Individual and class level effects of parent-assisted instruction in classroom memory support strategies.

An experimental treatment designed to familiarize 3rd graders (N?=?840) with common classroom memory support strategies was delivered by parents. The study was conducted in the context of a larger, school-based investigation. Treatment effects were assessed on a number of cognitive outcomes, including reading achievement. Measures included the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices, Vocabulary subtest of the Cognitive Abilities Test, and Reading subscale of the Metropolitan Achievement Test. Analyses were performed at individual and class levels to accommodate the hierarchical character of the data. Results show a complex pattern of effects, with treated pupils and classes significantly outperforming controls on reading achievement and other verbal ability tests. Stable class-level Aptitude?×?Treatment interactions were also found to be interpretable and consistent with prior individual-level research. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Analysis of teacher judgments of pupil achievement levels.

Analyzed the accuracy of 12 teachers' judgments of pupil achievement levels. Ss were asked to provide for each of their 322 3rd–8th grade pupils an estimate of achievement test performance, a rating of basic intellectual ability, and a rating of motivation to do school work. Pupils were administered the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test and the Lorge-Thorndike Intelligence Test. Analyses revealed a high level of accuracy for the achievement judgments when compared to test scores. There was no evidence that pupil gender functioned as a biasing variable in the judgments, but there were indications that the pupil ability variable was a source of bias for some Ss, who overestimated the performance of high-ability pupils and underestimated the performance of low-ability pupils. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationships between classroom process variables and middle-school science achievement.

Describes relationships between teacher variables, pupil engagement, and science achievement. Teacher wait time (TWT), the length of the pause preceding a teacher utterance, and quality of questioning were manipulated. Questioning quality comprised cognitive level, clarity, and relevance of questioning. 13 middle-school teachers were randomly assigned to groups to receive feedback on TWT and questioning quality, TWT only, questioning quality only, or placebo feedback only. The feedback was intended to increase TWT beyond 3 sec and to enhance questioning quality. 12 pupils were selected from 6th, 7th, and 8th grades as data sources for 9 engagement measures. Formal reasoning ability, locus of control (the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire), and achievement measures were obtained for all pupils. Results show that 2 engagement measures, attending and generalizing, were enhanced when a mean TWT of approximately 3 sec was used and when questions were relevant, clear, and at a variety of cognitive levels. Formal reasoning ability was significantly related to generalizing, and locus of control was significantly related to attending. Variation in science achievement was significantly related to variation in TWT, attending, generalizing, and formal reasoning ability. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's attributions for failure and success in different aspects of reading.

Investigated the attributions of 82 3rd graders and 82 6th graders for their success and failure in different reading situations with an extended set of causes (as a function of age and achievement differences). Ss were split into good and poor readers on the basis of a median split on the Reading Comprehension subtest of the California Test of Basic Skills. Ss reading achievement was then assessed in 2 reading situations (evaluation of reading performance and reading for meaning). Ss were asked to rate the degree to which each of 6 causes (ability, paying attention, studying, luck, task difficulty, and assistance from others) was responsible for their success or failure. Findings show that 6th graders' locus of control scores varied across situations, while 3rd graders' scores did not. Studying and paying attention were salient to Ss as causes. Age and achievement interacted, with low-achieving 3rd graders giving higher ratings to causes more clearly beyond their control than high-achieving 3rd graders, whereas low- and high-achieving 6th graders did not differ. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship of reading achievement to verbal processing abilities.

Examined the relationship between reading achievement and ability to process verbal information in 67 achieving and 67 nonachieving readers drawn from 4th-grade classes. Verbal processing abilities were evaluated with 10 instruments, which included measures of memory span, associative learning, semantic association, automatic word processing, and time taken to name pictures, read words, and recode (pronounce) pseudowords. Achieving readers performed better on all measures except automatic word processing. Factor analysis yielded 3 factors, labeled Verbal Coding Speed, Memory Span, and Verbal Operations. Reading comprehension had high loadings on the 1st and 3rd factors but had a low loading on Memory Span. Results suggest that 1 primary component of the reading achievement of 4th-grade children is the ability to perform operations or manipulations on verbal material. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The longitudinal relations of teacher expectations to achievement in the early school years.

There is relatively little research on the role of teacher expectations in the early school years or the importance of teacher expectations as a predictor of future academic achievement. The current study investigated these issues in the reading and mathematic domains for young children. Data from nearly 1,000 children and families at 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades were included. Child sex and social skills emerged as consistent predictors of teacher expectations of reading and, to a lesser extent, math ability. In predicting actual future academic achievement, results showed that teacher expectations were differentially related to achievement in reading and math. There was no evidence that teacher expectations accumulate but some evidence that they remain durable over time for math achievement. In addition, teacher expectations were more strongly related to later achievement for groups of children who might be considered to be at risk. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Phonemic segmentation skill and beginning reading.

Investigated the relation of phonological awareness to learning to read in 63 1st-grade children (mean age 6 yrs 2 mo), who were administered tests of verbal intelligence, phonemic segmentation ability, and reading achievement. Verbal intelligence was measured using the PPVT—Form A. Results indicate that the relation of nondigraph word segmentation to reading achievement is greater than that of digraph word segmentation to reading achievement and that this relation is nonlinear. Consistent with the claim of a causal connection between phonological awareness and reading acquisition, a contingency analysis of the data revealed that phonemic segmentation ability is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for learning to read. The data were also subjected to a path analysis, which indicated that phonological awareness affects reading comprehension indirectly through phonological recoding and that the development of phonological awareness is not greatly affected by method of instruction. Implications of these findings for educational practice are briefly indicated. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Task values and ability beliefs as predictors of high school literacy choices: A developmental analysis.

This study examines how competence beliefs and task values predict high school achievement choices related to literacy. Students' task beliefs (self-concept of ability, intrinsic value, and importance) about reading in the 4th grade and English in the 10th grade were tracked over time. Task beliefs, school performance, and gender were used to predict students' (a) time per week spent reading for pleasure in 10th grade, (b) number of language arts courses per year of high school, and (c) reading relatedness of 12th-grade career aspirations. Results indicated that ability beliefs positively predicted all 3 outcomes, importance predicted career aspirations and course choices, and intrinsic value predicted leisure time reading and high school courses. Gender differences were also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-serving effect (bias?) in academic attributions: Its relation to academic achievement and self-concept.

Related the size of the self-serving effect (SSE), the tendency to accept responsibility for one's successes but not one's failures, for academic self-attributions to other academic constructs in 3 studies, 2 with 5th graders (226 and 559 Ss) and 1 with 122 9th graders. Ss completed an attribution scale and a self-concept measure, and reading achievement was assessed for 5th graders. Results from the 3 studies demonstrate that the size of the SSE was larger for (a) attributions to ability and effort than those to external causes, (b) more able students, (c) students with higher academic self-concepts, (d) students inferred to have higher academic self-concepts by teachers and by peers, and, perhaps, (e) younger students. SSEs for outcomes in mathematics and reading, particularly for attributions to ability, were content specific. The content specificity of the SSE and this logical pattern of relations among the SSEs and other variables suggest that academic achievement and academic self-concept are nonmotivational influences on the SSE. (42 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teacher effects on cognitive and affective pupil outcomes in elementary school mathematics.

Some writers contend that there is a degree of incompatibility in maximizing both desired cognitive and affective outcomes in pupils. In direct conflict is the contention expressed in literature relating to elementary school mathematics that the promotion of desired cognitive outcomes (or achievement) in pupils is dependent on the prior promotion of desired affective outcomes, such as favorable attitudes toward the subject, and furthermore, that teachers not possessing the desired cognitive and affective attributes may be unable to inspire them in their pupils. The validity of these contentions was assessed by administering mathematics attitude and achievement tests to final-year student teachers and to the 850 pupils (4th–6th grade) of 48 of these teachers during the following year. Statistical analyses were used to investigate teacher–pupil relationships. Findings indicate that high achievement and high attitudes in teachers were each signficantly related to high achievement in pupils but were also related to the least favorable pupil attitudes toward the subject. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mathematics achievement: Effects of language of instruction and teachers' use of new curriculum materials.

Examined the mathematics achievement of English-speaking randomly selected Grade-3 pupils enrolled in 8 English (n?=?223) or 4 French immersion (n?=?92) programs in a large Ontario school board. Language of instruction and the extent to which teachers reported use of a locally developed mathematics curriculum document were the independent variables. General ability and mathematics pretest scores were used as multiple covariates, and mathematics posttest scores (arithmetic, geometry, graphing, and measurement) were the dependent variables. French and English versions of a locally developed and validated objectives-based mathematics test were administered in October 1981, and equivalent forms plus a nonverbal aptitude test were administered in May 1982. The teachers completed a teacher survey. There were no significant differences between the mathematics posttest scores of English and French immersion groups, although the latter had higher pretest scores and higher general aptitude scores. Overall, pupils whose teachers reported greater use of the curriculum document obtained higher posttest scores than pupils whose teachers reported lower use of the document. There was a relationship between pupil achievement and reported use of the document within the English program and a statistically significant interaction between language of instruction and reported use of the curriculum document. (French abstract) (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Seven-year longitudinal study of the early prediction of reading achievement.

Investigated how well a broad, comprehensive battery of tests administered in kindergarten to 286 Ss (aged 5.0–7.1 yrs) predicted reading achievement in Grades 1–6. The test variables were reduced to 6 predictive factors by factor analysis that, together with the S's sex and the parent's language, had multiple correlations with reading achievement of .58 (Grade 1), .65 (Grade 2), .70 (Grade 3), .66 (Grade 6), and .71 (across all reading achievement tests). Path analysis showed that characteristics measured in kindergarten directly influenced reading in early primary grades and that early reading achievement was the primary determinant of later reading performance. It is concluded that the use of a 2-stage testing procedure, a preliminary screening device followed by the full test battery for selected Ss, substantially reduced testing time and resources, but it had almost no effect on the accuracy of predictions in the present study. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teacher knowledge, attitudes, and classroom teaching correlates of student achievement.

Studied relationships among 3 teacher behavioral knowledge and attitude profile groups, the classroom verbalization patterns of teachers within each profile group, and differential residual achievement gains made by the teachers' 1st-grade pupils. Instruments used included the Alternative Classroom Strategies Inventory (ACSI), Minnesota Teacher Attitude Inventory, Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test, and Metropolitan Achievement Test. First-grade teachers characterized by high knowledge of behavioral principles on the ACSI ( n = 26) were more verbally positive with their classes and produced significantly higher residual achievement gain results for low-IQ (IQ range 50-89) and middle-IQ (IQ range 90-104) pupils than did 1st-grade teachers characterized by low knowledge of behavioral principles and either traditional authoritarian ( n = 8) or traditional nonauthoritarian ( n = 6) attitude profiles. Results are examined for their implications on mainstreaming borderline IQ pupils in regular classes. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of a French immersion program: The Ottawa study through Grade five.

Assessed a Canadian French immersion program in which English-speaking pupils attending English schools are taught partially or completely in French. The program involved nearly 33% of the children who entered the Ottawa public school system in kindergarten. The sample included 4 representative classes at each of Grades 3, 4, and 5 from the immersion program and 4 similar classes from the regular English programs. The 2 groups were matched according to socioeconomic status characteristics and were generally from a middle to upper-middle-class background. Ss were administered several measures including the Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test and Canadian Tests of Basic Skills. Only Grade 5 students were given the Metropolitan Science Test only. French immersion pupils were given a set of achievement tests in French and tests of reading comprehension in French. Results indicate that immersion group Ss were in general on the same level with or ahead of the regular English in most academic areas considered (e.g., work-study skills and mathematics) and were performing satisfactorily in French. (French summary) (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Level and stability of self-esteem in relation to academic behavior of second graders.

The Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale was administered to 87 White, Black, and Mexican-American 2nd graders on 2 occasions (4 mo apart). Stability of self-esteem for each S was calculated by determining the agreement among item responses on the 2 occasions. Ss estimated their own reading ability, and their percentile scores on the reading subtest of a standardized achievement test were collected. Results indicate that level and stability of self-esteem were not related to one another, that stability of self-esteem was related to the accuracy of Ss' perceptions of their academic ability, and that both level and stability of self-esteem were positively correlated with academic achievement. However, only stability of self-esteem remained predictive of achievement once ethnic differences were controlled for. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of Logo and CAI environments on cognition and creativity.

Assessed the effects of learning computer programming and computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on specific cognitive skills (classification and seriation operations), metacognitive skills, creativity, and achievement (reading, mathematics, and ability to describe directions). 72 6- and 8-yr-old children were pretested to assess pretreatment level of operational competence (classification and seriation), creativity, and achievement. Ss were then randomly assigned to 1 of 3 22-wk treatment conditions: Logo computer language programming, CAI, or control. Results from posttests reveal that the programming group scored significantly higher on measures of operational competence and creativity, on describing directions, and on 2 of 3 measures of metacognitive skills. No differences were found on measures of reading and mathematics achievement. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in beliefs and achievement: A cross-cultural study.

Gender differences on tests of achievement in reading and mathematics, and on tests of cognitive ability, were assessed. Ss were children in kindergarten and Grades 1 and 5 in elementary schools in Taiwan, Japan, and the US (ns?=?1,975 to 4,266). Few gender differences were observed on curriculum-based tests of math computation and reading. Boys were more effective, however, in solving word problems and in answering questions involving estimation, visualization, and measurement. Cognitive tests revealed some gender differences at the 5th-grade level in all 3 cultures. Children and their mothers tended, as early as the 1st grade, to believe that boys were better at math and girls were better at reading. Children in the 3 cultures differed consistently in their scores in reading and math, but there were very few interactions between gender and location. The lack of frequent significant interactions between gender and location indicated the gender effects for both achievement scores and ratings were equivalent across Chinese, Japanese, and American contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The structure of precocious reading ability.

The purpose of this study was to describe the cognitive correlates of precocious reading achievement and to identify the structure of individual differences in reading subskill patterns that are compatible with precocious achievement. Several oral reading tasks and selected subtests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised were administered to 87 postkindergarten children whose Peabody Individual Achievement Test reading comprehension scores ranged from the second- to the fifth-grade level. Parents provided information about the children's reading histories. Factor analysis of 11 reading subskill scores yielded results consistent with a hierarchical modification of the hypothesized model. Three specific factors—Speed, Decoding Rule Use, and Graphic Precision—varied independently of superordinate differences in General Ability. Verbal ability, letter-naming speed, and forward and backward digit span each correlated moderately with one or more reading factors. Many aspects of the results were consistent with findings from studies of average, disabled, and autistic/hyperlexic readers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Growth in Standardized Ability and Achievement Test Scores From 3rd to 10th Grade.

Growth in Test of Cognitive Skills (TCS) scores and Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS) reading, math, and total achievement scores from 3rd to 10th grade was studied in 328 public school students in a middle-class suburban community. Surprisingly, groups differing in ability and achievement in 3rd grade made parallel progress over time, and some "fan-close" effects were found. With growth curve analysis of individual students using hierarchical linear models, initial status on cognitive ability predicted initial achievement scores but did not affect the rate of growth. Similarly, initial status in achievement predicted the intercept but not the slope in cognitive ability scores over time. Although replication is needed, this study illustrates how districts could use standardized test data to document growth of academic skills over time in high-, middle-, and low-achieving children: in racial or socioeconomic status subgroups; or in different classrooms, schools, or districts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)