Reports the results of a broad-based study of 11- to 16-year-old students' interests in physics and technology. Results indicate that the subjects students find most interesting are under-represented in the physics curriculum, while those they find the least interesting are over-represented. Draws conclusions regarding instruction which arouses…

The effects of classroom assessment environment (CAE) variables on yearly achievement in mathematics and science in grades 7 through 12 were studied through the Longitudinal Study of American Youth (LSAY), using cohorts of approximately 3,000 students each in the 7th and 10th grades who were followed for 4 years. While the LSAY did not include all…

This study assessed whether characteristics of individuals that are predictors of youth problem behavior such as substance use, delinquency, and violence also predict academic achievement. Longitudinal data from 576 students participating in the Raising Healthy Children (RHC) project were analyzed. The RHC project is a study of students recruited…

A criterion-referenced assessment of reading literacy conducted in the fall of 1971 in grades 4, 7, 10, and 12 of the Madison Public Schools is described. The study was designed to answer the question: Can Wisconsin students read (gain information from) the written materials they encounter in daily living? The procedures for identifying the…

This report provides a longitudinal, comprehensive compendium of student performance data in the area of writing for the 2000-2001 school year. The report was generated using aggregate student data from North Carolina public schools, including charter schools, and provides information regarding student performance at the state level at each of the…

This study examined area-specific self-esteem scores by sexual behavior relative to adolescents' values concerning participation in sexual intercourse as an unmarried teenager. The sample consisted of 332 students in grades 7-12 from a Southern rural school district. Students were asked if they had ever had sexual intercourse (yes/no) and if they…

This unit focuses on a dramatic moment in the Renaissance from about 1420 when Filippo Brunelleschi single handedly created, defined, and engineered a new architecture by building the great dome of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. The dome became the symbol of Florence's grandeur during the Renaissance, and a model for great…

This study was conducted in order to identify the major reading, cognitive, and linguistic skills that contribute to individual differences in performance on the reading portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) at third, seventh, and tenth grades. The authors were also interested in understanding the primary deficiencies in…

Project GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) is a federally funded program focused on encouraging disadvantaged youth to have high expectations, stay in school, and take academically rigorous courses to prepare them for college. A GEAR UP grant in rural north-central West Virginia funds academic and support…

Reports on a study of students' preferences for social studies, English, and science courses among 888 secondary students. Finds that seventh graders preferred social studies over science, but this preference weakened substantially as students advanced into high school. Finds that boys preferred social studies over English throughout high school.…

The aims of this study were considered under three headings. The first was to elicit misconceptions that students had about the terms "solute", "solvent" and "solution." The second was to understand how students' prior learning affected their misconceptions. The third was to determine if students were able to make a…

This unit is one of a series that presents specific moments in history from which students focus on the meanings of landmark events. The purpose of this unit is for the student to explore the advances in scientific knowledge made in Europe in the mid-sixteenth to mid-seventeenth centuries. These advances, beginning with Copernicus, radically…

The first annual administration of Oklahoma's School Testing Program is described, and the results for 1985-86 are summarized. The Metropolitan Achievement Tests were administered in grades 3, 7, and 10. Extensive appendices, which make up the bulk of this document, present: (1) suggested learner outcomes for the subjects tested--reading, language…

This study examined the characteristics of family environment and its relationship to attitudes toward science. Data were collected from over 800 seventh-grade and over 1,400 tenth-grade students during a longitudinal, multi-dimensional study of the relationship between the variables of home, school, and self as related to attitudes toward and…

A recent structural model suggesting that nine factors exerted effects on seventh grade students' mathematics achievement and attitude was further tested with a national sample of 2,500 tenth grade mathematics students. The structural model, evolved and cross-validated with the younger sample, significantly accounted for variance in mathematics…