As part of an evaluation study of the Berkeley Unified School District, this impact study was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of the district, schools, and programs in terms of basic skill achievement and to determine the relationship of specified educational variables (such as instruction, staffing, and school attributes, and of student…

The predictive validity of the Comparative Guidance and Placement Program (CGP) tests for two diverse curricular groups was examined. Three methods for developing predictive equations were compared. The CGP was administered to 417 Liberal Studies and 316 Business Technical students at a New England community college. Principal component analyses…

This study examines the relationship between parents' perceptions of certain attributes of their involvement in various aspects of their child's or children's school environment and their child's or children's academic achievement within that school. Parents and children from 132 schools in Louisiana participated in the School Analysis Model 2000…

Describes a study that examined various characteristics of undergraduate students enrolled in a computer skills course. Variables considered include gender, college major, high school computer courses, other prior computer experience, computer self-efficacy, computer attitude, computer anxiety, and cognitive style. (Author/LRW)

Compared success at Virginia Commonwealth University pharmacy school of native English-speakers and of students with other first languages, by assessing admissions data/test scores, pharmacy school science and math grades, English skills, and pharmacy grade point average (GPA). Found that first language was not predictive of either number of…

Describes a study of undergraduate preservice teachers that investigated three types of advisement--adaptive, evaluative, and combined--and their effects in learner-controlled computer-based instruction for learners with varying locus of control orientations. Posttest results are reported, and it is concluded that there is no significant…

Influences of disciplinary differences on college students' self-perceived gains in critical thinking and communication skills were examined in relation to student background, experiences in the major, and college experience variables. The proposed theoretical model accounted for some variance in self-perceived gains. The variable associated most…

Motivation for returning to higher education was assessed for 117 adult female college graduates with children and 118 students who had withdrawn before graduation. Motivation was found related to previous education, age, marital status, life cycle stage, employment satisfaction, family support. Interrupters and persisters were generally similar;…

Research findings: Growth across 6 months to 8 years of age, assessed at seven time points, for daily living and cognitive skills was compared for term (n = 122), very low birth weight (VLBW) children of low (n = 114) and high (n = 73) medical risk and lower socioeconomic status (SES). Dramatic declines in daily living skills were found for all…

In mathematics, physics, and chemistry, women are still considered to be at a disadvantage. In the present study, the development of the symptoms of learned helplessness was of particular interest. A study involving average and mildly gifted 8th-grade boys and girls (top 60%) investigated whether girls, regardless of ability level, experience…

The purpose of this study was to identify cognitive and non-cognitive variables that will predict a student's ability to achieve success in the lowest level developmental mathematics course at San Jacinto College. The study examined the ability of cognitive variables (standardized entrance examinations, high school grade point average, and type of…

This paper reports the results of a study of changes in the social distribution of mathematics achievement for a cohort of public high school students. Using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) the study sought to identify school characteristics which were significantly correlated with changes in achievement differences from grade 9 to grade 11…

This report examines whether educationally disadvantaged or at-risk preschool children have access to center-based early childhood programs similar to the access enjoyed by advantaged children, and whether the programs are of comparable quality. Eight risk factors that represent gross indications of educational disadvantage are examined, including…

The rationale for high school dropout reduction programs rests mainly on evidence that graduates are more successful than dropouts in the labor market. It is not evident, however, whether this difference is attributable to the diploma itself or to underlying characteristics that affect both graduation and labor market success. This paper estimates…

The progress of students under 21 years old at the United Kingdom's Open University (OU) was compared with a sample of mature students, using sociological and psychometric research methods. The research goal was to consider whether the OU's teaching system originally designed for adults is suited to the needs and circumstances of students in the…