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)

Over the course of history, scientists have constructed models and equations that provide insight into the motions of the heavens. However, research indicates many people hold alternative conceptions that, to them, explain the same observable phenomenon. Science educators have found that students learning about lunar phases may hold misconceptions…

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…

This research study involved both quantitative and qualitative analysis of elementary teachers' problem-solving skills before and after a focused summer intervention program. Following research-based recommendations for effective professional development, the researchers developed and implemented a program to teach general problem-solving…

With the talk of "accountability" and "progress" in schools across the country, it's no wonder that assessment is on everyone's minds. And, it should be. Well designed pre- and postassessments provide students with a clear idea of what they are expected to know after a set of learning experiences. Effective assessments also help teachers hone…

A research project was designed to test two hypotheses concerning the teaching of music notation: (1) the overhead projector would prove superior to the chalkboard as a teaching aid; and (2) the use of the overhead projector would cause students to retain knowledge better and score higher on standardized music tests. The study involved 93 students…

The paper discusses the Global Awareness Test administered to 6,396 grade 9 students in New Brunswick, Canada at the beginning and end of the 1987 school year. The test was designed to better assess the impact of the grade 9 social studies program and the activities of New Brunswick's Global Education Centre. By comparing the results of the pre-…

This curriculum guide is designed to enable teachers and ninth grade students to develop a clearer understanding of the countries of Kenya and Tanzania and the economic needs of their citizens. A pretest-posttest examination with 20 true or false questions, 2 essay questions, and a list of 50 vocabulary words is provided. Brief descriptions of the…

Describes aspects of a team teaching approach to mathematics instruction at a career development center. The author discusses pretests, class profile sheets, teacher conferences, classroom visits, demonstration lessons, use of mathematics machines, the math league and league news release, math league playoffs, Mathematics Genius of the Week…

Indicates statistically significant increases for participants in three-week institute involving measures of their acceptance of theory of evolution, measures of their understanding of both applied evolutionary principles and nature of applied science, and measures of their reduced anxieties regarding teaching of evolution. Further, participants…

Increasingly, national stakeholders express concern that U.S. college graduates cannot adequately solve problems and think critically. As a set of cognitive abilities, critical thinking skills provide students with tangible academic, personal, and professional benefits that may ultimately address these concerns. As an instructional method, writing…

A study of over 3,000 U.S. high school students who took the Test of Economic Literacy (TEL) in 1986 reveals a lack of basic understanding in the four basic TEL concept clusters of fundamental economics, microeconomics, macroeconomics, and international economics. The TEL was administered pre- and posttest where students were enrolled in one of…

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…

A study was conducted with forty-seven preservice childhood (elementary) education teachers (42 F, 5 M) enrolled in two mathematics methods classes taught by the same instructor to determine the effect of these college students making curriculum materials appropriate for upper elementary students on the preservice teachers' knowledge of…

This instructor guide, which was developed for use in a manufacturing firm's advanced technical preparation program, contains the materials required to present a learning module that is designed to prepare trainees for the program's statistical process control module by improving their basic math skills in working with line graphs and teaching…