For the international Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS2007) math and science motivation scales (self-concept, positive affect, and value), we evaluated the psychometric properties (factor structure, method effects, gender differences, and convergent and discriminant validity) in 4 Arab-speaking countries (Saudi Arabia,…

Using data from the High School and Beyond survey, compares junior and senior year performance and other variables in Catholic single sex, Catholic coed, and public schools. Finds Catholic school students are urged to take more academically demanding courses; this accounts for public/Catholic differences in achievement and university attendance.…

Particularly in the 1960s and 1970s it was frequently argued that coeducational (Coed) high schools provided a more natural social environment to prepare adolescents for adulthood than did single sex (SS) schools. Based on the assumed accuracy of this belief, SS schools are becoming infrequent or even nonexistent in most western societies. This…

The effects of single-sex versus coeducational arrangements were compared for 2,332 Catholic high school students representing 21 single-sex boys', 26 single-sex girls', and 33 coeducational schools. Various outcomes during the sophomore-to-senior period were nearly unaffected by school type. These findings contradict those of earlier national…

Self-concept measures and state certificate program achievement grades were used to determine the effects on 7th through 11th graders in Sydney (Australia) of converting two single-sex high schools to coeducational institutions. Pre- to post-transition data were collected from 1982 to 1985. Coeducational organizations benefit self-concept, while…

The construct validity of children's responses to the Self Description Questionnaire, the Perceived Competence Scale for Children, and the Multidimensional Measure of Children's Perceptions of Control was assessed. The tests' authors emphasized the importance of distinguishing self-perceptions in the physical, social, academic, and general content…

Variables that influence growth and change in educational outcomes in the last 2 years of high school were studied using data from the High School and Beyond (HSB) study. The HSB study provided a database of thousands of variables for about 30 students from each of 1,000 randomly selected high schools in the United States in their sophomore and…

Growth during the last 2 years of high school was examined in public and Catholic high schools using data from the High School and Beyond database--a large, nationally representative study. Earlier research was extended by considering: (1) affective variables (e.g., self-concept, locus of control), academic choices (e.g., course selection), and…