Examined intraindividual and interindividual differences in self-esteem among 142 rural adolescents during a four-year period encompassing the transition to high school. Cluster analysis identified three distinct, divergent trajectories of self-esteem change from early to middle adolescence: (1) consistently high; (2) small increase; and (3)…

Compared the effects of computer-based word processing and writing by hand on 14 third and fourth graders' attitudes and performance in the writing process. Found that third graders tended to make more revisions and edits when using a word processor, whereas fourth graders made more changes in their handwritten drafts. (MDM)

Background: The present study extends existing studies on the role of differential parental treatment in explaining individual differences in adolescent problem behaviors above the absolute level of parenting and clarifies the function of gender of the child, birth rank and gender constellation of the sibling dyads. Method: The absolute level of…

The main hypotheses addressed in the research were (1) whether imprecision in the phonological representations of lexical items underlies the impaired expressive naming abilities of disabled readers, and (2) whether weak verbal memory might mediate the relationship between naming and reading skills. From samples of 93 first graders and 67 fourth…

This study compared mother-child interactions and investigated how child verbal abilities interact with age to influence maternal scaffolding (teaching) styles in a group of 60 mother-child dyads in which the children were aged 3, 4, and 5 years (20 dyads in each of the 3, 4, and 5 year age groups). The mother-child pairs were filmed completing a…

The multiple-choice science exercises used by the National Assessment of Educational Progress include an "I Don't Know" (IDK) alternative to estimate more accurately knowledge of groups of respondents. Group percentages of IDK responses were examined and compared with correct responses to see if the IDK introduces bias. Variance common…

This article reports the results of a study of Master's degree students concerning the role of individual differences in Internet searching, including cognitive styles, levels of prior experience, Internet perceptions, study approaches, age, and gender. Discusses retrieval effectiveness and self-efficacy and suggests implications for system…

One of the most noticeable changes to the university student profile over the last decade is the increasing number of mature-age students. This study examined the relationship between previous academic performance, psychological characteristics of the student, learning strategies, and the first year academic performance of school leavers and…

To determine the influence of media on learning, a study explored students' preferences, perceived difficulty, and learning in relation to a variety of activities. A randomly selected panel of 611 students, grades three through ten, was drawn from the nine schools (six elementary, two junior high, and one senior high) that make up an entire public…

This review of research, part of the Illinois State Board of Education's Early Childhood Education Policy Study, focuses on issues related to potential state funding for full-day kindergarten and changes in the age at which children enter kindergarten. Specifically addressed are the following issues: (1) a review of the legislative background on…

Using "Patterns of Childrearing," by Sears, Maccoby and Levin (1957) as a starting point, this paper touches on the schism between developmental and social psychology and attempts to assess the progress of research in social development during the past quarter century with respect to five major perspectives that are at once evolutionary,…

Deidentification is the phenomenon whereby siblings are defined as different or contrasting. In pathological deidentification, the natural flow of sibling conflict and reconciliation seems obstructed as one sibling is assigned the fixed identity of "devil," who constantly harasses the other, "angel," sibling. A clinical…

Identifies contributions of Liben and Bigler's studies to gender development related to measuring self and other sex typing, developing a theoretical account of the self-other relation, and incorporating individual differences. Raises questions about measures used and interpretations of the findings. Suggests issues for future research:…

Describes a study conducted at the University of Sheffield (United Kingdom) that measured the learning behavior and performance of 65 postgraduate students using a hypermedia-based tutorial. Considers cognitive style, levels of prior experience, motivation, age, gender, and navigation patterns. (Author/LRW)

Individuals who retire have widely varying needs and differ also in their preparedness for their new conditions.