Discrepancies between ability and achievement were calculated for reading, spelling, and arithmetic for 64 intellectually gifted students in grades four-six. Means were plotted for males and females. While no statistically significant differences were found between groups, females scored closer to their expected achievement levels than males,…

Reports a study of 341 fourth, fifth, and sixth graders in which amount of television viewing time, gathered from one-month diaries, was examined in relationship to achievement as measured by standardized test scores. Findings were inconclusive. Data on TV viewing amounts and patterns are included. (SJL)

Reports results of a study which examined predictors of music achievement for general music students in the upper elementary grades. Predictors examined were attitude toward music, self-concept in music, music background, academic achievement, and gender. (RM)

This study considered the effects of gender and cognitive processing capacity on achievement of students at an intermediate school. The capacity test developed by J. M. Furukawa (1970, 1977), which requires examinees to recall word pairs immediately after a brief exposure, was modified for use with these students. The test was adopted because it…

Fifth-grade students classified as high or low in self-concept were paired in an achievement-related task in which one succeeded and one failed. High self-concept children attributed success more to their high ability and engaged in more positive self-reinforcement than did low self-concept children. Results were discussed within an attribution…

Two studies found temporal persistence and resistance to extinction to be positively related to the attribution of failure to insufficient effort, and negatively related to ability and task difficulty in sixth graders. Results provided support for the attribution model of achievement motivation as well as empirical foundation for attribution…

Fifth- and sixth-grade students (N=154) participated in a study which found that cooperative learning situations, compared to individualistic ones, promoted more positive cross-sex and cross-handicap relationships. It was also found that males achieved higher and had more positive attitudes toward science than did females. (Author/JN)

Presents study results dealing with student musical aptitude and achievement and the degree of parental involvement. Reports that 113 Pennsylvania wind instrumentalists were studied. Finds little correlation between parental involvement and performance achievement, musical achievement, or musical aptitude. Identifies a significant relationship for…

As girls move into adolescence, they become vulnerable to certain psychological losses: those of clarity, self-confidence, and voice. Cooperative-learning research shows that female students (from middle-school to college) interact and perform better when participating in same-gender groups. To use single-gender groups effectively, teachers must…

Although current middle-level philosophy recommends a carefully planned transition between schools, many elementary school students continue to leave cohesive, self-contained classrooms for quasi-departmentalized middle schools with continuously changing class membership. A two-phase pilot study showed that (male) students in a constant-membership…

Birth weight above and below 2,500 grams was compared with intellectual performance and school achievement at ages 10 and 13 for 874 students in a Swedish community. Results indicated that low birth weight girls, but not low birth weight boys, suffered in their school performance. (Author/JDD)

The purposes of this descriptive-predictive study were to investigate the logical and critical thinking abilities of a sample of sixth through twelfth grade students (N=173) and to determine whether logical thinking processes are predictors of critical thinking abilities and academic achievement. The instruments administered in this study were (1)…

Research on sex differences in children's achievement orientations has suggested that girls have less confidence in their ability than boys, especially among bright children. To examine how sex differences in achievement orientation vary across achievement levels, 250 fifth grade children completed a questionnaire which assessed their preference…

Ebata (1985) showed that among young adolescent boys high achievement was associated with better adjustment while low achievement was associated with poorer adjustment. A study was conducted to determine whether this pattern would generalize to links between achievement and self-image for boys and to describe the pattern of relationship between…

Adults viewed silent videotapes of high- and low-achieving children and estimated the level of understanding revealed by each child. Observers accurately differentiated between understanding and not understanding in spontaneous and deliberate conditions. In the spontaneous conditions, high achievers were perceived as understanding more than low…