A study investigated the quality of supplemental, printed nutrition materials sponsored by the food industry and government agencies and evaluated their appropriateness for classroom instruction. Materials were rated by teachers, curriculum specialists, and nutrition specialists. (Authors/PP)

This study builds on previously established attribution-affect linkages in an effort to better understand teachers' evaluative reactions to student success and failure. As predicted, the affective reactions of teachers indicate that they are more willing to accept personal responsibility for certain kinds of student outcomes than others. (Author)

Causal explanations offered by the client, consultee, and consultant in a typical unsuccessful consultation are explored in the context of attribution theory and research. Biased attributions are discussed in terms of a cognitive-perceptual framework rather than the traditional motivation-based "defensiveness" framework. (Author/PN)

Computerized adaptive testing allows us to create a unique personalized test that matches the ability and knowledge of the test taker. (Author)

Slang terms for hospital patients fall into four categories, three characterizing types of patients who claim more attention for their conditions than is warranted, and one made up of positive or neutral descriptive terms. The slang serves social as well as expressive functions, promoting group rapport while maintaining individual distance. (MSE)

Issues that should be debated by physical educators to provide vision and direction for the field include: (1) how to respond to social and technological change; (2) defining objectives; and (3) fragmentation and specialization within the profession. A plan for a new professional synthesis is proposed. (PP)

A Teacher Creativity Rating designed to indicate behavioral characteristics of the creative person, a Creativity Distribution designed to identify those who generated creative products, and a direct assessment assessed the creativity of 624 sixth-grade students. Results are discussed in the context of previous creativity research, creativity…

Curriculum guides can effectively guide practice if the guide writer pays attention to the context in which teachers work and to the language that teachers use in that context. Problems encountered by a curriculum project illustrate what happens in practice when guide writers fail to appreciate teachers' objectives. (RM)

The outcomes of two scoring methods (one based on an error analysis and the second on a conventional method) on free-response tests, compared in terms of reliability and dimensionality, indicates the conventional method is inferior in both aspects. (Author/PN)

When 1,201 males and 1,145 females responded to a range of spatial questions, males significantly outperformed females on 25 of 72 occasions. On no occasion did females significantly outperform males. Wattanawaha's system for classifying spatial tasks was used to identify qualitative differences in performances of males and females. (Author/CM)

Current scoring procedures depend on unrealistic assumptions about subjects' performance on the rod-and-frame test. A procedure is presented which corrects for constant error, is sensitive to response strategy and consistency, and examines qualitative and quantitative aspects of performance and individual differences in laterality bias as defined…

Retreating is a behavior which occurs when a teacher issues a directive intended to influence student behavior, and the students ignore the teacher in such a way as to let it be known that she/he has not influenced their behavior. Discusses this behavior and offers six rules useful in avoiding retreating. (Author/JN)

Explores the impact of marital dissolution on 161 people attending an adult education course on divorce. Describes their stress reactions and suggests clinical implications. Results indicated that people going through divorce are greatly impacted: 91 percent feel an unusual degree of stress; 67 percent usually feel unhappy and worried. (Author)

Studied dimensions underlying teacher (N=1,000) attitudes toward mainstreaming. Factor analysis isolated five dimensions that accounted for 52 percent of the variance: (1) general philosophy of mainstreaming, (2) behavior of special needs children, (3) perceived ability to teach special needs children, (4) classroom management, and (5) academic…

Examines the influences of behaviorist psychology on performance and instruction technologies. The basic assumptions of behaviorism are outlined, reinforcing contingencies are reviewed, conditioning is described, and such specific topics as stimulus control, behavior chaining, and successive approximation are discussed. (Author/JL)