Causal interpretations of story characters' helpful behavior were examined in first, fourth, and sixth graders, and in college-age students. Subjects heard stories featuring actors' anticipations of eight different consequences for helping. Differences in ratings of actors among age groups were discussed. (Author/CI)

The main purpose of this study was to illustrate a polytomous IRT-based linking procedure that adjusts for rater variations. Test scores from two administrations of a statewide reading assessment were used. An anchor set of Year 1 students' constructed responses were rescored by Year 2 raters. To adjust for year-to-year rater variation in IRT…

The federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) brought new challenges and opportunities for the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA). Like many states, Pennsylvania was faced with adding assessments in grades 4, 6 and 7 in reading and mathematics. However, unlike most states, Pennsylvania did not respond to NCLB by simply adding…

This guide is one in a series of four resource guides specifically designed for those interested in aviation education. Activities and lessons that can be used in a variety of content areas and grade levels are featured. Grades 4-6 are the focus of this guide, which is organized under the broad topics of properties of air, lighter than air flight,…

Results indicated that, for elementary students, art criticism was more effective than a combination of methodologies for developing positive affect toward art works. For junior high students, the combination methodology was more effective than art criticism, the exposure method, or the counterattitudinal advocacy method. (Author/SR)

Grades four to six in three school districts representing rural, suburban, and urban school settings were exposed to a nutrition program. Results disclosed that students having access to the nutrition unit significantly out-performed students lacking access and that teachers needed to receive pre-implementation inservice education regarding the…

Examined achievement goals and their correlates in physical education in 180 Chinese students and 121 Anglo-American students in grades 4, 5, and 6. The same two-dimensional factor structure of goal orientation (task and ego orientation) cut across the two cultural groups in physical education, but relationships seemed to vary as a function of…

The traditional approach toward teaching spelling was compared with a copy, cover, and compare approach for 9 special education (learning-disabled) students in grades 4, 5, and 6. Spelling performance improved in the copy, cover, compare condition; and students preferred this approach. (SLD)

Examined effects of short-term memory, age, and reading ability on the instructional effectiveness of imagery during reading of sentences among fourth and sixth graders, half of whom were instructed to construct images representing sentence meanings. Half were uninstructed. Imagery instructions had a positive effect on learning efficiency among…

Examines the comparative use of grapho/phonic and syntactic/semantic cues for ongoing word recognition by readers in grades two, four, six, and eight reading both silently and orally. Finds a greater number of altered words were identified in the oral compared to the silent reading mode in grades four, six, and eight. (RS)

Thirty-seven second, 41 fourth, and 46 sixth graders were tested on low-level subcomponents of reading efficiency and high-level text comprehension to assess the relationship between the two parameters. High-level comprehension does not depend on efficiency of lexical access processes, but verbal memory span is important in high-level…

Researchers examined student listening and reading performance to determine weaknesses in listening and reading comprehension, questioning whether performances of students with such problems suggest differences in processing strategies. Results showed significant between-group listening and reading differences. Using listening to measure optimal…

Analyzes the effect of grade level on stances students take when responding to literature. Finds that a two-way analysis of variance for grade and text on the variable of stance reveals no significant main effects for grade. (PRA)

Fourth- through sixth-grade Mexican-American students were surveyed to identify gender differences for use of cigarettes, beer, wine/liquor, and marijuana. Overall, more males than females reported using larger numbers of substances with more frequency, though the differences tended to attenuate in the sixth grade. (SM)

Examined elaboration strategy--verbal elaboration, imagery, or keyword--use as a function of prior knowledge with students in grades two, four, and six. Found support for elaborative interrogation for all grade levels when learners had access to an extensive network of information. Imagery appeared to be the strategy of choice when background…