This article examines various aspects of school physical characteristics relating to problem behavior among students. We hypothesize that an attractive physical environment will be associated with less truancy, cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use, whereas a negative physical environment will be associated with higher levels of these behaviors.…

Despite the success of many drug and alcohol prevention programs, drug and alcohol use by adolescents continues to be a problem. One important factor in preventing drug and alcohol use may be determining, in a non-intrusive manner, which students are most at risk for drug involvement. In the present study, the predictive relationship between…

Attitudes toward mathematics and attitudes toward computers were examined for 1,018 grade 8 students and 800 grade 12 students. The female students were more likely than the male students to associate negative attitudes toward mathematics with negative attitudes toward computers. Participation in an eighth-grade mathematics course with a computer…

Shows how digging for details adds richness and new meanings to cliches. Provides student poems resulting from exercises with trite materials. (RL)

Discusses controversies concerning the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), in a conversation between National Endowment for the Humanities president, Lynne V. Cheney, and College Board president, Donald Stewart. The discussion centered around (1) the SAT as a predictor of college performance; (2) uses of achievement tests; and (3) education in…

Reports on a cross-section of high school seniors who were among the 40 students named as finalists in the fiftieth annual science talent search. Presents highlights from interviews with these exceptional teenagers being recognized for their independent research efforts in science, engineering, and mathematics. (JJK)

Describes the thoughts of a secondary science teacher faced with the dilemmas experienced while teaching an environmental science class (n=15). Some of the dilemmas identified were the following: (1) curriculum control and intellectual engagement; and (2) conflict confidence and successful discourse management. An implication of the work is that…

Lessons given to a group of mathematically talented eleventh and twelfth graders enrolled in a problem-solving course that provided practice in applying the heuristic strategy of working backward are detailed. Special attention was given to the process of formulating generalizations that represent large problem classes. (MP)

Presents results of a survey of high school seniors exploring what instructional activities they preferred as a means of learning citizenship education. Explains that the eight citizenship education activities used were derived from eight citizenship teaching approaches. Reports that students preferred activities based on current events,…

Reported the development and validation of an integrated model of performance on chemical concept-volumetric analysis. Model was tested on 265 chemistry students in eight schools.Results indicated that for subjects using algorithms without understanding, performance on volumetric analysis problems was not influenced by proportional reasoning…

Reanalysis of data for 13,200 twelfth-grade students indicated that sex has a significant effect on mathematics achievement even after controlling for sex differences in spatial abilities and background and interest in mathematics. Women tend to have less spatial visualization ability, and its effects on mathematics achievement are greater for…

Features activities for advanced second-year algebra students in grades 11 and 12. Introduces three random variables and considers an empirical and theoretical probability for each. Uses coins, regular dice, decahedral dice, and calculators. (ASK)

Discusses the results of the 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) of secondary school students on probability and statistics. The most recent results indicate that more attention is being given to data analysis, statistics, and probability, and that student performance on these items is gradually improving compared to the 1990…

Evaluated is a course for twelfth graders to demonstrate a variety of aspects of applied science. The basic structure and content of the course are described. The evaluation results including achievement, interest/difficulty with other courses, lateral transfer, and attitudes are reported. Examples of problems and application questionnaire are…

Comparisons are given for data from the Second International Study for both eighth- and eleventh-grade students in the United States and Japan. U.S. students were closer to Japanese students at the eighth-grade level than at the twelfth-grade level; differences have increased since the First International Study. (MNS)