If administrators are to reduce the rate of discontinuation by changing their selection, teaching, guidance, and support facilities, they must be guided by proper data. This study reports such data based on an investigation at Macquarie University. (Editor/LBH)

In a study of the relationship between reading disability and poor social adjustment in intelligent children, significant correlation was found between reading retardation and hostility. Also, misperception by teachers of intelligent children with reading problems was noted. (Author/AV)

The final chapter of a study of the failure of four small private colleges implicates their trustees. Trustees were found to have had inadequate participation in planning and operational realities, the consequence in part, of a lack of critical information. (LBH)

Evidence suggests a common and consistent failure by college faculty to read available signals of improprieties in college athletics programs. The structure of the link between academics and athletics should be reexamined and the responsibility of the faculty reconsidered. (MSE)

Describes a study that interviewed a group of functionally illiterate prisoners, noting their memories of schoolwork and teachers. Emphasizes the importance of teachers genuinely caring about their students. (ARH)

Demonstrates how a transactional developmental psychopathology perspective that focuses on the young child's resolution of stage-salient issues can be applied to the identification and treatment of psychopathology in early childhood. (PCB)

The Survey of Achievement Responsibility was used to compare causal attribution patterns of 376 learning disabled (LD) boys and 177 LD girls (grades 4-11). Girls had higher effort and luck attributions in academic success situations than did boys and higher ability attributions for academic failure situations. (Author/JW)

Telling children when and why listeners have or have not understood what a speaker meant is not a very effective way of advancing children's referential skills. If giving such information also modifies children's speaking and/or listening behavior, it is very effective. If the same modifications are produced by other means, consequences are…

Examines three cases in which nurses were relatively unsuccessful in improving the qualities of maternal caregiving. Emphasis is given to understanding psychological and social factors within the family that interfered with the nurses' efforts to promote positive parental caregiving. (Author/AS)

This rejoinder to Brown and Weiner (TM 509 074) attempts to resolve areas of apparent conflict and to offer a broad synthesis around the self-worth theory of achievement motivation. The different yet compatible aspects of attribution and self-worth theories in regards to achievement effort are discussed. (BS)

Compared self-perception and school performance variables in three groups of secondary school students: (1) remedial students; (2) failures; and (3) successful students (controls). Suggested that school failure was related to emotional difficulties, while the remedial group had more straight forward academic deficits. (JAC)

Suggests alternatives in solving the dilemma of the win/lose syndrome for young children participating in sports, games, and other competitive educational activities. Rather than reinforcing the "negative" aspects of competition ("winning is all," lack of participation, elimination), teachers should provide environments that help children to…

Reports the findings of an investigation into student teacher failure in final teaching practice in training institutions in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Few students who complete a course of training fail. Reasons for this finding are discussed. A reappraisal of the approach to the final assessment of teaching practice is suggested. (CT)

Reviews issues relative to retention of schoolchildren. Includes a historical perspective on the retention-promotion controversy, information on retention policies and retention prevalence rates, a review of research on the effectiveness of retention, and a discussion of factors that should be considered by psychologists making retention and…

A report is made of an investigation regarding the type of learning disabilities found in children who fail or do poorly in primary French immersion programs. Comments and criticisms are made by three guest analysts. (RM)