Background: The objectives of this study were to (i) determine the prevalence of and characteristics associated with tobacco smoking; (ii) identify the factors associated with tobacco smoking; and (iii) evaluate the association between tobacco smoking and khat chewing among intermediate and secondary school students in Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia.…

Examined relationship between relative age and achievement in middle school by investigating standardized mathematics and reading scores for 933 students. Found significant differences among relative age groups in only one area, sixth-grade reading. Found no main effect for gender and no interaction between age and gender in sixth, seventh, or…

This study compared the science vocabulary performance of 76 students with learning disabilities (LD) and 78 normally achieving (NA) students at elementary and intermediate grade levels. Findings indicated significant differences in receptive language performance between LD and NA students and differences in expressive language between older and…

Students from grades four through eleven (n=304) responded to a questionnaire regarding their viewpoints on grades. Three dimensions were examined: (1) attitudes about being graded; (2) comprehension of grading systems; and (3) causal perceptions and attributions about why students get good grades. Findings are discussed. (Author/MT)

Disadvantaged rural and urban intermediate grade children were administered the Michigan State Self-Concept-of-Academic Ability Scale to ascertain any difference in perceived self-concept-of-academic ability due to residential setting (rural vs. urban). Grade level differences were found. (Author/CS)

A group of high-risk transfer students in third through fifth grades participated in a school orientation program and received tutoring at school. A second group received additional tutoring at home. Both groups showed modest improvements in academic and social behavior. Combined tutoring at home and school was more effective for third graders…

Gifted, average, and learning-disabled children (total n=660) in grades four and seven were assessed on measures of achievement, ability, perceived competence in cognitive ability, self-concept, and locus of control over a two-year period. In general, perceived competence and self-concept were higher for gifted students and were stable for all…

The effect of summer break on mathematics and spelling performance of second through fifth grade students were assessed by comparing aggregated curriculum-based test scores administered in the spring and fall. Results indicated second and third grade students regressed in spelling; not in mathematics. The reverse was true for fourth and fifth…

A student self-report instrument was used with fourth- and sixth-grade students to collect data on eight classroom process variables and relate these factors to contextual variables--students' ages, sex, and socioeconomic status. Results indicate that students' perceptions of different teaching behaviors have distinctly different impacts on…

Study behaviors common to elementary school students were incorporated into a questionnaire administered to 793 fourth and sixth graders. Factor structures varied by sex and grade level, but gender differences in study strategies apparent by grade six may be the source of persistent gender differences in academic achievement. (SLD)

A Canadian study examined the feasibility of establishing achievement criteria for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students based on their age and length of residence (LOR) in Canada. Such criteria would permit comparisons between the academic and linguistic development of ESL students and that of both Canadian-born, English-speaking students…

The effect on achievement of the timing of the transition from elementary to intermediate school was investigated. Focus was on determining whether it matters if children transfer to an intermediate school at grade 6 or at grade 7. The Otis-Lennon School Ability Test was administered to grade 5 students in spring of 1981. The sixth and…

A longitudinal study of early adolescents examined gender differences in attitude and behavior, as well as the effects of pubertal change, parental expectations, and parental support. It was hypothesized that sex differences would emerge during preadolescence and that males' and females' rates of change would be significantly different. Subjects…

The problem of this study was to determine if there was any difference in fourth, fifth, and sixth grade children's ability to learn the materials in an anthropology unit, "Concept of Culture," designed for the fourth grade and developed by the Anthropology Curriculum Project. Major emphasis of the unit was given to an understanding of…

A total of 283 students at Fassett Middle School in Oregon, Ohio, a suburban, middle-class city were surveyed about their attitudes toward foreign language study in high school. The participants were 151 male and 132 female students in grade 6 (87), grade 7 (104), and grade 8 (92). The objective was to determine whether or not the middle school…