California's College of the Canyons has used the four Mathematics Diagnostic Testing Project (MDTP) tests to assess students' abilities in basic and college math since spring 1989. These four reports dated June 1993, July 1993, May 1994, and June 1994 examine the predictive validity of the MDTP tests and the cut scores used to place students. The…

Two studies examined the effectiveness of the PASS (Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, and Successive cognitive processes) theory of intelligence in predicting reading achievement scores of normally achieving children and distinguishing children with reading disabilities from normally achieving children. The first study dealt with predicting…

This research was conducted at a Canadian suicide prevention center. The object of the study was to find useful information concerning high school students in the perspective of developing a suicide prevention program in the schools. All 23 local high schools contributed to this study on suicidal ideation and behavior. Subjects (N=2,546) responded…

The Teacher Alert System was designed in Alberta, Canada, for classroom teachers and school personnel concerned about the needs of "at risk" students. The guide can assist in the identification, assessment, and intervention process for children who have special needs. The student's problems may be related to learning, emotions, or…

Magnitude of effect measures (MEMs), when adequately understood and correctly used, are important aids for researchers who do not want to rely solely on tests of statistical significance in substantive result interpretation. The MEM tells how much of the dependent variable can be controlled, predicted, or explained by the independent variables.…

A study conducted in two types of laboratory settings and one school setting tested a model of the development of emotional expression. The model included: (1) societal, peer, and family influences; (2) self-factors, such as physiological, affective, motivation, cognitive, and personality variables; and (3) self-mediators, which act as filters…

It is generally well accepted in the adult literature that the quality of friendships correlates well with loneliness and the number of friends one has does not. This study investigated children's self-reports of quantity and quality of friendships as predictors of loneliness. Subjects (N=64) were third, fourth, and fifth-grade students enrolled…

In the attempt to improve the quality of geometry instruction in schools, researchers and teachers alike have given considerable attention to the van Hiele theory of geometry learning and development, which proposes a series of cognitive levels through which every geometry student passes. This paper reports a study to determine the extent to which…

A study was conducted at North Shore Community College (NSCC) to determine whether there was a particular score on the General Education Development (GED) Writing Skills Test that would predict a passing score for GED recipients on the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) General English Composition Examination. A total of 73 GED recipients…

The Diablo Valley College (California) Research Office assessed the variation of grades in multiple-section courses and its impact on the ability to predict student success. All classes selected for the study were general education offerings applicable for the Associate of Arts degree and/or transfer, and were taught by more than one instructor. A…

Trichotillomania (hair-pulling) and delicate self-cutting are self-destructive behaviors which utilize the body as a vehicle for self-expression. Like anorexia and bulimia, these behaviors occur primarily in young women. This study compared groups of women college students who engage in these self-destructive behaviors with those who do not. It…

Drawing from research and observations at Lansing Community College (Michigan) (LCC), this paper argues that typical arithmetic courses do little to prepare students to master algebra, and proposes an alternative set of arithmetic skills as actual prerequisites to algebra. The first section offers a description of the algebra sequence at LCC,…

The precise events that cause embarrassability (a chronic susceptibility to embarrassment) have yet to be fully understood. Some theorists argue that embarrassing circumstances cause an acute concern for the manner in which one is being evaluated by others. Other theorists argue that maladroit interaction is the only necessary cause of…

The focus of this study was on the identification of adolescents with physiologically based extreme behavior problems (explosive, hostile, aggressive type) through the use of evoked potential studies. Through interviews two distinct types of explosive behavior were identified based upon how individuals came out of the rage or explosive period. In…

The study explored the qualifications of learning-disabled college students by examining the academic performance (first year grade point average--GPA) of 179 learning-disabled and 249 nonlearning-disabled students classified by two objective admission criteria--either Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or high-school class rank. Overall, the scores…