The Self-Description Questionnaire (SDQ) is a multidimensional instrument designed to measure seven facets of self-concept hypothesized in Shavelson's hierarchical model. The SDQ, along with measures of attributions and academic achievement, was administered to primary school students from two quite diverse populations. Separate factor analyses of responses from the two groups were similar and clearly demonstrated the seven factors that the SDQ is designed to measure. The small correlations among the different dimensions were similar for the two groups and consistent with the hierarchical structure in Shavelson's model. Consistent and predictable correlations were also observed between the different self-concept dimensions and (a) attributions of responsibility for academic outcomes, (b) academic achievement, and (c) the sex of the student. Smaller sex differences were observed for students who attended single-sex classes, suggesting that these students might be using a different reference group in forming their self-concepts. Overall, the findings provide compelling support for Shavelson's model, the construct validity of self-concept, and the validity of interpretations based upon the SDQ.

The study of dispositional differences in self-attributions has important implications for educational settings, but critical issues have been largely ignored in much attributional research. The purposes of this study are to clarify the distinction between dispositional and situational approaches to attribution research, to review particular issues that are important for the study of individual differences in self-attributions, to examine these issues with respect to results from a new self-attribution measure, and to demonstrate how self-attributions are related to dimensions of self-concept. Conclusions based on the literature review and empirical findings both demonstrate that (a) individual differences in self-attributions cannot be explained in terms of the bipolar dimensions that have been found in research that manipulates situational components of the attribution process (e.g., the internal-external, stable-unstable, and controllable-uncontrollable dimensions), (b) attributions for success and failure outcomes differ in ways that have not been recognized by attributional theorists, and (c) ability attributions (but perhaps not attributions to effort and external causes) are specific to particular areas of academic content. The results also demonstrate a clear and predictable pattern of relationships between dimensions of self-attribution and self-concept that supports the convergent and discriminant validity of responses in each of these areas.

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This paper reports the results of a two-year study of student perceptions of school climate. The students concerned were from two non-metropolitan government secondary schools in Years 7 to 12 in New South Wales. Two scales, originally developed in the United Kingdom by Finlayson, Banks and Loughran in 1971 and later modified by Lane, Crane and Thomas in 1982, were used to measure student perceptions. These scales were Teacher Concern for Students and Student Alienation. Student data over the two years, 1982 and 1983, were matched so that only those students present on each occasion were included in a repeated measures analysis. The two school climate scales were used as dependent variables, while the independent variables were sex and year level. There was a statistically significant interactive effect between year level, sex and testing occasion on both scales but the pattern of significant simple effects differed across the two schools. The simple effects interactive patterns are examined in detail and reasons for their occurrence are proposed.

This article reports on the underlying reasons for Nepean's involvement with an increasing number of Canadian students, the experiences of the first cohort of twenty-two students to undertake this program, the benefits and challenges that the experience has brought them as the first students in the program, and the advantages that accrued to the university as a consequence of having a group of Canadian students as part of its student body.