Pre- and posttests and interviews concerning misconceptions and alternate conceptions of rates of change were administered to (n=42) students in first-semester calculus using a conceptually-motivated curriculum. Suggests that an emphasis on visual representations through construction and interpretation in conjunction with teacher-student analysis…

Studied the use of humorous cartoons to reduce the anxiety levels of students in statistics classes. Used the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS) to measure the level of student anxiety before and after a statistics course. Found that there was a significant reduction in levels of mathematics anxiety after the course. (SLM)

In recent years, assessment of what is actually learned or accomplished in a college career has gained increasing attention. An instructor of a weather and climate geography course at Illinois State University constructed a 25-question multiple choice test in order to develop a method of assessing what his students learned during the course. The…

Discusses a study focusing on the process of learning and long-term memory in learning economics. Suggests that effective learning occurs when students have incorporated successfully the formal propositions presented into their permanent knowledge bases. Concludes that when topics are presented that build on students' prior knowledge, economic…

This remedial mathematics curriculum for deaf community college students is organized into 22 lessons grouped into three levels: whole numbers, fractions, and decimals. Preliminary versions of the curriculum have been used in Deaf Prep classrooms and taken through a development and revision process. Each lesson follows the same pattern: topic…

Evaluated the effects of the study skills enhancement technique taught at Bowling Green State University Study Skills Laboratory on the test-taking performance of Sociology 101 students. Found that those students who participated in the program four or more hours per week performed better on tests. (SLM)

This module is an individualized, self-contained instructional booklet designed to teach the first-year architectural student how to use the "Art Index." The instruction covers such aspects as subject headings, subheadings, see and see-also references, abbreviations, elements of a citation, and finding both subject citations and specific…

Recognizes three major problems for use of student achievement in measuring teacher effectiveness: (1) great variability in initial student capabilities; (2) teaching to the examinations; and (3) regression effects. Pretests/posttests and outside observers were shown (in a pilot study) to avoid such problems. (DH)

Quantitative outcomes from the Attitudes toward Science Inventory, as well as interview results, indicate that nonscience college majors have high anxiety levels in combination with low levels of motivation when confronted with science material. Further, these attitudes toward science change with exposure to introductory, science instruction with…

Describes the development of a history assessment test by Northeast Missouri State University (Kirksville) faculty. Discusses content, problems with design and cooperation, and theories of assessment testing. Includes sample questions demonstrating the cube plan, a technique that involves using a single question to measure three learning…

Describes efforts to infuse an international perspective into Clarion University of Pennsylvania's social studies methods course. Reports results of a pretest indicating poor knowledge of and interest in social studies among education majors. Discusses course activities, materials, and requirements. Concludes that knowledge and interest in global…

Reports on a study that measured some of the less accessible changes in student attitudes toward the quality of instruction. Students in three history of psychology classes were given a "semiprojective" pretest and posttest. Concludes that student responses increased in level of abstraction, concentrating more on philosophical and general issues.…

Describes a study of reading skills improvement among 362 Morgan State University freshmen who were assigned to a corrective reading course after scoring below the tenth grade level on the McGraw-Hill Reading Test. Posttest scores showed significant improvement in reading skills. (PAA)

A study examines the influence of a Sunship Earth education program on fifth and sixth grade students (n=578). Results indicate that students who attended the program increased their ecological knowledge significantly. Participation did not result in more positive environmental attitudes. (17 references) (MCO)

This booklet is the sixth in a series of nine from the Teacher Training Institute at Hofstra University (New York) and describes the dual approach this course used for the presentation of mathematics history along both a chronological outline and across themes such as: non-Euclidean geometry, women in mathematics, mathematics and mysticism, and…