This critical qualitative study focused on what are the factors that contribute to high learner performance at a public school in South Africa. Purposive sampling was used and the data was produced via interviews with the participants (the principal, ten teachers, five ex learners and two parents) as well as observations of various school…

The university admission test comes after the high school graduation exam - the baccalaureate. The baccalaureate results of each candidate must be known by the university admissions committee. They provide information on the degree of intelligence, the skills acquired up to this date, but also the presence of inclinations and skills indispensable…

This study investigated whether parents have gendered constructs related to mathematics. Parents and their kindergarten-aged children from three primary schools in Sydney were interviewed to see what their understandings of boys' and girls' interests and abilities in mathematics were. Parents completed the Who and Mathematics questionnaire and…

This theoretical paper outlines the process of defining "mathematical giftedness" for a present study on how primary school teaching shapes the mindsets of children who are mathematically gifted. Mathematical giftedness is not a badge of honour or some special value attributed to a child who has achieved something exceptional.…

Under the "No Child Left Behind Act" (NCLB), in theory, schools on the margin for meeting AYP face strong short-term incentives to increase students' pass rates on specific exams, and may change their behavior accordingly. Using a comprehensive, national, school-level data set concerning schools' AYP status, student characteristics, and…

The study explored the relationship among learning style, self report or self concept, academic achievement, and academic aptitude of 60 academically gifted fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. Ss were administered the Learning Style Inventory, Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale, California Achievement Test, and California Short Form of Academic…

This study examined gender and aptitude distinctions (average versus below average) among developmental college students in task value, reported use of learning strategies, and academic achievement. The sample consisted of 286 developmental students from a community college in the Midwest, of whom 129 were female. Two measures of achievement were…

This conference presentation interprets the historic-cultural meaning of giftedness-as-potential. In this view, giftedness is seen as a gold mine, and good education results in the mining of the precious golden essence that is buried deep within individual students. The historic roots of this metaphor can be traced back to Plato's plan in "The…

The relationships between measures of anxiety, concerns, and attitude toward teaching and selected personal and academic characteristics of 260 beginning education students were investigated. Relationships were found between these measures and basic academic skills, earliness of decision to enter teaching as a career, relative assurance of…

Studies of motivation as a factor in learning success imply that, in second language learning, low self-expectancy for success leads to a low level of motivation no matter how attractive foreign language programs might be. The belief that there is no causal connection between his or her own behavior and learning success prevents the learner from…

First, second, and third grade students were asked to draw inferences after reading stories written by themselves, by peers, and by adults. The 70 subjects were divided into groups of slow-inaccurate, slow-accurate, and fast-accurate readers. After reading each type of story, they responded to six questions requiring text-based inferences.…

The performance of Hawaii's students on the College Entrance Examination Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) was assessed in the course of a reanalysis of data presented in a 1985 article by E. B. Page and H. Feifs. Separate analyses were conducted on the verbal and math scores used as criterion variables. The predictor variables included the…

Demand for admission to teacher education programs is tending to outstrip the availability of places. Admissions decisions are currently made on the basis of criteria which have little support in the evidence on the prediction of success in professional practice. This study addresses two aspects of career success: survival and promotion. A sample…

To investigate questions concerning relationships among students' cognitive processes, aptitudes, later achievement and attitudes, and direct instruction, fifth- and sixth-grade students (N=72) were randomly assigned to one of six classes using a factorial assignment of ability level crossed with attitude. The questions addressed were: (1) What…

The educational literature on tutoring programs indicates definite and positive effects on the academic performance and attitudes of those who receive tutoring. Such students outperform their peers on examinations, and they express more positive attitudes toward the subjects in which they are tutored. Tutoring programs also have positive effects…