This study investigated the relationship between readability of 73 text-only multiple-choice questions from Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003 and performance of two groups of South African learners: those with limited English-language proficiency (learners attending African schools) and those with better…

The present study used an ecological framework to examine the relationships among adolescents' perceptions of school climate, social competence, and behavioral and psychological adjustment in the middle school years. This study improved upon prior studies by using "structural equation modeling" to investigate the hypothesized mediating…

The present study examined age-group differences in students' self-reports of metacognitive activity in physical education settings. Five hundred and ten students of public elementary, junior and senior high school provided self-reports concerning the metacognitive processes they use during physical education lessons, their goal orientations and…

Mathematics and science achievements have been assessed in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and its repetition (TIMSS-R). Most existing reports are largely separated into the subject domains. This article is focused on an examination of the relationship between mathematics and science achievements based on student test…

In late January through early March of 2003, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) grade 4 and 8 reading and mathematics assessments were administered to representative samples of students in approximately 100 public schools in each state. The results of these assessments were announced in November 2003. Each state also carried…

This study examined correlates of early adolescent alcohol and drug use in a community sample of 217 eighth-grade adolescents with behavior problems and from Hispanic/Latino immigrant families. Structural equation modeling was used to examine relationships of multiple contexts (e.g., family, school, and peers) to alcohol and drug use. Results…

The purposes of the current study were to (1) determine the relationship between the number of practice strategies students could articulate and their performance improvement scores, (2) identify trends in students' 5-minute practice behaviors, and (3) compare students' achievement based on their practice procedures. Participants were 65 eighth…

Early adolescents make early career decisions in the form of curriculum choices for high school, and these choices can influence future postsecondary education and career paths. This exploratory study examined relationships between school and demographic variables and 522 eighth graders' choices of high school academic tracks. Analysis of variance…

The proportion of variance in student achievement that is explained by student SES--"poverty's power rating," as some call it--tends to be lower among smaller schools than among larger schools. Smaller schools, many claim, are able to somehow disrupt the seemingly axiomatic association between SES and student achievement. Using…

THE VERBAL BEHAVIOR OF CHILDREN FROM FOUR GRADE LEVELS (10, EIGHT, SIX, AND FOUR) WAS INVESTIGATED BY HAVING EACH SUBJECT (S) LEARN TO FREE-RECALL THREE 20-WORD LISTS OF UNRELATED WORDS. A MULTITRIAL PROCEDURE WAS USED IN WHICH SS EXPERIENCED 10 CONSECUTIVE LEARNING AND TEST TRIALS ON EACH LIST. TWO MEASURES WERE USED TO ANALYZE BOTH INTRALIST AND…

This study uses an algorithm-based visual display technique (FACES) to provide enhanced detection of multivariate outliers within large-scale data sets. The FACES computer graphing algorithm (H. Chernoff, 1973) constructs a cartoon-like face, using up to 18 variables for each case. A major advantage of FACES is the ability to store and show the…

There is a body of evidence that has linked teachers' verbal feedback to pupils with pupil behaviour. In this study teacher verbal behaviour that was directed towards those pupils that the teachers had nominated as being especially difficult to teach was examined. A series of lessons was observed in a secondary school. The quality and quantity of…

The study examined the effects of gender and ethnicity on mathematics achievement on a national test and on dispositions (attitudes, perceived parental expectations, effort, and help) towards the study of mathematics of a representative sample of Jewish and Arab eighth graders in Israel. The results indicated a large ethnic gap in achievement in…

This study was designed to examine the relationship between conceptions of ability and understandings of the meaning of effort. Participants practiced a novel task and completed an ability conceptions questionnaire prior to instruction and a meaning of effort survey after practicing the task. The majority of participants believed in the efficacy…

This paper reports on a study conducted on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2005 database. The purpose of the study was to examine predictors of student achievement using middle school mathematics teacher professional development items as criterion variables, such as the number of mathematics courses taken, the number of…