We present data from large introductory algebra-based physics courses at a large public research university in the US in which most students were bioscience majors or other health-related majors. The data was analyzed from two introductory physics courses, which are required for most of these students and they are often considered "weed…

This study explored the mathematics course placement process for incoming students in an all-boys Catholic high school. The sequential nature of mathematics significantly impacts students' opportunity to learn; moreover, the mathematics course taken by a student during ninth grade can have far-reaching effects. Previous studies have found that…

This study aims to analyse the impact of demographic and educational factors on in digital upskilling. We address the relationship between digital skills, critical thinking skills and the student learning experience in courses with embedded upskilling programs. Statistical analysis and exploratory research are used to analyse the data collected by…

Prior investigations of the academic performance of student athletes have yielded mixed results: while the NCAA's large scale surveys point to classroom success, other researchers have documented academic underperformance by student athletes. The purpose of this study was to examine the grades and the time budgets of student athletes at a NCAA…

Over the last decade, the "gender gap" in physics conceptual inventory scores has been extensively studied by the physics education research community. Researchers have identified many factors that influence the overall differences in post-test scores between men and women. More recently, it has been shown that the Force Concept…

This paper uses administrative North Carolina data linked from high school to college and national surveys to characterize the largest contributor to the STEM gender gap: engineering. Disparities are the result of differential entry during high school or earlier rather than postsecondary exit. Differences in pre-college academic preparation…

Gendered schooling is growing in the United States, but little research exists on single-sex classes in public elementary schools. This study sought to find out if single-sex classes in two elementary schools made a difference in boys' reading gains in 2008-2009, as judged by scores on the state's annual literacy test. In one school, boys in the…

The purpose of the study is to compare the student profile characteristics, which were categorized as demographic, prematriculation, and matriculation, between traditional residential and commuter students at a public, research, commuter university. Using status attainment as the theoretical framework, the researchers employed a discriminant…

Analysis of Self-Efficacy Scale, Skills Confidence Inventory; ACT Assessment, and grade point average (GPA) results for 189 women and 91 men revealed strong relationships between generalized self-efficacy and confidence in Investigative and Enterprising occupations for both and Conventional occupations for men. ACT scores were related to…

The predictive validity of the American College Test (ACT) for two classes totaling 2,289 students was investigated at successive intervals over four years of college. Correlational coefficients and expectancy tables substantiated the validity of the ACT for prediction of GPA, for progress, and for graduation within four years. (Author)

Declarers of above average, average, and below average Practical Skills on the ACT Student Profile Report were compared on the basis of OPI personality scale scores by means of multivariate analysis of covariance. Results indicated significant differences by level of Practical Skill and no significant interaction between sex and practical skill…

Results of study suggest several factors which may have contributed to ACT score decline between 1966 and 1976. These are (1) increased number of Black students taking the test and scoring lower than White students, (2) decline in number of academic courses taken by students, and (3) increased absenteeism. (Author)

Examined the relationship between five independent variables (gender, race, ACT Composite Score, high school GPA, and Pell Grant status) and one dichotomous dependent variable (baccalaureate degree completion) at public colleges/universities in Mississippi. Found that high school GPA was generally the strongest predictor of degree completion,…

This study was conducted to determine the extent to which students displaying different levels of commitment to a university can be described and identified before making a final decision to enroll or not enroll. The findings indicate that information contained in the ACT Student Profile lends itself to such description. (Author)

Eight randomly equivalent samples of high school seniors were each given a unique form of the ACT Assessment Mathematics Usage Test (ACTM). Signed measures of differential item performance (DIP) were obtained for each item in the eight ACTM forms. DIP estimates were analyzed and a significant item category effect was found. (Author/LMO)