences in intelligence level, the mean score on the mathematics test for the dyslexics was not only lower than that of the normal achievers but lower also than that of underachievers believed not to be dyslexic. On some of the 72 items, there was little difference in percentage pass rate between the groups; on others, however, there were wide differences. On the basis of ratings carried out “blind” by a panel of experienced teachers of dyslexic children, and in the light of other considerations, some tentative suggestions are put forward as to what it is about certain mathematical items that makes them relatively hard or easy for children with dyslexia.     

The Comprehensive Assessment of Rational Thinking

The Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded in 2002 for work on judgment and decision-making tasks that are the operational measures of rational thought in cognitive science. Because assessments of intelligence (and similar tests of cognitive ability) are taken to be the quintessence of good thinking, it might be thought that such measures would serve as proxies for the assessment of rational thought. It is important to understand why such an assumption would be misplaced. It is often not recognized that rationality and intelligence (as traditionally defined) are two different things conceptually and empirically. Distinguishing between rationality and intelligence helps explain how people can be, at the same time, intelligent and irrational. Thus, individual differences in the cognitive skills that underlie rational thinking must be studied in their own right because intelligence tests do not explicitly assess rational thinking. In this article, I describe how my research group has worked to develop the first prototype of a comprehensive test of rational thought (the Comprehensive Assessment of Rational Thinking).     

Do the rich become richer and the poor poorer?: A longitudinal analysis of pupil achievement and progress in elementary schools using computer-assisted instruction

In arithmetic, contrary to economics, only the first part of the question in the title receives an affirmative answer. In other words, there is hope for low achievers. A longitudinal analysis of pupil achievement and progress was done in 15 schools, over 5 years, on the subject of elementary school arithmetic. The pupil population was divided into nine groups, using two dimensions: school socio-economic status (SES) and pupil achievement, each one with three categories. The most striking result is that the within-class achievement differences are much higher than the achievement differences resulting from diverse SES. Another important result refers to the rate of progress of the different subpopulations, and this point is extensively discussed in this chapter. Some thoughts about the need for educational reform are presented, based on these analyses.     

Socio-economic status,cultural diversity and the aspirations of secondary students in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne,Australia

Using data from a recent survey of Australian secondary students, we find that those from higher socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to aspire to attend university. The same can be said for students who do not speak English at home. We find that students with an ethnic minority background are more likely to perceive higher levels of support from parents. However, we find that all students believe they receive encouragement from their parents to do well at school (rather than discouragement or disinterest), and that there is little difference in the level of importance placed on the views of parents between students from English and non-English speaking background. While interest in university education is strong across all socio-economic groups, particularly for students who do not speak English at home, there is a considerable gap between aspirations and enrolment levels. We suggest that this ‘aspirations gap’ is larger for students from low socio-economic backgrounds. This analysis also supports growing evidence that the postcode methodology for allocating socio-economic status to individuals is unreliable.     

中国居民健康的社会经济影响因素分析

基于在浙江和甘肃两省搜集到的中国健康与营养追踪调查预调查数据（CHARLsPILOT）,区分城乡实证考察了中国居民健康与社会经济地位之间的关系．在健康衡量方面,涵盖主观自评健康（SRH）、生理性健康指标如工具性日常活动能力,以及用于衡量心理消极程度的心理消极得分．社会经济地位则由受教育程度、家庭人均收入来测度,同时还控制性别、年龄、婚姻状况、省份等因素．结果表明：在中国,不论城市还是农村,居民健康与社会经济地位之间均存在显著的相关关系,不同社会经济地位的居民之间存在明显的健康梯度,此外,性别、年龄、省份等因素对于居民健康均有着显著的影响．     

Some factors underlying mathematical performance: The role of visuospatial working memory and non-verbal intelligence

Passive and active visuospatial working memory (VSWM) were investigated in relation to maths performance. The mental rotation task was employed as a measure of active VSWM whereas passive VSWM was investigated using a modified Corsi Blocks task and a matrix pattern task. The Raven Progressive Matrices Test measured fluid intelligence. A total of 128 students, aged 15–16, served as participants. Fluid intelligence and passive VSWM accounted for variance in overall maths performance. Active VSWM exhibited significant correlations with maths measures, but in a series of regression analyses most of its effect was observed to be mediated by fluid intelligence. Different subscores of mathematical skills (geometry, word problems, and mental arithmetic) were accounted for by fluid intelligence and different measures of VSWM. The educational implications of the results are discussed.     

The evolution of socio-economic disparities in literacy skills from age 15 to age 27 in 20 countries

This study contributes to the literature by examining the evolution of socio-economic disparities in literacy skills between age 15 and 27. It uses combined cross-sectional data from the Programme for International Student Assessment and the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies in 20 countries and adopts a synthetic cohort approach. In the article we examine if there are differences in the evolution of socio-economic disparities in literacy between the teenage years and young adulthood among high-achieving students (90th percentile) and among low-achieving students (10th percentile) and compare differences across education systems. We used parental education as an indicator of socio-economic status. Findings indicate that on average, disparities in literacy skills observed at age 15 widen by 15% of a standard deviation by age 27. Such increase is determined by a more pronounced growth in achievement among individuals with tertiary educated parents than among individuals whose parents did not complete tertiary education. The increase in socio-economic gaps between age 15 and 27 is more pronounced among low-achieving students. The group that improves the most between age 15 and 27 is low-achieving individuals with tertiary educated parents. We find that socio-economic differences in educational attainment, NEET status and use of skills at home and in the workplace explain a large part of socio-economic disparities in literacy achievement among young adults. Although countries with above-average disparities at age 15 tend to also display above-average disparities at age 27, we identify differences across countries.     

Cost-Sharing in Higher Education: Differences between countries and between distinct socio-economic groups

The paper studies the relation between different national cost-sharing models and how students from different socio-economic backgrounds finance their higher education in six different European countries: the Czech Republic, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain. The findings reveal considerable differences both between the countries and also between different socio-economic groups of students within each country. Even though there are only small social differences in the students’ level of income, there are considerable social differences in the students’ sources of income. The findings are discussed related to the country’s specific policy and higher education funding structures.

     

Crystallized and fluid intelligence in a “new” instructional situation

Twenty-four measures of crystallized intelligence (Gc) and fluid intelligence (Gf) were obtained for samples of graduates and failures of an innovative instructional setting where computer-managed mastery learning was implemented to teach elementary electricity and electronics. Seven stepwise multiple discriminant analyses and associated statistics were computed to determine which linear combinations of Gf and Gc measures could optimally separate the two groups. Corresponding classification functions derived for the discriminant analyses were applied to these measures obtained from the subjects to evaluate the effectiveness of differentiating failures and graduates. The results did not substantiate the hypothesis that Gf measures would be associated with student success in new instructional situations more so than Gc measures. Contrary to theory, the findings suggest that some unconventional educational environments are not necessarily dysfunctional for better abled students. In these situations they can just as easily exercise and exploit those skills developed and applied in more traditional instructional settings.     

死缓无期罪犯心理特点及监管改造对策研究

对随机抽取的39名死缓无期罪犯进行瑞文联合型智力测验和艾森克个性测验。结果表明：死缓无期罪犯的智力水平与一般人智力水平没有显著差异;死缓无期罪犯的精神质（P）、内外向（E）、神经质（N）得分显著低于一般罪犯的得分,但掩饰性（L）得分显著高于一般罪犯。研究建议：（1）个性稳定性为主要参考指标,结合智力水平和掩饰性对死缓罪犯进行分类,将其分为三个危险等级,分别采取相应的监管改造措施;（2）对死缓无期罪犯的监管改造要充分考虑到服刑时间因素和监狱环境因素对罪犯心理的影响,建立罪犯心理档案,定期进行跟踪非常有必要。     

No g in education?

This study investigates the relationships of domain-general cognitive abilities and domain-specific verbal and mathematical abilities to students' educational characteristics when two theoretically grounded, but competing structural models are applied. In the standard model, a single latent ability causes interindividual differences in the corresponding measures. In the nested-factor model, interindividual differences are caused by two independent cognitive abilities: general cognitive ability and domain-specific ability. The two models were examined using data from 29,386 ninth graders. The results show that findings on the relations between domain-specific abilities and students' socio-economic status, general school satisfaction, educational aspirations, domain-specific interests, and subject-specific grades may differ substantially depending on the structural model applied. Implications for educational research and measurement as well as for students' motivational and cognitive development are discussed.