A survey of the scientific literacy of selected high-school leavers at the secondary/tertiary educational interface in South Africa revealed that taking Physical Science in grade 12, in contrast to Biology, plays a more significant role in the achievement of scientific literacy by these students. An explanation for this result was sought by…

This paper examines the a-priori ideological orientation of pupils in two different types of schools in the kibbutzim in Israel, the movement schools (Hatakam or Hashomer Hatzair) and the mixed schools. The paper attempts to show how different educational circumstances and environments develop a distinct a-priori ideological orientation in…

The field dependency/independency construct (FDI) was measured using tests of perception of the upright such as the Rod and Frame Test (RFT) and tests of cognitive restructuring such as the Hidden Figures Test (HFT); relationships between cognitive restructing and perception of the upright were investigated. High school seniors received 34 tests…

The paper presents a model comprised of variables which are hypothesized to contribute to environmental knowledge in high school students. The model assumes that environmental knowledge in high school is a function of background factors (socioeconomic status and gender) which are in place before high school and intervening factors which mediate…

Relationships among high school females' self-perceptions on sex-stereotypic attributes and their occupational aspirations and expectations were investigated. Two measures were administered to, and data were collected from, 200 randomly selected females in grade 12 from a large urban school district. Occupational choice was measured by two…

Students undertaking mathematics courses in their final year of secondary education in Victoria are assessed using a combination of school based coursework assessment and examinations. Over the last decade, students have used technology such as graphics calculators, statistical software, spreadsheets, and computer algebra systems (CAS) extensively…

Place of residence or location of school, in terms of rural or urban, have been considered to be related to students' educational and occupational aspirations in many studies. Results of this study indicate that urban students had higher educational and occupational aspirations than rural students; however, rural schools seemed to emphasize…

Contributing to research delineating the cognitive processes of writers who are revising their own texts after feedback from members of their intended audience, a study (1) determined whether more able writers would be more responsive to their readers' feedback than would less able writers; and (2) verified results of a previous study indicating a…

Two questions about the effects of microcomputer-based laboratory (MBL) activities on graphing skills were addressed in this study: (1) the extent to which activities help students link their concrete experiences with motion with graphic representations of these experiences; and (2) the degree of importance of the real-time aspect of the MBL in…

A variety of methods are used to assess secondary school seniors in Australia to determine college admission: locally-developed achievement tests in curricular subjects; external achievement tests; and general aptitude tests, such as the Australian Scholastic Aptitude Tests. Testing problems include aggregating and rescaling of scores. (GDC)

A problem that arises when a differential item functioning (DIF) study is done with samples of examinees differing in ability is examined. A test may function differently when the populations from which the items are calibrated are not of equal ability. Since the lower ability examinees get many difficult items incorrect, the spread (standard…

To study gifted adolescents and their perception of education, social relationships, career counseling, and self-image, interviews were conducted with 60 grade twelve students identified as gifted in four secondary schools in Ontario (Canada), and with 12 of their teachers/guidance counselors. Information from the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire…

Compressed speech tapes--recordings of a voice reading a selection at the normal rate of approximately 150 words per minute that are speeded up to as much as 400 words a minute--can be used successfully with students to provide practice in improving reading rate and comprehension. In a field test conducted with 23 high school juniors and seniors…

Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA; LISREL) was used to: (1) validate the Self Description Questionnaire III (SDQ III) subscales measuring general, school, English, and mathematics self-concepts for a sample of 898 (285 low track and 613 high track) students in grades 11 and 12, and (2) test the equivalency of the factor structure across academic…

An understanding of the concepts of atoms and molecules is fundamental to the learning of chemistry. Any misconceptions and alternative conceptions related to these concepts which students harbor will impede much further learning. This paper identifies misconceptions related to the fundamental characteristics of atoms and molecules which Grade 12…