Research was viewed as needed to establish a classification scheme for the major areas of difficulties individual students have in solving word problems. The results suggest that inability to read problems is a major obstacle for sixth graders, and mastery of components of problem solving ensures process mastery. (MP)

An operational definition of careless errors was provided and used in an investigation of 50 children attending an international primary school in Lae, Papua New Guinea. Results indicated that mathematically competent and confident children tend to make a greater proportion of errors than other children. (MP)

Shows how the case study approach was used to examine the writing processes of six sixth-grade students. (RL)

Reports the results of an interest survey given to children in four fifth and sixth grade classrooms to determine if the sex differences in interest reported by earlier researchers were still in effect. Found that differences in reading material preferences between males and females still existed. (FL)

A new series of instructional television programs designed for fifth and sixth grades, will reinforce basic skills while helping students learn to solve real-world problems. (Author/MLF)

Four experiments involving 367 college students and 259 sixth graders demonstrate that children and adults, when asked to represent vision schematically, have a bias to draw arrows pointing away from the eye and toward a visual efferent. The role of this type of representation in learning is discussed. (SLD)

This study analyzed motivational effects of type of instructional control on learning from computer-based instruction, according to Keller's ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction) model of motivational design. Sixth graders in Korea were randomly assigned to either learner or program control groups, and results showed that the group…

Describes a 1995-96 CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) controlled study conducted in seven major U.S. cities that measured the effects of online usage (via Internet and Scholastic Network) on student learning. Results show that online use can increase student performance. Students in experimental classes produced better results on a…

Investigates the differences between female and male students' retellings of a story read silently. Finds boys were more productive than girls since the main character of the story was perceived to be male. Suggests that students be allowed to self-select reading materials to maximize usefulness of previous knowledge. (RS)

A study of 77 sixth-graders indicated that sociomoral reasoning correlated with both socialized and unsocialized aggressive behaviors, but not with attention problems, anxiety-withdrawal, or motor tension without aggression. A relationship between maturity of sociomoral reasoning and self-reported antisocial behavior was found among boys only. (RH)

Evaluates the relative importance of graphic and contextual information in word recognition, as well as the relative importance of several specific sources of contextual information (lexical, semantic, syntactic, discourse) among second-, fourth-, and sixth-grade students. Finds that students use more graphic than contextual information at target…

Examines the writing of sixth graders to explore the issue of writing competence. Discusses how form allows young writers to achieve control over a writing task. (MS)

Investigation of the links between understanding of the numeration system and representations of the counting sequence 1-100 of (n=77) high-ability grades 5 and 6 children revealed three dimensions of external representation: pictorial, iconic, or notational characteristics. (44 references) (MKR)

Reports the performance of grade six students in the Australian Primary Schools Mathematics Competition for 1990 to 1992 and provides general comparisons across states. Results showed that, overall, boys outperformed girls. Appendix contains selected competition questions. (MKR)

Describes a lesson plan that explains the role of compromise as a method of resolving conflicts for use in a sixth-grade world cultures class. Includes activities, assessment, reteaching activities, and an extension project involving student skits. (DK)