Responses of pupils in 60 sixth-grade classes in Sweden to a 40-item questionnaire were factor analyzed at two levels of aggregation, classes and pupils-within-classes. Relations between personality variables and the attitude scales were also studied and implications for personality measurement drawn. (Author/SJL)

Work values of groups of Maryland high school seniors were measured using the Maryland work Value Inventory, to find if students from different backgrounds would have different work values. It was found that categorizing students on the basis of how they classified their parents' occupations did produce different work value profiles. (MF)

Presents viewpoints by an assistant secretary at the Department of Education (DOE) regarding the status of educational research in instruction, including individualized instruction, in the United States. Discusses the need for reform in education, the ineffectiveness of the government, and the purposes and concerns of the DOE. (CS)

Reports that in a low-risk reading lesson activity, individual differences among students appeared as a function of the type of verbal interaction pattern or "register" with their teacher, while in a high-risk standardized test condition, individual differences appeared as a function of reading ability. (Author/MKM)

Stage-state analysis of the life course is presented as useful in identifying types of life courses and their relative frequency, in estimating the likelihood of moving from a given state through a sequence of future states, and in analyzing routes and processes connecting initial states with potential outcomes. (Author/DB)

A report on the early stages of a research project, The Skills and Procedures of Mathematical Problem Solving in pupils of 9-13 years (SPMPS), is given. The article explores the background to the need for such a project, both from a mathematical and pedagogical point of view. (Author/MK)

Studied 72 children for whom the following data were available: IQ score on a conventional test (WISC or Stanford-Binet); Goodenough-Harris drawing test IQ score; and behavior description by the test administrator. Personality traits of children who performed better on either the graphic or conventional IQ test were assessed. (SJL)

A review of interactive models of reading combined with the assumption of compensatory processes indicates that compared to poor readers, good readers appear to have superior strategies for comprehending and remembering large units of text and are superior at context-free word recognition. (MKM)

The use of alternative instructional strategies and resources to meet the learning needs of individual students incorporates the diagnosis of student learning progress, the teaching of self-management skills, organizational supports, and family involvement into an effective educational program. (JN)

Teacher educators are encouraged to respond to variations in the needs of individual teachers. To do this, educators need to devise preservice programs which involve development of teacher tasks for individual teachers. Teacher behaviors are observable indications of teachers' abilities to accomplish these tasks. (JN)

Middle school and junior high school students are caught "in between" in terms of their emotional, physical, psychological, and educational development. Paradoxically, with so many common problems, these students need to be treated as special and unique--as individuals. (RL)

Describes the development of a 13-item self-report Affective Communication Test (ACT) and reports on studies showing the ACT to be a reliable and valid measure of individual differences in expressiveness or "charisma." (Author/SS)

The information-processing approach and results of research on spatial ability are analyzed. Performance consists of a sequence of distinct mental operations that seem general across subjects, and can be individually measured. New interpretations for some classical concepts in psychological testing and procedures for abilities are suggested.…

An information-processing framework is presented for understanding intelligence. Two levels of processing are discussed: the steps involved in solving a complex intellectual task, and higher-order processes used to decide how to solve the problem. (MH)

Based on research on patterns of infant-caregiver attachment, a theory of individual development is proposed. Principles of the theory include a focus on adaptation, a view of the person as a coherent whole, a central role for affective constructs and emotion, and a focus on individual differences. (GC)