The term "socioeconomic gradient" is often used to describe the relationships between social outcomes and socioeconomic status (SES) for individuals in a specific community. In research on child development the social outcome is typically a measure describing cognitive ability, health, behaviour, social skills, or personality traits.…

Investigated male/female sixth-formers studying physical and biological science A-level courses, examining cognitive style, convergent/divergent thinking, career plans, and other characteristics. Differences between biology/physics students tend to be of the same kind as those between scientists as a whole compared to nonscientists. (JN)

Reports a series of ethnographic studies of student behavior concerning examinations, conducted in a Canadian university since the mid-1980s. Describes techniques of data gathering and the link between methodology and theory. Examines implications for higher education, including dealing with students' exam-related stress, factors influencing…

Reports on a study that explores the influence of cultural setting on the relationship between temperament and adjustment in children in British infant schools. Concludes that a better understanding of the contribution of the setting's features to individual adjustment may provide a basis for maximizing adjustment. (LS)

Examines sex-group differences in anxiety, curiosity, and anger, as states and traits, among Israeli college students, and compares the data with norms available for American students. Observed sex-group differences are discussed and explained. (FMW)

Eight kindergarten teachers identified 53 students who were likely to experience difficulty in school and profiled the students in terms of pupil characteristics that are, according to research, implicated in early school performance. Low scores in student behavior, family structure, language, personality, and age were most representative of the…

Relationships between colleague ratings of 29 personality traits and student ratings of teacher effectiveness were studied for 46 faculty members in 6 types of courses ranging from freshman lectures to graduate seminars in a Canadian university's psychology department. Teachers are differentially suited to different course levels because of…

Discusses a study of students' personality judgments of adults presented as teachers. Reports that judgments were factually structured and influenced by (1) the role played by the adults, and (2) the children's ages. Finds that younger children produced more positive judgments with dominant traits being described more positively. Concludes that…

Representations of conflict in reported dreams of 24 Israeli, 26 Bedouin, and 27 Irish children aged 8.5 to 11 years reflect characteristic coping processes of the dreamer. As such, dreams are a useful measure of culturally mediated ego processes. Cross-cultural differences reflect culturally related socialization processes. (SLD)

Explores the relationships between self-concept and Kohlberg-type moral reasoning among secondary students in Batswana. Notes predominant use of the preconventional level of moral reasoning. Finds this signifies the influence of social environment and cultural values on development of moral reasoning. (Author/NL)

Under British school-choice systems, parental perceptions of school quality motivate considerable pupil migration. Headteachers are cast into managerial roles stressing their ability to retain catchment populations and attract pupils from elsewhere. A South Wales study shows that school location and local environment figure prominently in a…

The purpose of this study was to assess whether burnout and personality were linked to the perceived severity of 24 undesirable student behaviors among experienced and trainee teachers. Results indicated that teaching experience, student gender, and type of behavior were important determinants of their perceptions. Burnout had a significant effect…

This article presents a design of educational software employing group competition using a large interactive electronic whiteboard, and a report on its experimental use. Group competition and collaboration are useful methods to cultivate originality and communication skills. To share the same space, the same large screen, and face-to-face…

The increasing trend for the globalisation of business has highlighted the need for a better understanding of the factors that influence levels of intercultural awareness within organisations. Within the higher education sector, one initiative that aims to address this issue is student study abroad programs. This paper reports on a study that…

A total of 284 first-year undergraduate business studies students in a post-1992 university in Greater London completed a questionnaire regarding their motives for deciding to participate in higher education. The questionnaire also queried whether the decision to enroll had been "marginal," or was something about which they had never had…