In mathematics education, assessment is increasingly conducted using computer- or tablet-based technologies as alternatives to the traditional paper-and-pencil format. Several studies have examined the impact of test mode (computer vs. paper) on test performance in mathematics, but these studies have produced mixed results and few studies…

This study is devoted to the study of the digital divide between the developed and frontier regions of China, as a model for solving the problems of the global digital divide. The research is based on a representative sample of 1,520 high school students and 220 teachers. The study included several successive stages; each of them was devoted to…

Since education is a major step toward long-term human capital development, it is assumed that facility in the use of information and communication technology (ICT), which can help complement, enrich, and transform education, should be promoted among students. However, does a higher level of ICT familiarity always help promote learning skills and…

Studies have investigated contextual factors such as family, school, and peer support for test preparation, and results generally indicate that students with a stronger support system are more successful at increasing their scores by the use of test preparation. One important contextual factor, often overlooked in the literature, is how a testing…

This study attempted to identify the information and communication technology items that affected students' mathematics and science literacy scores by making use of the 2015 PISA data, The presence of numerous items related to ICT in the PISA and the administration of these items to large groups of people provides researchers with a large data…

Spatial skills have been shown in various longitudinal studies to be related to multiple science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) achievement and retention. The specific nature of this relation has been probed in only a few domains, and has rarely been investigated for calculus, a critical topic in preparing students for and in STEM…

Examining the testing processes, as well as the scores, is needed for a complete understanding of validity and fairness of computer-based assessments. Examinees' rapid-guessing and insufficient familiarity with computers have been found to be major issues that weaken the validity arguments of scores. This study has three goals: (a) improving…

Special preparation for tests has been a relatively contentious issue. The controversy has entailed (a) disagreement over the effectiveness of such preparation, (b) concern over unequal access to it, and (c) worries about its impact on the validity of test scores. This paper provides a brief history of ETS's involvement with, and contribution to,…

This paper reports how the context in which a mathematics item is embedded impacts on students' performance. The performance of Year 10 students on four PISA items was compared with performance on variants with more familiar contexts. Performance was not better when they solved items with more familiar contexts but there was some evidence that…

The authors outline results of 3 studies conducted to examine the structure of disciplinary knowledge from reading measured through proximity data. In Study 1, 168 third-grade students were asked to read a science text and rate the relationships of keywords from the passage. From these ratings, comprehension scores were calculated that related…

Based on the schema theory, it has been found that the background knowledge of males and females differs. This difference in background knowledge can affect the students' reading comprehension. In Iran, although boys and girls study in different schools, they follow the same curricula and syllabuses in all the schools. The present article reports…

This mixed methods study describes the effects of a "minute contextual experience" on students' ability to solve a realistic assessment problem involving scale drawings and proportional reasoning. Minute contextual experience (MCE) is defined to be a brief encounter with a context in which aspects of the context are explored openly. The…

African American and Chicano/Latino American students score 10% or more below European American students on national and local standardized tests. Low-performing students also receive more frequent discipline referrals than their higher performing peers. This study examined teachers' perceived need for training to incorporate culturally…

Researchers have raised questions regarding the connection between learner familiarity with computers and performance on computerized tests virtually since interest arose in studying the applicability of computers for assessment purposes. However, despite this longstanding attention, at present, there has been a surprising lack of research that…

This article reports the findings of a study that investigated the role of graphic novels in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) to International Baccalaureate students (aged 15-16) in TED Ankara College Foundation Private High School. Two intact 10th grade classes were randomly assigned to the control and experimental groups who studied…