Describes a study of 61 undergraduates that investigated the effects of hypermedia content-structure focusing on learner's structural knowledge acquisition, retention, and disorientation. Use of a Completely Randomized Multivariate Analysis of Variance design for hypothesis testing is explained and implications for hypermedia design are discussed.…

The Teacher Followup Survey of 4,798 public school teachers found that teacher turnover decreased as the following variables increased: age, the number of dependent children, the level of certification, the number of years since the last degree was earned, teaching experience, and salary level. Strategies to maximize teacher retention are…

At 3 points in time over a 12-month period, this short-term longitudinal study examined 67 preschoolers' syllable, rime, and phoneme awareness; speech and language skills; and letter knowledge. Findings indicated that rime skills developed earlier than phoneme skills. Structural equation models showed that articulatory skills and syllable and rime…

This 3-wave longitudinal study spanning 12 months examined the process by which emotional distress contributes to competence estimation in 9- to 13-year-olds. Findings indicated that emotional distress predicted negative beliefs about the self and the world over time; these beliefs in turn predicted decrements in competence estimation over time.…

A meta-analysis of 30 studies found the following learner characteristics influenced the treatment responsiveness of early literacy interventions: rapid naming; problem behavior; phonological awareness; alphabetic principle; memory; IQ; and demographics. With the exception of the demographic category, the obtained effect sizes for the primary…

Assessed the role of attention processes as mediators between family environment and school readiness, analyzing data from 1,002 children and their families participating in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care. Found that sustained attention partially accounted for the link between family environment and achievement and language outcomes.…

The contributions of receptive vocabulary scores, maternal responsiveness, and maternal directiveness to the prediction of verbal IQ and reading over a 5 1/2-year period were investigated. Receptive vocabulary scores of 543 low-birthweight children at 36 months accounted for the major portion of the variation. Maternal responsiveness added…

This longitudinal study of children from preschool through fourth grade examined code-related and oral language precursors to reading. Findings indicated that the relationship between code-related precursors and oral language is strong during preschool. During early elementary school, reading ability is predominately determined by kindergarten…

Discussion of research methodology for evaluating the degree of standardization in multinational corporations' online communication strategies across differing cultures focuses on a research framework for cross-cultural comparison of corporate Web pages, applying traditional advertising content study techniques. Describes pre-tests that examined…

Examined 4-year-olds for effects on IQ of prenatal cocaine exposure, exposure to other substances, risk factors, and neonatal medical problems. Found that maternal verbal IQ and low environmental risk predicted child IQ. Cocaine exposure negatively predicted children's overall IQ and verbal reasoning scores for boys only. Maternal harsh…

Interviewed about favorite TV characters, 91% of boys and 53% of girls ages 7-12 chose same-sex favorites. For male characters, wishful identification was predicted by intelligence and (for girls only) humor; parasocial interaction was predicted by intelligence, attractiveness, and (for boys only) strength. For female characters (chosen only by…

Reports a study that investigated a model for predicting commitment to teaching as measured by the extent to which Israeli teachers expressed an unwillingness to change careers. Surveys of elementary and secondary teachers indicated that only job satisfaction directly predicted commitment; other factors such as professional self-image, abilities,…

A study investigated effects of service coordinator variables on evidence of recommended practice in 120 Individualized Family Service Plans. Variables included months of experience, college major, degree level, first service delivery model practiced, and training attendance. Months of experience and training attendance had the strongest…

Parent-based assessments of vocabulary, grammar, nonverbal ability, and use of language to refer to past and future were obtained for 8,386 twins at age 2. Of the children who had early language delay, 44.1% had persisting language difficulties at 3 years and 40.2% had persisting language difficulties at 4 years. (Contains references.) (CR)

Investigated the relationship between psychological understanding and positive social behavior in preschool children. Found that both mental state understanding and emotion understanding were positively related to teacher ratings of social skills, behavioral observers' global ratings of social skills, and peer popularity. When language ability was…