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The purposes of this study were to examine priority of recall of newly learned items (PRNI) from a developmental standpoint and to investigate whether preschool children are capable of using the attentional strategy employed by adults in free recall learning (FRL) of new items. In the first experiment the PRNI effect was examined from a developmental standpoint, using 160 subjects selected from middle-class settings and evenly divided on the basis of age into four groups: preschool, second grade, sixth grade, and adult. Two lists of unrelated words were constructed for each age group and presented orally at a one-second rate with a one-second interval between words. Subjects were allowed unlimited time for free oral recall. In the second experiment 20 males and 20 females with an average age of 4.7 were used as subjects. The procedures were the same as in the first experiment, with one exception. The subjects were instructed on how to use a PRNI strategy. The findings indicated an absence of PRNI at the preschool level and the presence of PRNI at the elementary and adult levels. Also, the fact that the amount of PRNI is related to age is supportive of the idea PRNI reflects the use of a relatively sophisticated learning strategy. (WR)

The feasibility of using a particular simulation as (1) an aid in management, (2) a management training device, (3) a tool for management research is reported. Corresponding interfaces for the simulation are described and discussed in terms of the way they represent the activity for the user. Estimated costs are reported for alternative implementations of the simulation through the use of several costing categories. (Author)

A class of tests for normality using the ratio of two estimates of the standard deviation is generalized to provide a class of tests for multivariate normality using a characterization of the multivariate normal. The posers of some of the tests are examined numerically and compared with the power of a recent similar test. (Author)

Modules of physics instructional materials, each focusing on a particular physical system of interest to technical students, are being developed at four separate centers and coordinated by a Technical Physics Project Steering Committee. A typical module, constituting from one to three weeks of a physics course, will include a statement of behavioral objectives, entry/exit tests and a resource document for the instructor, as well as the instructional program. The latter will describe student investigations related to the system and lead the student to the understanding and skills necessary for him to meet the stated objectives. Although the main focus of each module will be on understanding how its physical system works, the intention is that a selected series of modules should introduce students to the major ideas and principles of physics central to their future role as technicians. The choice of systems and levels of treatment will be coordinated by the Steering Committee to provide adequate overlapping. Thus, instructors may vary their selection of modules to create courses which match local interests and degrees of sophistication. The project aims to produce forty to fifty modules over a four year period and to evaluate the use of these materials on a national scale. (Author/TS)

THIS DOCUMENT DISCUSSES THE IMPACT OF TRADITION ON THE CONCEPTUALIZATION OF THE NATURE OF EDUCATIONAL PROCESSES. IT INDICATES RESEARCHES AND ANALYSES IN EDUCATION HAVE ASSUMED THAT IT IS NECESSARY TO STUDY ONLY INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR IN LEARNING SITUATIONS, THAT ALL EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES AND FORMAL EDUCATION ARE SYNONYMOUS, AND THAT THE TEACHER ALONE EDUCATES THE CHILD. MODERN SCHOOL SYSTEMS FAIL TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE ROLE OF THE SCHOOL IN SOCIETY AND THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL FACTORS ON INDIVIDUAL LEARNING BEHAVIOR. RESEARCH IN EDUCATION IS TOTALLY INADEQUATE BECAUSE OF THE FAILURE TO INCLUDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SOCIAL ROLES IN THE SCHOOL SETTING, OF THE TEACHERS, THE PUPILS, AND THE LAY PUBLIC. TRADITION HAS TWO COMPONENTS. "GREAT TRADITION" IS MANIFESTED IN CURRENT EDUCATIONAL THEORY AND PRACTICE. "LITTLE TRADITION" IS THE VALUE SYSTEM OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN EDUCATION HAVE CLASSED EDUCATION AS ONE OF THE GREAT SOCIAL MOVEMENTS. CONSEQUENTLY, CONSIDERABLE TENSION HAS ARISEN BETWEEN THE "GREAT TRADITIONS" OF THE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION AND THE "LITTLE TRADITIONS" OF THE COMMUNITY CONCERNING THE PROCESSES OF CHILD REARING. WHILE CONSIDERABLE EMPHASIS IS BEING PLACED ON CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, LITTLE RECOGNITION IS GIVEN TO SOCIETAL VALUES. (JM)

This study was intended to obtain baseline data in the areas of verbal and cognitive behavior patterns of selected secondary social studies teachers. Hypotheses for study were that there will be no significant difference between: 1) observed verbal teaching behaviors of the highest and lowest ranked teachers; 2) the observed cognitive behavior of the highest and lowest ranked teachers; and, 3) the observed cognitive behavior of the students of the highest and lowest ranked teachers. Instruments used to measure the verbal and cognitive behavior were Teaching Situation Reaction Test (TSRT), the Observational System for Analysis of Classroom Instruction (OSACI), and the Florida Taxonomy of Cognitive Behavior (FTCB). Thirty secondary social studies teachers were selected for the sample--those ranking in the upper and lower quartiles of the TSRT. The variables under investigation were the verbal teaching behaviors as measured by the OASCI and the cognitive classroom behavior of the teachers and their students as measured by the FTCB. Findings indicate that the cognitive behavior patterns of teachers and students can be identified and the cognitive behavior differs mostly at the higher levels of cognition. (More specific findings are detailed in the document.) (Author/JLB)

INVESTIGATION AND RESEARCH FOR AN AUTOMATED, BUS UTILIZATION AND SCHEDULING SYSTEM WAS REPORTED. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS SYSTEM WOULD INVOLVE (1) PROGRAM DESIGN AND COMPUTER SELECTION, (2) CODING OF THE SUPERVISOR PROGRAM AND RELATED PROGRAMS, (3) PROGRAM CHECKOUT, (4) DATA CONVERSION, (5) SYSTEM VERIFICATION, AND (6) FINAL DOCUMENTATION, INCLUDING DETAILED PROGRAM DOCUMENTS AND THE USER'S MANUAL PRESENTING SYSTEM CONCEPTS, MACHINE SPECIFICATIONS, AND OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES. A SYSTEM DESIGN AND OPERATIONAL PROGRAM FLOW WAS INCORPORATED IN THE REPORT. THE PROJECT WAS NOT COMPLETED BECAUSE OF INSUFFICIENT TIME. (GC)