This study examines whether math anxiety and negative attitudes toward mathematics have an effect on university students' academic achievement in a methodological course forming part of their degree. A total of 193 students were presented with a math anxiety test and some questions about their enjoyment, self-confidence and motivation regarding…

In Europe there is a growing concern among educators and policy makers that students are not well-prepared to start a Master programme. This study draws on longitudinal research conducted at four universities in the Netherlands and a follow-up exploratory purposively chosen from one of the study sites. In Study 1, differences in academic…

This paper proposes how to select a methodology to target multidimensionally poor households, and how to update that targeting exercise periodically. We present this methodology in the context of discussions regarding the selection of a targeting methodology in India. In 1992, 1997, and 2002 the Indian government identified households that are…

The current study addressed some of the methodological shortcomings of previous studies on internet addiction. The main purpose of the study was to determine if two different internet addiction assessments would identify the same individuals as addicted to the internet. A total of 224 undergraduate internet users were surveyed using a stratified…

This paper has focused on the productive use of information and communications technology (ICT) by university students and its influence on academic performance. The objective is to determine whether a comparison of successful and non-successful students (in relation to academic achievements) versus the variables studied (linked to the process of…

The purpose of this study was to use classification trees and logistic regression to identify subgroups of students more likely to be retained. The National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) was used to identify the sociodemographic, family background and school related factors associated with grade retention. The sample size for…

To support and promote secondary analyses, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) is making the SITES 2006 international database and accompanying User Guide available to researchers, analysts, and public users. The database comprises national contexts and school- and teacher-level data from 23 education…

The study reported in this article examines the nature of anxiety that undergraduate students experience in a research methods course and explores some of the factors that influence their anxiety levels. Two questionnaires measuring the attitudes towards research and the anxiety level were administered to 472 students enrolled in a research…

Forty studies of mailed surveys are reviewed in terms of 11 variables which affect response rates: sponsorship, respondents, salience, follow-up contacts, incentives, length, anonymity, personalization, deadline, types of appeals, and postage. (BW)

A survey of emergency preparedness was conducted in three public school districts in urban areas of Los Angeles County. Eighty-three school sites were surveyed using self-administered questionnaires. Although designated respondents generally felt that their schools were well prepared, the survey also revealed the need for improvements in written…

This study was designed to fill the need for empirically derived information to determine the most salient factors which differentiate street gang youths from youths in comparable neighborhoods who remain independent of the street gang. (Author)

Describes an investigation into the effect of certain selected variables upon the self-esteem of 157 student teachers at the Faculty of Education, the University of Birmingham. Subjects were administered two specially constructed questionnaires to measure their self-esteem, the Eysenck Personality Inventory, and a third questionnaire to elicit…

Using a matched sample of students who stay in school and those who drop out, or leave early, an attempt was made, via multiple discriminant analysis, to identify the significant characteristics which distinguish "drop outs" from their peers who remain at school. Results indicated that both types of students have similar value orientations and…

This study of teacher education graduate follow-up surveys examined the relationship between response rate and number of graduates, questionnaire length, and follow-up contacts. Also, the study investigated survey practices differentiating between surveys which had high and low return rates in such areas as number of follow-up contacts,…

Reports the methodology and results of a research project which assessed the level of computer literacy among 119 education majors. The predictor variables studied were locus of control, age, sex, number of college math courses, and basic math skills. A questionnaire used in the survey is appended. (EAO)