This volume of PISA examines the readiness of students to engage with learning strategies, to be motivated to learn and to be confident in their abilities and in their capacity to improve their skills and knowledge. Countries like Korea have reduced mathematics anxiety, Portugal excels in critical thinking, and more low-performing students in…

In some situations, memorisation is useful, even necessary. It can give students enough concrete facts on which to reflect; it can limit anxiety by reducing mathematics to a set of simple facts, rules and procedures; and it can help to develop fluency with numbers early in a child's development, before the child is asked to tackle more complex…

This report explores the factors and conditions that could help more students succeed at school despite challenging socio-economic backgrounds. It does this by studying resilient students and what sets them apart from their less successful peers. Understanding how educational systems can support disadvantaged students and help them "beat the…

The purpose of this study is to examine what effects the mnemonic devices of pictures and stories have on the memorization and recall of multiplication facts. This study was conducted on a fourth grade classroom in which the students were divided into three groups. The first group was given standard flashcards, the second group was given a set of…

MathWings is the mathematics program of the Success for All Foundation, a non-profit organization that develops and disseminates school reform programs originally developed at Johns Hopkins University. MathWings, based on NCTM standards, emphasizes the use of cooperative learning, problem solving, and metacognitive strategies to help all children …

Using the Cluster Analytic Model (CAM), two samples of graduating seniors from Georgia State University were studied to determine the effect of different patterns of college course work on their general learned abilities. The CAM uses Student Achievement Test scores, Graduate Record Examination scores, and transcripts for course work patterns.…

Examined the relationship between achievement and learning styles of middle school students. Subjects were chosen from one urban middle school and were asked to complete the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and Dunn & Dunn Learning Style Inventory. Found that traditional classroom settings may not provide sufficient environmental options to enable…

When learning is taking place, students test their hypotheses and evaluate them, and modify their current theories on the basis of new information. This phenomenon is known as "hypothesis testing view" or "theory changes." Many students change their rules to another while they are taking a test. This study introduced a new…

Analyzed two sixth-grade teachers' efforts to improve their instruction. Subjects were 129 students. Theories of multiple intelligences were practiced in two essential ways, specifically, by encouraging students to understand the way they learn, and by generating a variety of instructional activities. Results showed that there were gains in…

The purpose of the three-year CCSSO study was to design, implement, and test the effectiveness of the Data on Enacted Curriculum (DEC) model for improving math and science instruction. The model was tested by measuring its effects with a randomly selected sample of ?treatment? schools at the middle grades level as compared to a control group of…

In 2000, Australia took part in the inaugural OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Approximately 500 Australian Indigenous students were assessed in PISA, providing a representative sample of the 15-year-old Indigenous population. This report presents the analysis of…