The present investigation was intended to provide information on the type of strategies employed by learning disabled (LD) students on standardized, group-administered achievement test items. Of particular interest was level of strategy effectiveness and possible differences in strategy use between LD and non-disabled students. Students attending…

Research on the emergence of sex differences in spatial ability during early adolescence prompted a meta-analysis of 172 spatial ability studies conducted since 1974. The meta-analysis confirmed that there are actually several spatial abilities, that some types of spatial ability show marked sex differences while others show none, and that spatial…

The intervention in this study focused upon effective test taking, defined as the capacity to use acquired subject matter knowledge to achieve test scores consistent with an individual's knowledge level. This approach also emphasized self-assessment and self-directed learning. The procedure was employed in efforts to enhance a class of medical…

The relationships among variables for a group of first year medical students were examined. The variables included previous test-taking experience, test-taking training, test anxiety, and level of test wiseness. The study also provided initial normative data concerning the level of test anxiety among entering medical students for comparison with…

The objective of the present research was to investigate the effects of test-wiseness training on achievement. The study involved 208 Black, White and Hispanic students in grades three and five. An experimental training session was employed to test whether four aspects of test-wiseness (following directions, guessing, answer changing, and use of…

The effects of a test coaching program, "Scoring High on the California Achievement Test," were investigated with a sample of 876 students in grades 1, 2, 4, and 5. Multivariate analyses of variance were used to determine the effects of the program, grade level, sex, and race. Significant differences in favor of the Scoring High program…

The objectives for this study were to: (1) develop a valid, reliable measure of test-wiseness with equivalent forms for use with students in the health sciences; and (2) determine the level of test-wiseness of entering medical students. The test-wiseness areas included in this study were: similar options, umbrella term, item give-away, convergence…

The effect of cooperative test-taking (CT) on the achievement and attitudes of college seniors was investigated. The students (n=46) were randomly assigned to one of two sections of a course in measurement. They worked on projects in randomly assigned groups of four or five students. One section took frequent cooperative quizzes, while the other…

Contends that young children have little experience in answering test questions and misunderstandings easily arise when they are subjected to tests. Reports on a study of the impact of testing expectations on 110 Dutch primary school students. Finds that clear explanations about the testing situation leads to better performance. (CFR)

This was a replicative study that was initiated with a journeyman level certification instrument for an international union, when industry monitors were observed suggesting to examinees to "go with your first response." The question arose whether this was a researched-based practice. If not, wouldn't this practice inject constant error…

Analyzes the results of previous studies that examined the effects of teaching test-taking skills to elementary school children. Concludes that training in test-taking skills is differentially effective for various subgroups of children, longer training programs are more effective, and training is more effective in the upper elementary grades than…

Discusses the problem of and solution to anxiety in school testing situations. Focuses on Hill and his colleagues' long term program of research. Describes school intervention studies where new evaluation procedures and teaching programs have been developed to help students perform better in evaluative situations. (CB)

The beneficial effects of changing an answer on a multiple choice test were examined for elementary school students, with particular emphasis on the answer-changing behavior of minority versus non-minority groups and high-income versus low-income students. Test booklets from students in grade 2 and answer sheets from students in grades 4, 6, and 8…

The validity of combining a correction for guessing with the Nedelsky-based cutscore was investigated. A five option multiple choice Mathematics Achievement Test was used in the study. Items were selected to meet several criteria. These included: the capability of measuring mathematics concepts related to performance in introductory statistics;…

The study examined associated treatment effects on State Board Examination (SBE) scores of two predominantly black nursing classes who had been exposed to different intervention methods: (1) the teaching of effective test-taking skills, and (2) a combination of that instruction with learning team methods. The SBE performance of the two groups who…