Relationship of classroom behavior to the accuracy of the match between material difficulty and student ability created by Gerald W. Jorgenson

Examined (a) the level of difficulty of material used for reading instruction with 71 2nd-6th graders and (b) the relationship between the material difficulty/student ability level difference scores and classroom adjustment. Readability formulas determined material difficulty; individual reading tests determined ability levels (the Gray Oral Reading Test, Form B, and the Spache Diagnostic Reading Scales); the Devereux Elementary School Behavior Rating Scale assessed classroom behavior. Ss tended not to receive instruction in material at a level of difficulty equal to their tested ability. Material difficulty/ability level difference scores were significantly related to classroom adjustment: Behavior improved as the material became easier for Ss. Less accurately matched material therefore tended to be related to improved behavior. Unexpected relationships thus exist between classroom behavior and level of difficulty of instructional material.