Developmental skills of advantaged and disadvantaged children on perceptual tasks

The Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test (BVMGT), Rutgers Drawing Test (RDT), Memory-for-Designs (M-F-D), a visuo-spatial memory test (Bannatyne, 1968), and selected motor tasks (Bannatyne, 1965) were administered to 155 advantaged and disadvantaged children. First- and second-grade advantaged children were superior on all of the visual-motor, visual-motor memory, and visual memory, and visual memory tasks. On the motor tasks, first-grade advantaged children were superior on Gross Rhythm (p < .01), and Throws (p < .01). Second-grade advantaged children were superior on Crosses (p < .01), and Throws (p < .01). Disadvantaged first- and second-graders, however, were superior on Touchings (p < .01). The results are discussed in terms of differential perceptual-motor and motor growth and the need to structure educational experience that will contribute to this growth.     

What I think and feel: A cross-cultural study of anxiety in children

The What I Think and Feel, a measure of anxiety in children, was administered to similar groups of 5th- and 6th-grade children in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. All children expressed similar levels of anxiety, and there were no significant differences attributable to national, grade, or sex differences. On the Lie Scale of the WITF, the three groups of children differed significantly, suggesting that cultural differences in social desirability may exist. Some developmental differences for males and females of these three cultures did occur in both anxiety and social desirability as measured by the Lie Scale.     

Using a control group to evaluate a resource room program

The effectiveness of a resource room program was examined by testing 162 second- through sixth-grade students who had learning problems severe enough to qualify them for special services. Half of the students were randomly assigned to a resource room, while the others remained in the regular class. Results indicated that the children who were provided with resource room services as well as those who spent the entire day in the regular class gained significanlty in achievement over the year-long study. There was evidence on two of the four dependent variables that the resource room students gained more than those in the regular classroom. However, additional analyses found that these observed differences were relatively weak. If the control group had not been used, gains in achievement might have been attributed to the resource room, emphasizing the importance of using a control group.