The present study aims at unravelling the myriad of student-level (i.e., gender, socioeconomic status [SES], academic self-concept, achievement, ability, and occupational interests) and school-level (i.e., gender composition, maths composition, and SES composition) determinants of option choice in the academic track of secondary school in…

Between 8th and 10th grades, many students are asked to make curriculum-related decisions that may ultimately influence their achievement in core academic subjects such as mathematics. While past achievement often limits the level of courses available to a student, aspirations for postsecondary education ultimately determine the level of…

This report presents first findings from the Base Year of the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002). ELS:2002 is the fourth major secondary school longitudinal study sponsored by NCES, closely reflecting the research purposes and designs of its three predecessor studies NLS-72, HS&B, and NELS:88. Beginning with a nationally…

A large and representative 10% sample of classrooms consisting of 1,587 students from a mid-western province in Canada was administered a standardized achievement test battery. This battery consisted of four tests, Reading, Mathematics, Written Expression, and Using Sources of Information. Gender and rural-urban differences in achievement and…

Used Educational Longitudinal Study data to examine the differential impact of reform and traditional instruction on the mathematics performance and attitudes of black and Hispanic American tenth and twelfth graders. Twelfth graders receiving reform instruction had significantly higher achievement than those receiving traditional instruction.…

A study was undertaken to determine aspects of gender-related differences in mathematics achievement among 10th graders (n=253). More specifically, the following aspects were assessed: (1) gender-related differences and similarities on specific process-, content-, and micro-component aspects; (2) stability of the patterns of differences and…

This paper attempts to determine whether increased levels of involvement among socially advantaged parents accounts for children's track placements. Research has shown that students of higher social classes have a greater advantage in attaining placement in elite math sequences. Data from the National Educational Longitudinal Survey (1988) was…

Using student interviews, teacher ratings, and achievement test outcomes, a strategy model of student self-regulated learning was validated as a theoretical construct. Results with 44 male and 36 female 10th graders indicate both convergent and discriminative validity for a self-regulated learning construct. (TJH)

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…

Longitudinal study of mathematics achievement and gender of (n=60) students progressing from 6th to 12th grade found consistent gender differences in stereotyping mathematics as a male domain; identified no difference in spatial, verbal, or mathematics skills; and found positive correlation between achievement and confidence. (17 references)…

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…

The learning approaches of secondary students were studied for 495 eighth-, tenth- and twelfth-grade students in Singapore. The focus was on determining: (1) the dominant approach used by students in learning different academic subjects (English, Chinese, mathematics, and science); (2) the motive-strategy consequence in learning these different…

The purposes of this study were to determine the level of achievement of United States advanced science students in an international context and to identify school factors affecting the science achievement of the students. The Second International Science Study (SISS) Advanced Science Achievement Tests included international common items which…

The longitudinal analysis population of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) is used to produce descriptive findings about the transition to high school of eighth grade students. An overview summarizes some of the policy issues of the study and sketches the research design and samples. First, longitudinal data are used to…

This paper analyzes data from the "High School and Beyond" study on approximately 30,000 sophomores in 1,000 U.S. schools. The purpose is to explain the contradictory conclusions offered by two recent national studies on public and private schooling. The analysis examines differences between public and private school students in…