Studied the effects of answer review on results of a computerized adaptive test, the laboratory professional examination of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. Results from 29,293 candidates show that candidates who changed answers were more likely to improve their scores. (SLD)

Responses from a stratified random sample of British elementary schools (64 of 102) found generally consistent practices in preparing students for national science achievement tests. Variations in time spent, approaches, and resources were related to variables of attainment, school size, class composition, and teacher's professional…

Capstone is defined in the dictionary as "putting the final stone in place." Business Policy or Strategic Management is typically the capstone class in a business management degree program. As such, there are prerequisite requirements in terms of courses and specific knowledge. We have implemented a competency test for the capstone class and…

Pursuant to Education Code 66903, the California Postsecondary Education Commission is charged with reviewing and commenting on the need for new academic programs at California's public colleges and universities and with making recommendations to the Legislature and the Governor. In September 2006, the Commission considered a proposal to establish…

In a course on biological psychology and neuropsychology, study questions were provided that also appeared as test questions in the course exam. This method was introduced to support students in active processing and reproduction of the study texts, and study planning. Data were gathered to test the hypothesis that study question use would be…

Many arguments have been made against allowing examinees to review and change their answers after completing a computer adaptive test (CAT). These arguments include: (1) increased bias; (2) decreased precision; and (3) susceptibility of test-taking strategies. Results of simulations suggest that the strength of these arguments is reduced or…

Recent advances in technology have made it easy to provide students an outline or some form of notes prior to lectures and for later review. To test the efficacy of instructor-provided notes, 74 students studied lecture material under one of four conditions, in groups of 4 or 5 students. Some listened and took notes as their normal strategy.…

An attempt is made to manipulate depth of processing by inserting in text verbatim, paraphrase, or inference questions after every paragraph of the passage. Findings are discussed in terms of a "levels of processing" analysis. (Author/GK)

Compared results from computer-adaptive and self-adaptive tests under conditions in which item review was and was not permitted for 379 college students. Results suggest that, when given the opportunity, most examinees will change answers, but usually only to a small portion of items, resulting in some benefit to the test taker. (SLD)

Research has shown that students who take notes remember more than do students who do not take notes, and that test performance is enhanced for students who are given an opportunity to review their notes compared to those who are not. However, research has not offered instructors and students specific guidelines regarding when review of notes in…

To provide interim guidance for the Office in matters of scientific and technical information (STI) prior to the report of the President's Committee on Science and Technology, MITRE conducted an analysis of Public Law 94-282 based upon common precepts of past reports and documents. The report recommends the creation of new organizational…

Two experiments were performed with college students to study memory monitoring during the learning of word lists. Both experiments suggested that successful monitoring to decide which items were already encoded did not occur during presentation of material but was restricted to recall trials. (Author/BS)

High school students studied a brief history text, then either took a test on the passage, spent equivalent time reviewing, or went to an unrelated task. A test given two weeks later indicated that the test condition resulted in better retention than either the review or control conditions. (Author/GK)

Examines the relationship of study techniques and test-taking strategies to success on the "O" level of the British General Certificate of Education (GCE) examination. Findings showed that teachers and students felt that course reviews, including study of past examinations, was the best preparation. (AM)

Two experiments were performed to determine whether questions inserted after prose passages initiate reviews which facilitate retention of the information in memory. Results suggest that the backward review is not attributed to a retrieval phenomenon but to a strengthening of memory traces at the time of the probe. (Author/GK)