Establishing a cut score is a crucial aspect of the test development process since the selected cut score has the potential to impact students' performance outcomes and shape instructional strategies within the classroom. Therefore, it is vital for those involved in test development to set a cut score that is both fair and justifiable. This cut…

There is much discussion about and many policies to address achievement gaps in education among groups of students. The focus here is on a different gap and it is argued that it also should be of concern. Speed gaps are differences in how quickly different groups of students answer the questions on academic assessments. To investigate some speed…

The purpose of the current study was to identify the extent to which learning styles influence the educational process as well as the outcome of students, particularly elementary-age students, in terms of academic achievement. This study examined the potential relationship between the degree of match (as determined by comparing learning style…

This work compares the results of three assessment systems used in two Spanish universities (the "Universidad Politecnica de Madrid" and the "Universidad Catolica de Avila"): the traditional system based on final examinations, continuous assessment with periodic tests and a proposed system (specially designed for heterogeneous…

Examines the impact that public examinations of students has upon teaching. The four-year study raises questions about the current assumption that public examinations cause fact-transmission teaching. Uses timings of teacher and pupil talk to examine teaching on a range of different types of courses. (GEA)

An experiment to test empirically a "forms of knowledge" approach to teaching indicates that this method is feasible. Attention is focused only on the practical issue and not the theoretical question of whether this approach is preferable to an orthodox or "free inquiry" approach. (MF)

This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1,500 words) of an empirical investigation carried out in an experimental school in Finland called Alppilan Yhteislyseo. The experimental group consisted of 119 pupils whose average age at the end of the experiment was 15.8 years. The experimental period in algebra started in grade 7 and…

Vocational-technical students (n=92) and liberal arts students (n=156) were the subjects of a study conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of four instructional strategies intended to produce mastery. Strategies employed were: traditional instruction with no make-up exams; unlimited make-up exams with end of semester deadline; unlimited make-up…

This study was designed to test the effectiveness of providing students with instruction on how to use the information contained in examples and non-examples of disjunctive concepts, and of five different instructional sequences of examples and non-examples. Students (192) enrolled in a mathematics course for prospective elementary teachers served…

Increased student demand for foundations courses, coupled with a lack of qualified staff, made it necessary to provide workable alternatives to traditional instruction. Substantial adjustments could not be made until the efficacy of the new methods could be documented. The study compared cognitive and attitudinal outcomes of two types of classes,…

An interview with Christopher Schenk, Britain's Inspector of Schools, reveals his impressions of the differences and similarities of early childhood education in Britain and the United States. Topics included teaching methods, at-risk children, standardized tests, early intervention, family involvement in the schools, funding, and health care.…

A study was conducted to test and compare the effects of a group-paced, multimedia, non-lecture method and a traditional lecture method of instruction in General Biology, and to determine if the type of evaluation used influenced a student's chances of successfully completing the course. Subjects were 308 students enrolling in General Biology…

The purpose of the study was to compare the achievement, retention, and time to complete the required sequence of activities, of eighth-grade science students receiving instructions by means of audio tapes with those receiving the same instructions by use of printed materials. The sample was formed of 72 students designated as below average, or…

Three methods of instructing third graders about geometric concepts are compared in this study. Methods were all presented in programed instruction packages; but differed in the types of activities incorporated: paper and pencil activities (Treatment W), activities with manipulatives such as geoboard and paper folding (Treatment M), and…

IN ORDER TO DISCOVER IF PUPILS COULD ARRIVE AT THEIR OWN RULES OR GENERALIZATIONS FROM DRILL (THUS SUGGESTING THAT TIME BE SPENT MORE PROFITABLY IN ADDITIONAL PRACTICE THAN IN EXPLANATION), FOUR DIFFERENT METHODS WERE TESTED. FOUR FRENCH AND FOUR SPANISH HIGH SCHOOL CLASSES WERE SUBJECTED TO EXPLANATIONS (1) BEFORE THE DRILL, (2) AFTER THE INITIAL…