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This document describes a project designed to test the effectiveness of an elementary school music curriculum guide that contained behavioral objectives and structural sequencing compared to a "traditional" guide. More than 3200 5th and 6th grade pupils taught by 56 teachers in the Houston, Texas, Independent School District participated in the program. A pretest-posttest research design was used to measure pupil achievement, and an instrument was designed for teacher evaluation of music curriculum guides. Results of the performance test showed that pupils using the behavioral objective-structural sequencing guide made almost twice the achievement gains during one academic year than did pupils using the traditional guide. In addition, teacher responses indicated that their perceptions of the degrees of pupil participation in "listening" and "physical movement" in the experimental model were significantly greater than those of control teachers. No differences in pupil participation in "singing" and "creative activities" were noted. Experimental teachers indicated significantly higher evaluations of and preferences for the new guide. (Author)

Mass instruction in Sociology at Purdue University combines lectures and small-group discussion. Achievement in the course is evaluated by short essays written after the topic has been discussed in the weekly discussion meetings. This study investigated the relationship of student characteristics to achievement. Students were pretested for dogmatism, authoritarianism, tolerance for ambiguity and anomy. Analysis of scores on these tests and on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, together with final course grade, revealed that course grade was positively associated with I.Q. and tolerance for ambiguity, and negatively associated with anomy, dogmatism, and authoritarianism. Significant correlations were also found between predictor variables. I.Q. and tolerance for ambiguity were positively associated, while dogmatism, authoritarianism and anomy were negatively associated with I.Q. Tolerance for ambiguity was negatively associated with dogmatism, authoritarianism and anomy. Dogmatism, authoritarianism and anomy were all positively associated. The implications of the findings for instruction and grading in sociology courses are discussed. (EB)

TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE GRADUATES OF MELBOURNE HIGH SCHOOL, IN BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA, WERE SUFFICIENTLY DIFFERENT FROM GRADUATES OF ANOTHER HIGH SCHOOL IN THE SAME DISTRICT TO WARRANT FURTHER RESEARCH, A PILOT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED. MELBOURNE HAS RECEIVED ACCLAIM FOR ITS NONGRADED, CONTINUOUS PROGRESS, INNOVATIVE CURRICULUM AND FOR THE NUMEROUS AWARDS WON BY ITS STUDENTS. THE STUDY SAMPLE WAS FORMED BY SORTING STUDENTS FROM THE GRADUATING CLASSES OF BOTH SCHOOLS INTO CLOSELY MATCHED PAIRS. ALL PAIRS WERE SUBDIVIDED INTO THREE ABILITY GROUPS. DATA FOR APTITUDE AND ACHIEVEMENT MEASURES WERE OBTAINED FROM THE RESULTS OF TWO STATEWIDE TESTING PROGRAMS, ADMINISTERED BY THE SCHOOLS TO NINTH- AND 12TH-GRADE STUDENTS RESPECTIVELY AS REQUIRED BY THE STATE. THE WATSON-GLASER CRITICAL THINKING APPRAISAL, THE MARYLAND SELF-CONCEPT AS A LEARNER SCALE, AND THE BELL SCHOOL INVENTORY WERE ADMINISTERED TO THE SAMPLE BY THE PROJECT STAFF. TEST RESULTS SHOWED (1) IN NO INSTANCE DID THE COMPARISON SCHOOL MATCHED STUDENTS DO BETTER THAN THE MELBOURNE STUDENTS ON SENIOR ACHIEVEMENT TESTS, (2) WHEN COMPARED BY ABILITY GROUPINGS (LOW, AVERAGE, AND HIGH) THERE WAS NO CLEAR SUPPORT FOR SUPERIORITY OF EITHER SCHOOL, AND (3) STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES ON THE CRITICAL THINKING TEST WERE FOUND IN ONLY THE AVERAGE ABILITY GROUP. ALTHOUGH MANY STUDENT DIFFERENCES FAVORED MELBOURNE AT ONLY A LOW LEVEL OF SIGNIFICANCE, THE INVESTIGATORS CONCLUDED THAT FURTHER STUDY WAS WARRANTED. (AL)