Number right and elimination scores were analyzed on a college level mathematics exam assembled from pretest data. Anxiety measures were administered along with the experimental forms to undergraduates. Results suggest that neither test scores nor attitudes are influenced by item order knowledge thereof, or anxiety level. (Author/GK)

Responses of approximately 250 Israeli students who evaluated college instruction were analyzed with respect to lower-level (LLC) and higher-level cognitive processes (HLC). LLC and HLC were found to be complementary, rather than competitive; and both contributed to students' ratings of teaching and of course interest. (Author/GDC)

The effects of two item formats on item difficulty and item discrimination indices for mathematics problem solving multiple-choice tests were investigated. One format required identifying the proper "set-up" for the item; the other format required complete solving of the item. (Author/JKS)

The thought processes involved in students' answers to different kinds of teachers' questions were investigated using data obtained from a previous study. It was found that the chances are about even that there will be a correspondence between the cognitive level of the question and of the response. (Author/GDC)

First, third, and eighth graders performed four different orienting activities to different words. Under an incidental learning paradigm, the children's recognition was tested after the orienting activity. Age differences in recognition were absent, and the effect of the orienting activity responses on recognition supported depth of processing…

Analysis of oral reading error patterns is an integral step in the diagnosis of reading disabilities. Effects of passage difficulty on first- and third-grade students oral reading error patterns was investigated. Two methods of error analysis were employed: quantitative and qualitative. Implications of findings are discussed. (Author/GSK)

Considers the use of syntactic complexity data as norms of syntactic development and notes misinterpretations that have resulted from the use of the term "syntactic maturity" for "syntactic complexity." (DD)

Reports on a study of the use of the cloze procedure as a basis for group oral work. Points to the value of deleting content words, as opposed to function words, and notes factors that may cause some types of cloze tasks to be too difficult for students. (GT)

Using task choice to measure information-seeking behavior, two studies examined situational determinants of choice among anagram tests varying both in difficulty and diagnosticity (information about one's ability). Subjects took a preliminary test before choosing. Study 1 manipulated pretest performance level. Study 2 varied payment for pretest…

The ability of 18 aggressive and 21 nonaggressive men with moderate mental retardation to label and discriminate facial expressions was investigated. Although aggressive participants did not have greater difficulty with emotion labeling, they did have a negative emotional bias for facial expressions that were ambiguous to them. (Author/CR)

A rationale is presented for using humor as a French language teaching tool, and several class activities designed for different language skill levels and using humor as a central element are described. Some suggestions are offered for selecting appropriate instructional materials. (MSE)

The usefulness of the confirmatory factor analysis model of D. Sorbom (1974) to estimate invariant difficulty and discrimination item parameters on a personality scale was supported in a study using responses of 834 undergraduates to the Social Worry Scale of the Anxious Thoughts Inventory (A. Wells, 1994). (SLD)

Discusses academic library instruction and describes a study using the IDNA (Instructional Development Needs Assessment) survey where librarians at Penn State rated teaching tasks based on their assessment of task difficulty, importance in the learning process, and frequency of performance. Produced a prioritized list of instructional development…

Studied the cognitive equivalence of computerized and paper-and-pencil reading comprehension tests using verbal protocol analysis. Results for 48 college students indicate that the only significant difference between the computerized and paper-and-pencil tests was in the frequency of identifying important information in the passage. (SLD)

Discusses reading as a receptive skill in relation to current foreign language learning and teaching theory. Three types of reference in texts are defined (reference to the outside world, textual reference, and situational reference), and selected examples of these types in adapted texts are reported and analyzed. (26 references) (GLR)