While in most countries today women attain higher levels of education than men, on average, they are less likely than men to be employed and they earn less. There are many reasons why these gender gaps open; some are apparent in secondary school. For example, even when they outperform boys academically, girls are less likely than their male peers…

The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) examines what students know in reading, mathematics and science, and what they can do with what they know. It provides the most comprehensive and rigorous international assessment of student learning outcomes to date. Results from PISA indicate the quality and equity of learning…

Performance measurement in the public sector is largely based on objective metrics, which may be subject to gaming behaviour. This paper investigates a novel subjective performance evaluation system where independent inspectors visit schools at very short notice, publicly disclose their findings and sanction schools rated fail. First, I…

The main aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of why students abandon their studies, or perform less well than expected given their high school grades, and to develop predictive models that can help identify those students most at-risk at the time they enter college. This will allow teachers and those responsible for student…

The Achievement Motives Scale (AMS), constructed by Gjesme and Nygard, was administered to 594 Oslo (Norway) 6th graders and 364 Drammen (Norway) 6th graders. Factor analysis showed the two homogeneous scales of the AMS (tendency to approach success and avoid failure) measure different variables of achievement motive. (LC)

The preliminary report--two-thirds of which consists of tabular data--describes an early identification system used in London, Ontario (Canada) for kindergarten and first grade high risk students, and provides some data bearing on the internal consistency and concurrent validity of the system. Simple descriptive summaries of some characteristics…

A study of 9,800 Swiss and foreign students born in 1956 and enrolled in Swiss higher education found that two-thirds passed their final examinations and graduated before leaving the institution. Students in programs oriented to specific careers had a higher success rate. Very few became dropouts or perpetual students. (MSE)

A study to test the connection between "A" level grades and age at entry with degree performance at Oxford Polytechnic is reported. "A" level grades were found to be of little value in predicting degree performance. (MLW)

A three-phase study was conducted in Alberta, Canada, to determine factors influencing reading achievement and specifically to assess the effects of television viewing on reading achievement. In the first phase, 453 people responded to a survey regarding which factors they felt were important in influencing reading achievement. It was concluded…

The number and characteristics of ninth grade students who ran a high risk of not successfully completing their ninth grade program were investigated. With the assistance of the school guidance counselors data were collected with two forms, one which contained information from teachers about students identified as "high risk" in the…

This study, conducted at the Buca Faculty of Education, Dokuz Eylul University (Turkey), sought to identify factors associated with academic failure of college students. Data were collected through a survey questionnaire titled "Perceived Causes of Academic Failure Inventory" that identified 10 subgroups of factors: teachers' behavior;…