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Attribution theory provides a way of interpreting achievement motivation which ties together the achievement motive and the sense of control variable (Coleman, et al.). In addition to this conceptual clarity, attribution theory has an advantaged in potential programs for implementing change. The research described here was directed toward an attribution theory analysis of academic achievement of Negroes. The purpose of the research was to systematically observe and evaluate causal factors in determining academic performance among subjects varying in social class and race. In the first study, attributions to the four factors of ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck were examined in order to determine their effects on feelings of pride-shame and subsequent action. The second study focused on the basic premise of the present research, i.e., there are racial and/or social class differences in how success and failure are interpreted. One hundred and twenty Grade Five children were selected as subjects from three schools in a school district with a population which was heterogeneous in both social class and racial background. In the third study, self-reward was used as a nonverbal indicant of the extent to which internal attributions are being made. Ninety-six fourth and fifth graders were tested. They were divided into six groups of 16 subjects each on the basis of sex, race, and socioeconomic status. (Author/JM)

A College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB)-sponsored survey presents data derived from the questionnaire responses of a representative sample of 5,382 secondary school seniors who took the CEEB French, Spanish, or German achievement tests during the 1965-66 academic year. Written analyses of questionnaire data, along with many supporting graphs and charts, offer information on the survey groups, the language course background of the candidates, language laboratory use, the first year of language study, language activities in Grades 7 through 12, and the candidates' appraisals of their language skills. In the detailed discussions of the data, references are made to the extent to which the principles of the audiolingual and traditional approaches have been practiced recently. Average ratings for individual classroom activities and a description of the survey design and administration comprise the two appendixes. For a related document see FL 001 321. (AF)

A College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB)-sponsored survey presents data derived from the questionnaire responses of a representative sample of 1,814 secondary school seniors who took the CEEB Latin Achievement Test during the 1965-66 academic year. Written analyses of questionnaire data, along with many supporting graphs and charts, offer information on the survey group, the language course background of the candidates, the details of the first year of Latin study, and the nature of the classroom activities in Grades 7 through 12. Brief concluding remarks precede two appendixes comprised of a full listing of classroom activities and a description of the survey design and administration. For a related document see FL 001 332. (AF)

To obtain information about student constructivists (students whose social concern is expressed through involvement in restitutive work), this study investigated the extent of college student involvement in constructive social activities, and compared the characteristics of these students with a random sample of undergraduates at the University of Minnesota. Results indicated that while college students appear to be interested in constructive social action, most feel too pressed by other obligations to participate. It is theorized that the small minority who participate do so because family and friends place a high value upon social action, or because of that action's relevance to their major field or vocational choice. Colleges should, perhaps, find means to encourage constructive outlets for social concern. Findings also indicate that constructivists, as distinct from activists, do not appear markedly different from other college students. Volunteers tend to live near campus in residences other than their family home. This appears to indicate that students involved in social action activities have achieved a higher degree of social maturity and have found an independent way to extend family values. (KP)

Emphasized in this speech are the innovative practices in the standardized foreign language testing programs sponsored by the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) and the Modern Language Association (MLA). The CEEB projected listening and reading "composite tests" and changes in the French and Latin Advanced Placement Tests are described in the major portion of the document. Comprising another significant section are discussions of developments in the Graduate and Undergraduate Record Examinations and Graduate School Foreign Language Tests. A brief account of the latest events relevant to the MLA's Cooperative Foreign Language and Proficiency Tests precedes concluding remarks on the vital issues involved in proper classroom testing for diagnostic, instructional, and evaluative purposes. (AF)

A 2-WEEK SUMMER CAMPING PROGRAM WAS OFFERED TO 61 DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS ABOUT TO ENTER LINCOLN JUNIOR HIGH IN MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA. THE PROGRAM'S PRIMARY PURPOSE WAS TO EASE THE STUDENT'S TRANSITION INTO JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL. THROUGH CAMPING ACTIVITIES AND SCHOOL ORIENTATION CLASSES CONDUCTED BY THE LINCOLN STAFF, CAMPERS WOULD BECOME ACQUAINTED IN ADVANCE WITH PROSPECTIVE CLASSMATES, SCHOOL PERSONNEL, AND SCHOOL PROCEDURES. THE RESULT WOULD BE A MORE FAVORABLE ATTITUDE TOWARD JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL. TO MEASURE THE FULFILLMENT OF PROGRAM OBJECTIVES, PROJECT PERSONNEL ESTABLISHED A CONTROL GROUP OF NONCAMPERS. AT THE END OF THE CAMP PROGRAM, QUESTIONNAIRES, A SENTENCE COMPLETION TEST, AND A SCHOOL-RELATED INFORMATION TEST WERE ADMINISTERED TO BOTH GROUPS, AND INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEWS WERE HELD WITH CAMPERS, PARENTS, AND STAFF MEMBERS. ALMOST ALL OF THOSE INTERVIEWED WERE EXTREMELY POSITIVE ABOUT THE CAMP. PARENTS REPORTED THAT THEIR CHILDREN HAD MATURED SOCIALLY AND WERE BETTER INFORMED ABOUT THEIR NEW SCHOOL. THE INFORMATION TEST SCORES ALSO INDICATED THAT THE CAMPERS WERE MORE KNOWLEDGABLE ABOUT SCHOOL PROCEDURES AND PERSONNEL THAN WERE THE NONCAMPERS. HOWEVER, THE MEASURES OF ATTITUDE REVEALED LITTLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CAMPERS AND CONTROLS EXCEPT THAT ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL CAMPERS WERE NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO THE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE AS MUCH AS THE CONTROLS. (LB)

Reprints from: Curtis W. McIntyre, Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37203.

A sample of undergraduate students and members of a social action project did not differ on the Berkowitz and Daniels social responsibility scale. Participation in prosocial action is related to perceived reference group norms and to perceived exposure to prosocial action models both within and outside the family." (Author/DB)

The results of this study showed no significant differences in the size estimation levels of acute and chronic schizophrenic and nonschizophrenic psychiatric patients. Also, there were no significant differences when these groups were subdivided on the basis of both premorbid adjustment and paranoid status. (Author/CG)

Research was reviewed to show the changing educational psychology and theories of special education from ancient times to the present, with emphasis on development of theories relating to special education after World War II. (CB)

Chinese Education teaches what it means to be proletarian. Workers learn the honor of work, and others are provided a way to reintegrate the social base. (Editor)

The purpose is to explore two beliefs related to students' attitudes toward mathematics. First, certain attitudes toward or beliefs about mathematics are thought to be important objectives of instruction. Second, positive attitude toward mathematics is thought to play an important role in causing students to learn mathematics. (RP)

Physical fitness is thought by many to be an important ingredient in feelings of emotional well-being and self-esteem. The development of positive attitudes toward physical activities and the self is thought to lead to participation in activities that keep one physically fit. (CK)

Major finding of the study was that white children judged that ability and effort were relatively more important for their performance than task difficulty and luck, while the reverse was true for blacks. (Authors)

Described is an intervention program which stresses observation and therapy of the developmentally delayed preschool child in a variety of settings ranging from the one-to-one therapist and child clinic setting to integration in a community kindergarten with limited supportive tutoring. (DB)