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This study is concerned with patterns of information search and utilisation, and the effect these have on the areas of academic interest and the level of achievement within these areas as a result a fit between the individual and his environment. In particular, the study deals with the scholar's level of cognitive complexity as described by Harvey, Hunt and Schroder (1961) and the effect such complexity level has upon subject preference in the final school year and whether this in turn effects the level of competence and achievement of the pupil. It will be argued that individual differences in cognitive style or information processing strategies act as moderator variables, resulting in a preference for and relative success in some rather than other domains of intellectual activity. A distinction is drawn between styles that encourage the consideration of a fairly wide range of variables, and those that favour a more restricted range in any given situation. Furthermore, it is argued that the natural sciences, in nature and educational aims, favour individuals with restricted styles, while the arts and humanities favour the "broader" cognitive styles. A link is drawn between these styles and the complexity of the individual's cognitive structure, and the hypothesis is tested that a preference for and success in the arts as against the sciences is a function of an increase in complexity. Results in support of the hypothesis is presented and implications of the findings are discussed. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1973.

This dissertation contributes to our understanding of the ‘class’ and gender dimensions of educational inequality. In doing this, it uses a “structure-disposition-practice” model that is rooted in Bourdieu’s theory of cultural and social reproduction but also draws from the theoretical formulations of subsequent sociologists to elaborate on the core concept, habitus, and make it more amenable to quantitative analyses. Habitus is a socialized set of dispositions that shapes how individuals orient to the social world, including their perception of their life chances and corresponding styles of thought and behaviour. The model posits that students’ habitus is a formative influence on how they react to their educational environments and affects their academic achievement. Furthermore, students’ habitus is affected by both their social ‘class’ and their gender, and these ‘class’ and gender differences help explain ‘class’ and gender disparities in educational achievement. Working with multilevel Canadian data from the linked PISA-YITS surveys, this study uses structural modeling to examine the relationships between family socioeconomic status, sex, habitus, academic practices, and academic achievement. As well, school contextual effects are included. A number of the findings were consistent with hypotheses. Most notably, the results provide some evidence that students’ family SES significantly affects their habitus and that their habitus significantly affects their academic achievement. For the most part gender differences in the model were modest, but a few differences were evident: the boys outscore the girls in math and science while the girls excel in reading, students’ SES has a relatively stronger effect on the girls’ academic achievement than on the boys’ achievement, while students’ habitus affects the boys’ academic achievement more strongly than the girls’ achievement. Finally, the average SES of the schools students attend affects both the boys’ and the girls’ academic achievement, but this effect is stronger for the boys, and the effect of the boys’ habitus on their academic achievement diminishes slightly as the average SES of the schools they attend increases; no such contextual interaction was evident for the girls. Overall, the results of this study give qualified support to Bourdieu’s framework and the potential of habitus and the “structure-disposition-practice” model to help us understand ‘class’ and gender differences in academic achievement.

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In this conceptual inquiry, I argue how and why homework contributes to inequality. Homework contributes to inequality systemically, as schools continue to rely heavily on it. Homework continues to contribute to inequality discursively and psychologically, as parents and educators encourage homework without fully realizing the consequences of homework for those students who have difficulty completing school tasks at home. The inequalities maintained by homework often persist unnoticed. This persistence is an example of a broader persistence of sociological problems even as technological advances are made. This imbalance in the two domains of society and technology is due partly to the differences in the nature of the knowledge content. Therefore, educators and policy makers must be vigilant against tendencies to be blind to possibilities for improvement. One such improvement is a ban on mandatory homework, which implies more school responsibility to enable student achievement in the school.

English, verbal vs. non-verbal content of courses taken and The present study was conducted to find the relationship between TOEFL scores and the graduate CPA's of the foreign students with Arabic as their native language. The results of the study indicated non-significant correlations for all 116 students, for males and females and for students having departmental majors in areas of education and sciences. A significant negative correlation was found for business majors. The factors responsible for non-significant or negative correlation between TOEFL scores and the CPA's seem to be restriction of range for graduate CPA's, difference between beginning and acquired language proficiency in the small number of individuals involved. In view of the above results, the TOEFL does not seem to be a good predictor of academic success for foreign students with Arabic as native language. It should be replaced or, supplemented with some other criteria of academic success at American colleges and universities. / Department of Educational Psychology

The purpose of this study was to identify a relationship between sensation seeking and underachievement. Archival data of seventy seven students of the Indiana Academy were collected. It was hypothesized that scores on the Sensation Seeking Scale would negatively correlate with grade point average. It was also hypothesized that Sensation Seeking Scale scores would be associated with incidents of academic probation, behavioral problems, and withdrawal from the Indiana Academy. A weak yet significant negative correlation was found between Total Sensation Seeking scores and grade point average. A slightly stronger negative correlation was found between the Disinhibition subscale of the Sensation Seeking Scale and grade point average. Total Sensation Seeking scores were associated with incidents of behavioral problems, but were not associated with incidents of academic probation or withdrawal from the Indiana Academy. Disinhibition subscale scores were associated with incidents of behavioral problems and withdrawal from the Indiana Academy. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services