The inferior performance of external locus of control (LOC) subjects (Ss) on achievement tests has been attributed by many researchers to cognitive and perceptual deficiencies. Several studies have shown that advance organizers (AO) which provide optimal anchorage and mobilize existing relevant concepts, facilitate learning of verbal material.…

How interracial contact affects the attitudes of blacks towards whites is explored in this study, which also delineates the personality characteristics predictive of prejudice and prejudice changes, and how these characteristics differ between blacks and whites. The sample includes 112 male inmates; 63 blacks and 49 whites, who are newly admitted…

The frequency theory of verbal discrimination learning makes no distinction between silent and spoken rehearsal. Further, the frequency theory predicts that the study-test method of list presentation is superior to the anticipation method. College students, performing under silent and spoken rehearsal conditions, learned 16 low-frequency…

Investigates the influence of linguistic structure on non-linguistic cognition by comparing Russian and English behavior on tasks involving the color blue. Russians, who differentiate this region into "dark blue" and "light blue," were expected to separate blues more often than English subjects for whom the colors belong to one lexical category.…

Describes a study that examined the information-seeking behavior of undergraduate students searching print and electronic encyclopedias to determine how mental models are adapted for different types of media. Cognitive load is discussed; print and electronic systems are compared; differences among three electronic encyclopedias are described; and…

Describes study that was conducted to determine whether the search process is the same for academic, public, and school library users. Cognitive models of information seeking are discussed, users' attitudes during the search process are described, the role mediators play is examined, and future research needs are suggested. (26 references) (LRW)

Examines contextual differences in student motivation and self-regulated learning in seventh- and eighth-grade mathematics, social studies, and English. Results revealed differences by subject area and gender in motivation and cognitive strategy use variables, but not in regulatory strategy use or academic performance; relations among these…

Examines two sets of classrooms in Mexican preschools over a period of a year to see why one set of classes improved significantly in independent problem solving when compared with children in matching classes. Differences in two sets of data were explored with a method for investigating classroom talk that combines qualitative interpretation with…

Graduate schools have been admitting more and more students older than the "traditional" 18- to 24-year-old campus population. These adult learners may come to their programs of study without formal training in library use in general or literature searches in particular. By examining various successful and unsuccessful strategies used by…

This paper summarizes an integrated research study which was conducted of the literature on learning from mass media and instructional television. The body of literature reviewed encompasses 17,500 citations from the Educational Resources Information Clearinghouse (ERIC) and 1,882 citations from Psychological Abstracts. Major research areas…

A study of question and response patterns in middle and secondary schools in Indonesia is presented. The study examines questioning from the point of view of several previous studies. Interactions in 12 classes in English and in Bahasa Indonesian were videotaped in three middle schools and three secondary schools. Analysis of the data revealed…

Insights into successful collaborative writing interactions were derived from an analysis of the discourse of three ninth-grade coauthoring triads (groups of three students)--a model group, a typical group, and a problem group. The writing task was an argumentative essay. Students received instruction in collaborative writing through teacher…

Since an author does not provide all critical information, a text is never fully explicit; it demands that the reader/listener supply missing elements in order to form a coherent and logical whole. A study was conducted to explore both the types of responses urban first grade students made when asked to predict a narrative ending and differences…

This research explored cognitive-motivational patterns of learning-disabled and nondisabled adolescents by employing the theoretical model of C. S. Dweck, which posits that a "learning goal" orients students toward the development of competence, whereas a "performance goal" orients students toward the documentation of competence, and that these…

The study compared perceptions of high school and college faculty regarding the characteristics and preparatory needs of secondary learning disabled (LD) students. The analysis was based on a survey of 288 high school teachers (246 regular and 42 special education) and 82 college teachers. Separate factor analyses identified three academic factors…