The purpose of this study was to determine whether the ability to perceive pitch direction across a variety of melodic contours differs across grade levels. In addition, differences between responses to ascending versus descending patterns and between responses to two- versus three- versus four-note patterns were examined. / The main study involved two experiments; Experiment 1 examined children's ability to identify pitch direction using a visual aid; Experiment 2 examined children's spontaneous notations of the same melodic contours. / The results showed a subsequent increase in mean scores from grades 1 to 6 across both tests. The clearest increase in ability occurred within the first three grades with a plateau reached by grade four. Same-pitch patterns received the highest overall means. The ability to identify direction using a visual aid was easier for children than to write spontaneous notations. Melodic contours with larger intervals were more easily perceived.

No description available.

No description available.

The present study examined 1st, 3rd, and 5th graders' ability to hear two simultaneous melodies. Two familiar ("Frere Jacques" and "The Barney song") and one unfamiliar melody were used as the stimuli. The pairs of simultaneous melodies were presented in different registers and timbre combinations. The children were asked to press specially labeled keys on a computer keyboard to indicate which song(s) they heard. Responses were recorded by a computer. The older children identified two simultaneous melodies faster (df = 2, F = 12.803, p $<$.01) and more accurately (df = 2, F = 13.098, p $<$.01) than the younger ones. While 70% of the 1st graders reported hearing two melodies and identified them with 75% accuracy, over 95% of the 5th graders reported hearing two melodies and identified them with 97% accuracy. Children who were able to correctly identify two simultaneous melodies did not tend to identify the melody in the upper or the lower register in any particular order when the timbre was the same in both registers. When the melodies were played with contrasting timbres (trumpet and piano) they tended to identify the trumpet melody before they identified the piano melody. However, in terms of response-speed they identified the upper melody faster than the lower melody. Children who were only able to identify one melody tended to focus on the upper melody when the timbre was the same in both registers but when the melodies were played with contrasting timbres they would attend to the trumpet melody regardless of register.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of three different vocal timbres on uncertain singers' ability to match and discriminate pitches. Fifty-six children between six and eight year old were randomly assigned to one of four groups. / In the Own Voices group, subjects were training in pitch matching using subjects' own voices. They trained in pitch discrimination using a model child voice as stimuli. In the Model Child group, subjects were training in pitch matching and pitch discrimination using a model child voice of the same sex and age as that of the subject. Subjects in the Female Adult group were training in pitch matching and pitch discrimination using a female adult voice as stimuli. Subjects in the control group had no training. / It was found that timbre affected uncertain singers' ability to match and discriminate pitches. Pitch matching to one's own voice was more accurate than pitch matching to a child's voice. / The discrimination of high and low pitches was more accurate when a model child's voice was used than when an adult voice was used.

No description available.

Purposes of the study were to (1) develop an instrument for evaluating teacher expectations in regard to factors influencing reading achievement; (2) administer the instrument to first grade teachers of a selected school district to ascertain range of teacher expectations regarding factors that influence reading achievement; (3) identify teachers in two groups--Those revealing the Greatest Expectation of Differences in pupil achievement (TGED) and Those revealing the Least Expectation of Differences in achievement (TIED); and (4) collect data from student records for the two groups of teachers to determine extent to which the self-fulfilling prophecy may be manifested as it relates to reading achievement. An instrument, based on factors which research has indicated influences teacher expectations concerning reading achievement, was administered to seventy-eight first grade teachers in the selected school district. Responses were analyzed by computer. Thirty-two teachers were selected for the latter part of the study and were divided into two groups: sixteen teachers who "agreed" most often that certain factors influence reading achievement (TGED) and sixteen who "disagreed" most often with statements regarding expected reading achievement (TLED). Data were recorded for 349 students from the sixteen TGED and 348 students from the sixteen TLED, a total of 697 students, which comprised the population for this phase of the study.Data for the 697 students included: (1) Metropolitan Readiness Test rating (administered at conclusion of kindergarten);(2) sex of child; (3) ethnic origin; (4) order of birth; (5) area of residence; (6) parent occupation; (7) socioeconomic level; (8) attendance in kindergarten; (9) age at entry to first grade; and (10) scores on GatesMacGinitie Reading Tests (administered at conclusion of first grade).Ratings from the Metropolitan Readiness Test were used as a constant. Students were grouped into "high," "average," and "low" categories from MRT scores. Instruction by teachers with greatest or least expectation of differences was used as the treatment (independent variable). Data from student records were used as dependent variables for ninety-six analyses of variance. Significant differences favored students taught by TGED on thirteen of forty-eight analyses. Only three significant differences favored students taught by TLED. Therefore, it appears that this student population tended to be more successful in learning to read when working with the TGED group. The three significant differences which favored the students instructed by TLED teachers appeared in the categories with "low" readiness ratings. Perhaps the TLED teachers obtain better results from pupils in these groupings because less differences in reading achievement are expected. Twenty-two differences were statistically significant in forty-eight analyses performed on groups subdivided according to sex of student, parent occupation, area of residence, ethnic origin, and socioeconomic level. It appears that certain factors analyzed exerted influences which affect a child learning to read regardless of teacher expectations. The variables of order of birth, attendance in kindergarten, and age at entry to first grade revealed no statistically significant differences.In this study, reading achievement scores were significantly higher at the end of first grade for girls compared to boys, for Caucasian students compared to students of minority groups, for children from "white collar" families compared to children from "blue collar" families, for children who live in other areas compared to children who live in the inner-city, and for children from middle and upper socioeconomic levels compared to children from lower socioeconomic level. Therefore, it would appear that these differences involved important factors operating to determine reading achievement whether instruction was provided by teachers with greater or lesser expectation of differences among students.

This study investigated the relationship between instructional level scores as determined by a cloze test and instructional level scores as determined by an informal reading inventory. Subjects used in this study were selected from schools in a mid-western community. Five schools were selected from a total of twenty-two elementary schools by means of a random numbers table. Administrative officials acknowledged the fact that the schools selected were representative of the various socio-economic classes serviced by the school system. Fifty male and fifty female subjects were selected from the total fifth grade population of these five schools. This was accomplished by matching assigned pupil numbers with random numbers generated by a computer.A cloze test and an informal reading inventory (IRI) were administered to all subjects over a six-week period during the months of April and May of 1972. For purposes of this study, the IRI was accepted as the criterion with which all other variables were compared. Teachers' estimates of their pupils' instructional levels were also gathered during the testing period. Participating teachers were not able to consult previously determined estimates of their pupils' instructional levels during the data gathering process.Statistical analysis of the data was accomplished by the application of the Pearson Product Moment Correlation. A classification analysis yielded information in terms of the quantities of scores on any two variables which were in exact agreement. Also determined were the quantities of scores which ranged within plus or minus one year of each other, and the quantity of scores which ranged within plus or minus two or more years of each other.The testing of five null hypotheses resulted in significant correlation coefficients at the .01 level between:1. Instructional level scores as determined by an IRI and instructional level scores as determined by a cloze test (.78).2. Instructional level scores as determined by an IRI and teachers' estimates of their pupils' instructional levels (.82).3. Instructional level scores as determined by a cloze test and teachers' estimates of their pupils' instructional levels (.74).4. Instructional level scores as determined bya cloze test and instructional level scores as determined by the word recognition subtest of the IRI (.78).5. Instructional level scores as determined by a cloze test and instructional level scores as determined by the comprehension subtest of the IRI (.69).A classification analysis revealed that while correlations were highly significant, the percentage of pupils' scores which were in exact agreement was 26.2 per cent for all hypotheses tested. Approximately 38.2 per cent of the pupils' scores fell within a range of plus or minus one year of each other. The remaining scores which amounted to 35.6 per cent fell within a range of plus or minus two or more years of each other for all hypotheses tested.These findings seem to indicate that high correlation coefficients are an inadequate criterion on which to accept the cloze procedure as a valid technique for determining the instructional levels of pupils, since only thirty-one per cent of the population sample made identical instructional level scores on both the cloze test and the IRI.An additional finding of this study is that teachers' estimates of their pupils' instructional levels are inaccurate to the point that their continued usecannot be justified. Only twenty-two per cent of teachers' estimates are in exact agreement with the instructional level scores as determined by the IRI.In conclusion, the possibility exists that the cloze procedure may yet provide classroom teachers with a technique for assessing instructional level. However, this practice cannot be recommended based upon the findings of previously conducted correlational studies.

2 v. : ill., maps, tables ; 29 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Education, 1979

2 v. : ill., maps, tables ; 29 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Education, 1979