Examined the cross-racial validity of friendship qualities and the value of reciprocity in friendship with 40 white and black fifth graders in a multiracial elementary school. Found that reliable alliance was considered significantly more important as a friendship quality by black than by white students, with 10 qualities, including reciprocity,…

The Ohio Off-Grade Proficiency Tests help in monitoring students' progress toward Ohio's adapted model courses of study in reading, mathematics, citizenship, science, and writing. The purpose of this study was to provide item response theory (IRT) parameter estimates and descriptive statistics of the scoring categories of the short-response items…

The relationship of expectations and assessments of friendships among third and fifth graders was studied. Particular attention was given to (1) the relationships between friendship expectation (FE), the assessment of present friendships (FA), and friendship reciprocity (FR); (2) gender, racial, and grade level differences in these same three…

This investigation examines the relationship between fifth graders' scores on Coopersmith's Self Esteem Inventory and the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire. Data were analyzed by race and sex. (GO)

Assessed lifetime and recent alcohol use among fifth graders, examining students' attitudes and beliefs concerning alcohol. Surveys of 813 students indicated that 48.9 percent had ever tried alcohol, and 17.9 percent had consumed alcohol in the past 30 days. Significant differences in alcohol-related attitudes and beliefs were found according to…

In order to assess preteen activities in a moderate sized community in Georgia, selected group of classroom teachers conducted a pilot study. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to approximately 1,000 fifth-grade children and the results are presented here. It was discovered that Blacks, more than Whites, and boys, more than girls,…

Examines the influence of teachers, age, sex, and race on the reading preferences of third, fourth, and fifth grade pupils. Concludes that the tested variables do explain differences, but that there are more similarities than differences. (RS)

Through a Chicago Public School Program fifth-grade students from different cultures and backgrounds were brought together to experience and learn about a forest environment. These urban students (N=269) completed a brief questionnaire about their previous experiences, perceptions, and expectations regarding forest resources. Findings indicate…

Determined whether test-wiseness training would influence the achievement of students in math and reading. Significant effects were noted in math for fifth-grade students. Race effects favored White students. (Author/ABB)

A dissertation-study focused on 210,305 non-categorical third and fifth grade reading results of the 1987 Pennsylvania Test for Essential Learning Skills (TELS). The data given by the Pennsylvania Department of Education was analyzed through descriptive statistics for the following purposes: (1) to determine a difference and a magnitude of a…

The reliabilities of 6 item bias indices and correlations among them were investigated for each of the 11 tests of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS). The difficulty and delta indices detected group differences in relative item difficulty. Biserial and point biserial indices detected group differences in item discrimination. The Scheuneman and…

Academic achievement of fifth grade students, statistically controlled for the student's socioeconomic status, was studied in relationship to the racial balance of the student's school. Eleven elementary schools were assigned to three categories in which the percentage of students who were black was either 11 to 15, 22 to 24, or 47 to 51%.…

Studied how differences in race, gender, and academic ability affected students' use of computers and attitudes toward computers. Results with 73 suburban fifth graders show that computer technologies were less available to students who did not do well with traditional approaches, in spite of the interest traditionally disadvantaged students…

A year-long thematic unit for fifth-graders combines critical thinking and whole language frameworks to help students retain, understand, and make active use of knowledge within and across domains. Using systematic instruction in critical thinking, students explore the fundamental human concepts of race, sex, age, and power. David…