The content of this book is embedded in two historical frameworks. The first is the history of American education in which the basic underlying premise is that education is a means of achieving equality in our society. The other is the development of educational research in the United States which was founded on a deep conviction that one could…

While the effects of teacher expectations on learner performance have continued to be of interest to both classroom teachers and researchers, the findings of much of the research have been equivocal. Teacher expectancy statements may affect performance in three rather distinct ways: the past association value of the expectancy statement, the value…

This study, which assessed the effectiveness of microcomputer-assisted instruction in assisting low achieving fourth to sixth graders to attain mathematics and reading mastery, found performance of only one experimental group statistically superior to that of the control groups, but no significant differences in attitudes toward school or sense of…

Reports on use of a tutorial program written in STAF2 authoring language to replace human teaching in an undergraduate biology mastery learning program. Learning was assessed cognitively in terms of Bloom's Taxonomy. Students taught by the STAF2 computer program attained significantly higher scores for retention, application, and evaluation of…

The No Child Left Behind Act (P.L. 107-110) called for the U.S. Department of Education to carry out a national study of the effectiveness of educational technology. With computers becoming ubiquitous in American schools, and purchases of hardware and software now substantial expenses for school districts, whether funding is supporting effective…

Results from meta-analysis of studies on student attitudes toward science are discussed. Includes description of meta-analysis techniques, discussion of attitudes toward science (with a proposed definition), a theoretical framework for studying attitudes which provides a structure for synthesis studies, and recommendations, including those related…

Gender differences in scholastic achievement as a function of measurement method were examined by comparing performance of 739 15-year-old boys and 758 15-year-old girls in Irish high schools on multiple-choice and free-response tests of mathematics, Irish, and English achievement. Method-based gender differences are discussed. (SLD)

Presents an overview of some well-known instruments and recently developed scales for assessing student or teacher perceptions of actual or preferred classroom learning environments. Past research and practical applications followed using the instruments are described. (SM)

Describes procedures needed to analyze large-scale databases. Presents two examples of how French educational researchers have utilized data from the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) studies of mathematics and reading literacy. Includes one table and three figures illustrating these techniques. (CFR)

Studies on motivational or attitudinal differences between women and men have frequently failed to explain observable differences in achievement, probably because they have not considered personal and contextual characteristics of college student samples. Life stage analysis is applied to studies of achievement and male-female relationships. (SLD)

A 1996 literature review of 75 "methodologically acceptable" studies concluded that bilingual education was not beneficial. A reexamination of the literature review found only 11 studies that actually were methodologically acceptable. The application of metaanalysis to those 11 studies shows that at least some native language instruction is…

Discusses the major findings of the 1988-89 study that investigated the impact of school library media centers on academic achievement in Colorado public schools. Highlights include research methodology; the effects of staff size, collection variety, funding, and library media specialists' instructional role; and suggestions for further research.…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) "Saving Futures, Saving Dollars": Five Percent Increase in Male Graduation Rate Could Lead to Savings of $8…

The article presents the findings of the research into professional development needs of study programme managers at four Lithuanian higher education schools (two universities and two colleges) and a revised methodology for research into study programme managers professional development needs in the didactical domain of teacher qualification…

This report presents results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1994 trend assessments in science, mathematics, reading, and writing. To provide a numeric summary to students' performance on the assessments, the NAEP used a 0 to 500 scale for each subject area. Comparisons of average scale scores are provided across the…