Sensitivity to orthographic structure in educable mentally retarded children

Thirty educable mentally retarded (EMR) children were presented an item selection task to assess their sensitivity to orthographic structure in printed English words. Analyses of performance indicated that EMR children do acquire implicit knowledge of orthographic rules and that this ability is related to the development of reading skills.     

Reciprocity of inter-ethnic attitudes in a multicultural society

A national survey of multicultural and ethnic attitudes in Canada was conducted in 1974 (n = 1849). Data were analysed for the 1244 respondents whose ethnicity could be determined as Angloceltic, French, German, Italian or Ukrainian Canadian, A five group by five group intergroup attitude matrix was created, with each group acting both as attitude object and as holder of attitudes. Analysis indicated the existence of reciprocity or balance in the matrix: groups tended to reflect the attitude held toward them back onto the group holding the attitude. However this structural balance was moderated by the existence of shared attitudes about the position of a group in the national ethnic hierarchy. Further analysis indicated the existence of ethnocentrism in the matrix: attitudes toward ingroup and positive reference groups were more positive than toward out-groups. Perceived intergroup similarity and familiarity were positively correlated with each other and with intergroup acceptance. Results were discussed in relation to attitude balance theory and ethnocentrism theory, and in their implication for intergroup research in multicultural societies.     

The cross-cultural transfer of educational technology: A myth

This paper argues that technologies can never be transferred from one culture to another. The implementation by Costa Rica of the Open University system of technologies developed in England is used as a case in point. The paper focuses on the non-applicability of using the term “transfer” with its attendant connotations, to signify the implementation of similar technologies in different cultures; differentiates between system specific and culture specific problems in the process of this implementation: and discusses the interaction of three cultures in the process of “transferring” a system of technologies from one of these cultures to another. The Open University system of technologies is described as it exists in England and the system specific problems of these technologies are delimited. The system of technologies is then “transferred” to Costa Rica and the culture specific problems discussed as seen by two evaluators from yet a third culture (the United States). The expectations of individuals from all three cultures (English, Costa Rican and U.S.) are raised in tight of these culture specific problems.     

Use of clustering techniques in deriving psychoeducational profiles

This study explores whether a synthesis of clinical and statistical data taken from the psychoeducational reports completed on a group of 42, 9- to 11-year-old boys referred to a Child Psychiatric Outpatient Department for school-learning problems, would yield discrete clinical categories or clusters of children. An amalgamated hierarchical clustering technique which formed clusters by subjects based on a measure of euclidean distance was used. Forty-two reports were evaluated by licensed educational psychologists in five input areas: Developmental History, School History, Cognitive Functioning, Sensorimotor/Perceptual Functioning, and Academic Achievement. One of three educational placement recommendations was identified for each subject: No Educational Placement Intervention Necessary, Special Tutoring or Remediation, and Special Class Placement. Using clinical characteristic ratings given by the evaluators on each variable, a similarity-dissimilarity matrix was formed which classified subjects into four discrete clusters based on their clinical profiles. A χ² test determined that there was a significant association (p < .01) between cluster membership and educational placement recommendations.     

The rule-assessment approach and education

This paper describes the rule-assessment approach to cognitive development and summarizes work using it that is relevant to education. The basic question that motivated the rule-assessment approach is how people's existing knowledge influences their ability to learn. Addressing this issue requires a means of assessing what people already know, a means for studying how they learn, and a means for examining basic processes that may underlie developmental differences in knowledge and learning. Research using the rule-assessment approach is summarized in terms of eight conclusions about these issues. Each of the conclusions is illustrated with empirical examples.     

Cognitive development and instructional theory

The foundations of the cognitive-developmental curriculum movement are briefly examined in this paper. The key features of this movement are the recommendations it makes in three areas: curriculum sequencing, curriculum content, and teaching strategies. Each of these areas is critically examined. It is concluded that the grounds for all proposals are purely theoretical. When the data are considered, they either contradict specific proposals or provide no direct evidence.     

Locus of control and tutor's instructional style as determinants of cross-age tutoring effectiveness

Junior high students serving as cross-age tutors taught their elementary school tutee an analogy lesson in the presence of observers who recorded tutor teaching behaviors and tutee learning as a function of students' internal-external control. Based upon results demonstrating that externals outperform internals when another person provides feedback regarding response accuracy, it was hypothesized that tutorial instruction would benefit external learners more than internal learners. Correlations between tutee externality and task performance (though in the expected direction) were not significant and failed to support the hypothesis. On the other hand, hypotheses regarding tutor behaviors were confirmed. As predicted, internal tutors expected to be more successful teachers, used more verbal and nonverbal cues in their teaching, expended more noticeable effort, and taught more analogies than external tutors. The implications of these results for the conduct of tutoring programs in schools was discussed.     

On inserting questions before or after segments of text

It has been concluded in all major reviews of adjunct question research that a group given questions after related text segments (postquestions) yields greater recall than a group given questions before related text segments (prequestions) or one not given any questions at all. However, closer examination of the earlier research and an analysis of recent research reveals that for certain types of verbatim questions and for certain high level questions, postquestions produce recall equivalent to or less than prequestions. Moreover, in many studies wherein postquestions exceed prequestions, the postquestion group equals the reading-only control group in recall of nonquestioned (incidental) material. Hence, despite frequent pronouncements to the contrary, no firm recommendation can be made regarding the optimal placement of adjunct questions in text material.     

The effects of evaluation conditions on “continuing motivation” study of the cultural,personological and situational antecedents of a motivational pattern

This study compares the effects of three different evaluation conditions on the “continuing motivation” of grade school students in Iran and the U.S. In both cultural groups, the highest continuing motivation was shown by students in a self-evaluation condition followed, in order, by students in the peer comparison and teacher evaluation conditions. While the generalizability of evaluation effects is perhaps the most striking finding, it may he noted that these effects were to some extent modified by individual differences in achieving orientation and sex role. Also of interest were the effects of performance level on continuing motivation, In this case, higher levels of performance on the task were generally followed by greater continuing motivation. The theoretical implications of this and other findings were discussed in terms of Current achievement theory.