The primary purpose of the study was to examine methodological issues in investigations of the relative effects of schooling and age on school performance. One means of separating these 2 effects involves the use of a between-grade regression discontinuity approach. However, amongst other things, this approach is based on assumptions concerning…

In 1989 the North Central Higher Learning Commission joined a growing movement to improve learning and classroom assessment. The movement called for a more inclusive type of assessment that involves tasks other that learning for testing. The Association of American Colleges and Universities agreed and proposed new Principles of Excellence…

This paper presents situated learning as a theoretical framework for conceptualising new ways to approach science education. Key constructs associated with this framework, including communities of practice, Discourse and identity, are introduced. I advance an argument to develop classroom communities of practice based on engaged citizenship…

This study investigated the level of concern in teachers and administrators regarding the adoption of a new math curriculum in the adoption's second year of implementation. Utilizing the Stages of Concern Questionnaire, based upon the Concerns-Based Adoption's Model as the instrumentation for the study, the findings of the study revealed that…

In the 2006-2007 school year, the State of Wyoming adopted an evidenced-based school funding model. The Wyoming funding model reviewed in this study is considered an evidence-based approach, utilizing expert judgment to determine educational funding. In an evidence-based approach, educational strategies are identified and a dollar figure is…

Objective: To investigate whether items assessing attention problems provide evidence of quantitative differences or categorically distinct subtypes of attention problems (APs) and to investigate the relation of empirically derived latent classes to "DSM-IV" diagnoses of subtypes of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), for…

The series of articles in this issue test conceptual models of the processes by which levels of educational attainment are passed from one generation to the next. Collectively, the investigations indicate that although proximal family processes mediate the relation between parent education and children's educational achievement, these processes…

A distributed online curriculum and courseware development model (DONC[superscript 2]) is developed and tested in this study. Courseware development teams which may work in different institutions who need to develop high quality, reduced cost, on time products will be the users of DONC[superscript 2]. The related features from the disciplines of…

Models of visual word recognition have been assessed by both factorial and regression approaches. Factorial approaches tend to provide a relatively weak test of models, and regression approaches give little indication of the sources of models' mispredictions, especially when parameters are not optimal. A new alternative method, involving…

In this paper, we describe the outcomes of the first year of an intensive, urban ecology focused, summer program for urban high school youth. Students in our program conduct scientific investigations of their urban ecosystems while exploring potential career options in science and technology fields. In conducting their investigations, the students…

The authors have identified three areas that are central to the rationale for conducting a qualitative research project, yet which produce confusion and uncertainty for some psychologists trained in traditional research methods. In this article, they consider how philosophy of science paradigms relate to the foundational rationale for qualitative…

This paper reports on the theory, design, and calibration of an instrument for measuring gender difference in motivation for learning technology. The content of the instrument was developed based upon the motivational theories of Eccles and others. More specifically, the learners' self-concept of ability, perception of technology, perception of…

Empirical investigations on students' conceptions of cell biology indicate major misunderstandings of scientific concepts even after thorough teaching. Therefore, the main aim of our research project was to investigate students' difficulties in learning this topic and to study the impact of learning activities on students' conceptions. Using the…

A simplified model of an industrially relevant fluid-particle flow system is analyzed using linear stability theory. Instabilities of the uniform state of a fluidized bed are investigated in response to small flow perturbations. Students are expected to perform each step of the computational analysis, and physical insight into key mechanistic…

Since the American Revolution free public education has been a discussion of political debate. The purpose that such an institution should play in society is a debate fervently argued when the founding fathers wanted to build a republic based on meritocracy. The problem this study addresses is the undefined relationship between the goals of…