Identification of gifted students

School curricula are changing, most notably in the field of special education. One area which is increasingly receiving more emphasis is gifted education. The gifted student, who has too long been overlooked, is now eligible for placement in special education classes designed to further the development of his unique abilities. The role of the school psychologist in identification of the gifted student is discussed.     

Applications of Heider's p-o-x balance model to classroom situations

Some selected principles of Heider's balance theory are presented and the p-o-x model is explained as a theoretical framework for predicting responses to interpersonal situations in which the participants are in attitudinal agreement or disagreement. Concrete classroom situations are cited in which application of the model provides the basis for suggestions concerned with adaptive patterns of interaction with students.     

The others-concept and friendly and cooperative behavior in children

This study explored the predictability of friendly, cooperative behavior of school children over a 5-week period. The basis for the predictions was the children's others-concept, as measured by the Paired Hands Test. Structured observations of groups of children working together on assigned tasks were made during five consecutive weekly sessions, each lasting approximately 15 minutes. The observations were obtained by recording each session and categorizing verbal statements as to their task-relatedness and friendliness. This procedure allowed comparisons between children with high and low others-concepts with respect to these behaviors. In three tasks out of five the high others-concept children showed a higher frequency and greater proportion of task-related and friendly behaviors. The tasks which best differentiated between children with high and low others-concepts were those which seemed to be the most challenging and exciting, and which called for the highest degree of group cooperation. The study demonstrated how friendly and cooperative interactions among small groups of children are influenced by a combination of their others-concept and situational factors.     

A canonical correlation analysis of demographic information and the behavior problem checklist

The purpose of the present study was to do a canonical correlation analysis of demographic information and the Behavior Problem Checklist (BPCL) in order (a) to employ the demographic information in a manner that had not been possible using other methods, and (b) to examine the four factors on the BPCL as a general measure of mental health and mental illness. Subjects were 2,314 children who differed in grade in school, sex, social class, ethnic group status, and type of class in school (i.e., regular or special education). Teachers provided the demographic information and the BPCL ratings. It was found that the four factors on the BPCL were significantly correlated. It was also found that there were four canonical correlations between the demographic information and the BPCL ratings of which three were and one was not significant. The meanings of the four canonical correlations were described for the demographic information and for the four factors on the BPCL.     

The dimensions of reading attitude for children in the intermediate grades

This study represents the first phase of an ongoing research program aimed at identifying the dimensions of reading attitude and determining how these dimensions relate to a broader range of variables such as reading achievement, scholastic aptitude, classroom behavior, and cognitive styles. The 150 items which comprise the experimental edition of A Survey of Reading Altitudes (Wallbrown, Brown, & Engin, 1974) were factor analyzed along with measures of scholastic aptitude, reading vocabulary, and reading comprehension. The analysis was based on the responses of 853 intermediate grade students. The attitude items were presented orally to control for reading problems, but the students also had booklets so they could read the items to themselves. Seven independent dimensions of reading attitude and one reading achievement factor were identified, interpreted, and discussed. The findings are encouraging, since they suggest that investigating the expressed reading attitudes of intermediate grade children constitutes a promising line of educational research.