Interest in Physical Education (PE) was studied in 3,344 11 to 18 year-old school children. Five aspects of educational importance (PE connotation, PE status, PE teacher, PE curriculum, and adolescent disturbances in relation to the PE lesson) were identified, and examined in relation to pupils' interest. For the younger age groups girls' interest in PE was significantly higher than that of the boys, while after the age of 14 the reverse was the case. The status of PE as a school subject was found to be the most important variable for interest in PE. The contribution of the PE teacher to pupils' level of interest was the least important of the factors examined. The results are discussed in terms of the differing importance for boys and girls of sport in social status systems for peer popularity. Suggestions for changes to PE lessons are offered.

Consideration of the literature on self-concept indicates the necessity for a multidimensional model of self-perceived competence. The Perceived Competence Scale for Children (PCSC) was completed by 102 boys and 88 girls aged 11 years. Girls were significantly lower on physical and general competence than boys. lntercorrelations of the PCSC for girls demonstrate significantly stronger associations between physical and cognitive competence, and physical and general competence, than for boys. It is concluded that combining data for boys and girls, as if their self-construals of competence were similar, does not represent a picture ofperceived competence that is necessarily true for either sex.Research on self-concept in an educational context has tended to focus on the relationship between general self-concept and learning outcomes (e.g. Purkey, 1970), where general self-concept is viewed as a unidimensional measure. Yet it has been noted by some researchers (e.g. Shavelson, Hubner & Stanton, 1976) that the more specifically self-concept is defined in terms of the context in which it is behaviourally apposite, the greater is the relationship between that self-concept and behaviour. Marsh, Smith & Barnes (1984) conclude from their study of the relationships between self-concept, the inferrcd self-concepts of teachers and peers, and academic achievement that academic self-concepts are affected by construals other than the academic achievements which they reflect. For instance, self-perceivcd mathematics competence was assessed relative to self-perceived reading competence. Thus they state that 'self-concept cannot be adequately understood if its multidimensionality is ignored' (Marsh et al., 1984, p. 368). A measure of self-concept should therefore take account of that construal's possible multidimensional nature prior to any consideration of its relationships to other psychological processes.One of the main reasons for the lack of research on facet-specific dimensions of self-concept has been the absence of adequate instrumentation with a sound theoretical basis. Recently, Harter (1983) proposed a multidimensional model of self-concept of competence which defines discrete domains and which incorporates a hierarchically structured domain of general competence. This domain ofgeneral competence, Harter asserts, is qualitatively different from the specific skill domains of cognitive competence, social competence and physical competence. To validate this model, Harter (1982) developed the perceived Competence Scale for Children (PCSC) which she administered to four samples of American children aged 9-I5 years. Analyses of the psychometric properties of the PCSC show factorial validity for each of the four subscales, high levels of internal consistency and test-retest reliability. In relation to sex effects, Harter notes that:. . . on the physical subscale males consistently have shown significantly ( P < 0.05) higher scores than have females (e.g. 3.0 vs. 2.5 for the sample in Table 1) (Harter, 1982. p. 92). Stigler, S...

Research into the role of teachers in maintaining self-concepts which reflect gender stereotypes has been hampered by the lack of parallel multidimensional instruments. The development of the Teachers' Rating Scale of the Child's Competence (TRSCC) and the Perceived Competence Scale for Children (PCSC) (Harter, 1982) answers this problem. Thirty-six boys and 38 girls of mean ages 10 years 8 months (SD = 3.6 months) and 10 years 9 months (SD = 3.3 months) respectively completed the PCSC while their teachers (N = 12) completed the TRSCC. It was found that: (1) teachers' mean ratings of boys' competence did not significantly differ from their ratings of girls' competence; (2) teachers' ratings demonstrated significant differences between boys and girls in the pattern of interrelationships of the domains of competence; (3) teachers' perceptions and pupils' self-perceptions in the patterns of interrelationships amongst the domains of competence showed similar patterns for teachers and boys, and almost similar patterns for teachers and girls; (4) teachers were more important for girls' self-perceived competence than for boys' self-perceived competence; (5) both teachers and pupils use perceived physical competence as a construct associated with significantly differentiating between boys and girls in other domains of competence. These findings have pedagogical implications for the treatment of girls.

SUMMARY The authors compared the intellectual, cognitive and academic abilities of 22 survivors of Reye syndrome attending normal schools, with the sibling nearest in age as control. The British Ability Scales, visual and verbal IQ, short‐term memory scales and attainment tests were administered to all children. Reye syndrome children as a group differed significantly from the controls only on the basic number skills test. However, children with severe encephalopathy and those whose illness occurred in infancy had significant deficits on many of the tests. 18 children recovered without requiring ‘additional educational provision’; the mean IQ of the 22 Reye syndrome children was 101. Nonetheless, these children's poor performance on the basic number skills test has important implications for teachers, and careful monitoring of future educational performance is essential. RÉSUMÉ Etude contrôlée en fratrie de l'intelligence et des performances scolaires après syndrome de Reye Les auteurs comparent les aptitudes intellectuelles, cognitives et scolaires de 22 survivants atteints d'un syndrome de Reye fréquentant des écoles normales avec le membre de la fratrie le plus proche en age comme contrôle. Les échelles britanniques d'aptitude mesurant un QI visuel et verbal, des échelles de mémoire à terme et des tests de réussite scolaire ont été présentés à tous les enfants. Globalement, le groupe des enfants avec syndrome de Reye présentait une différence significative par rapport au contrôle seulement au test d'aptitude à la manipulation des nombres. Cepedendant les enfants avec une encéphalopathie sévère et ceux dont l'affection avait débuté dans la première enfance présentaient des déficits significatifs à la plupart des tests. 18 enfants récupérèrent sans nécéssiter l'association d'une éducation spécialisée. Le QI moyen des 22 enfants avec syndrome de Reye était de 101. Néanmoins les médiocres performances au test de manipulation des nombres avaient des conséquences importantes pour les enseignants et une appréciation soigneuse des réussites éducatives ultérieures est essentielle. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Eine Geschwister‐kontrollierte Untersuchung der Intelligenz und der akademischen Fähigkeiten nach Reye Syndrom Die Autorin vergleichen die intellektuellen, kognitiven und akademischen Fähigkeiten von 22 Überlebenden mit Reye Syndrom, die allgemeine Schulen besuchen, mit Geschwistern, die ihnen altersmäßig am nächsten sind. Alle Kinder wurden nach dem British Ability Scales, visual and verbal IQ, Kurzzeitgedächtnis‐ und Leistungstests beurteilt. Als Gruppe unterschieden sich die Kinder mit Reye Syndrom nur beim Basic Number Skills Test signifikant von den Kontrollen. Jedoch die Kinder mit schwerer Enzephalopathie und die, bei denen die Krankheit im Kindesalter auftrat, hatten bei vielen Tests signifikante Ausfälle. 18 Kinder erholten sich ohne ‘zusätzliche schulische Unterstützung’; der mittlere IQ der 22 Reye Syndrom Kinder war 101. Dennoch ergaben die schlechten Leistungen beim Basic Number Skills Test wichtige Rückschlüsse f...

No abstract