This paper examines a non-equivalent quasi-experimental research effort, wherein two versions of a two week Project Based Learning unit were developed, implemented, and assessed. Students used a collaborative GIS or paper maps to support data analysis activities in this eighth grade Earth science unit. Attitude and self-efficacy in science as…

This study reports on student experiences in an inquiry-oriented elementary science methods course. Students in this course designed and conducted an independent investigation, and then adapted that investigation to develop an inquiry-oriented lesson and a corresponding performance assessment. Students' written reflections expressed increased…

Group achievements and social change are rooted in self-efficacy. This concept has important implications for career development in a changing environment. Associations that represent professionals involved with physical rehabilitation in the United States have identified activities that they feel are essential for the survival of the…

In this study, we investigated factors related to students' performance on the ACT. We examined how students' background characteristics, academic achievement in high school, education-related accomplishments and activities, and perceptions of self and others affect their ACT scores. Of particular interest were the direct and indirect effects of…

Providing support focused on real challenges is critical in retaining highly qualified new science teachers, but the field lacks a systematic description of these teachers' needs. The authors of this article examine the areas that science teachers are expected to understand: (1) the content and disciplines of science; (2) learners; (3)…

The effect of educational technologies on learning is an area of active interest. We conducted an experiment to compare the impact of instructional software on student performance. We hypothesize that some of the impact on student performance may reflect the influence of the technology on student subject-related beliefs and that those beliefs may…

The high prevalence of HIV among young people in African countries underscores a pressing need for effective prevention interventions. Adapting school-based prevention programs developed in the United States for use in African schools may present an alternative to the time-consuming process of developing home-grown programs. The researchers report…

This study explored the efficacy of conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC) by assessing objective outcomes and social validity with a sample of students with and without diversity. Diversity characteristics that were investigated included ethnicity, socioeconomic status, family composition, maternal education level, and language spoken in the…

This study compared male and female university teachers' sense of teaching efficacy and their belief in their ability to effect student change. A total of 30 university teachers (15 men and 15 women) from Eastern New Mexico University completed a self-efficacy quiz. The participants' mean years of total teaching were 12.2. One-way analysis of…

A sense of efficacy, the extent to which teachers believe that they have the capacity to affect pupil performance, is related to both teaching behaviors and pupil performance. This study was designed to test the developmental hypothesis that teachers' sense of efficacy would increase during their successful progression through preservice training…

Recent initiatives by child educators, school psychologists, and practitioners emphasize providing cognitive instruction and promoting cognitive competence in all children, not only the high-achieving or most intelligent students. This book reviews efforts of cognitively-oriented educators, with the objective of translating knowledge into improved…

A theoretical model describes the components of academic studying focusing on antecedents as well as the consequences of studying. This study uses correlational means to explore the relationship among student characteristics, study activities, and outcomes for 42 education majors. Study activities were assessed with a self-report questionnaire.…

Taxing situations that threaten the administrator's sense of self-efficacy meaningfully account for burnout in human-service professionals. This paper presents findings of a study that hypothesized that environmental or role stressors could be classified as task, organization, and relations stressors, each pertaining to a different domain of the…

Principals play a unique role in school and student outcomes. This paper presents findings of a study that explored how principals' leadership behaviors influenced teachers' sense of efficacy. Specifically, the paper describes how principals in three middle schools influenced teachers' sense of efficacy and affected instructional and school…

This study investigated patterns of procrastination in the domains of health, relationships, employment, and creative outlets in 19 former Westinghouse Science Talent Search winners, age 32 years. A model was synthesized from the available literature and an interview schedule of 14 open-ended items was developed to elicit self-assessments of…