This study of school climate elicited from 12 American Indian ninth graders a sense of how they perceive their school. The inquiry does not examine the practices of teachers and administrators, but is concerned instead with statements made by the students themselves. A process of group questioning and continuous observation during group…

This report evaluates an "effective schools" intervention project, the purpose of which was to improve achievement on proficiency tests in selected Knoxville City Schools (KCS). Six target schools, predominantly serving Knoxville's impoverished areas as identified by Chapter I and census data, were selected to work toward improving…

A study of the differences in achievement among Ottawa's grade 9 and 10 students taught in English and French in three subject areas (mathematics, geography, and history) in which suitable comparative measures were available had as subjects the students in 73 classes. The students in French-language classes were administered the test twice, once…

To explore the relationship of four sets of factors on Mexican American and Anglo American students' desire to take science courses (enjoyment of science, grades, importance of science, and self image), data were gathered from ninth grade students at three high schools in southern Arizona, by using questionnaires for students and interviews with…

This study of student groups working with the Chelsea Bank computer simulation concentrates on the extent to which students are involved in activities related to the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) categories and to knowledge about work place practices. Studying students using the Chelsea Bank simulations offers the…

A program for national educational evaluation was established in Sweden in 1989. In 1992, a second data collection was carried out. The program is designed to serve national and local purposes of evaluation. One concept that has been emphasized strongly is an "explorative way of working." Evaluating an explorative way of working is a…

Six item bias detection techniques (distractor analysis, the Mantel-Haenszel procedure, Angoff's delta plot, Angoff's modified delta plot, Stricker's partial correlation index, and direct comparison of item difficulties) were compared for their ability to identify biased items at three stages of test development. The techniques were applied to…

To answer several questions about the Ohio statewide high school proficiency testing program, correlations of student performance on the ninth-grade proficiency test with other measures of reading and mathematics were studied for approximately 4,600 students in the Cleveland (Ohio) City School District. The performance of students from higher…

Higher order cognitive development and success in the study of high school mathematics and science require an understanding of rational number concepts and facility with proportional reasoning and computation. Proportional reasoning is an essential schema for developing formal operational thought. This study involving 16 ninth-grade students was…

Use of item response theory (IRT), the delta plot method, and Mantel-Haenszel techniques to assess differential item functioning (DIF) across racial and gender groups associated with the Maryland Test of Citizenship Skills (MTCS) is described. The objective of this research was to determine the: effect of sample size on results from these three…

This study reports grade, gender, and environmental (school structure) differences in self-reported use of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana among urban black adolescents. Among the results are the following: (1) an equal percentage of males and females reported having "tried" cigarettes and alcohol; (2) males reportedly smoked more cigarettes…

Concern for the dropout phenomenon among secondary learning disabled (LD) students led to a preliminary study of an urban school's decision-making structures, as well as events that influence ninth graders' behavior and decisions, increasing their risk for dropping out of high school. Data were collected from three sources: observation of school…

The purpose of this study was to explore the utility of the Theory of Planned Behavior for predicting the behavioral intentions of teachers enrolled in the Institute in Physical Science. The study investigated three determinants of teachers' behavioral intentions set forth in the theory of planned behavior, namely attitude toward the behavior,…

Two alternatives to retention in grade for secondary school students were evaluated in Austin (Texas). Both were designed to allow students who are potential retainees (PRs) to receive remediation in one semester. The Transitional Academic Program (TAP) allows PRs to enroll in ninth-grade courses while repeating eighth-grade courses they had…

Sex-related variations in the formation of educational and occupational aspirations of fifth and ninth grade Brazilian boys and girls were assessed via comparison of their academic performance, level of occupational and educational goals, and about the influence of family, peers, and teachers in shaping these goals. Data were collected on 1,950…