This study explored how a private, southeastern college of education (COE) supported students in passing the Praxis II examinations. Using Knowles' (1988) adult learning theory and Bandura's (1977) self-efficacy theory, the researchers examined students' experiences with various COE-provided resources and their impact on Praxis II scores. A…

This study explored how a private, southeastern college of education (COE) supported students in passing the Praxis II examinations. Using Knowles' (1988) adult learning theory and Bandura's (1977) self-efficacy theory, the researchers examined students' experiences with various COE-provided resources and their impact on Praxis II scores. A…

This dissertation presents the details of a study that explored the experiences of "roninsei"--Japanese students who are preparing to re-attempt the university entrance examination. Though an influential population later in life, its defining educational experience has rarely been researched. The questions this study sought to answer…

In US-based postsecondary education, first-year students commonly have their compositional ability consequentially assessed on the basis of standardized tests. As a result, students who score above certain thresholds on ACT, SAT, or AP exams often are placed into honors or remedial courses; receive credit remissions; and/or test out of general…

In Florida, civic illiteracy among middle and high school students is a pressing concern despite state initiatives to increase civic competence (Florida House of Representatives, 2019; FLDOE, 2023b; Florida Department of State, 2023). Recent scores on state civics and social studies standardized assessments reveal a disheartening fact--an average…

There is a lack of standardized instruction among the different General Educational Development (GED) preparatory programs in the country as a result of different state requirements for taking the GED exams. As such, the purpose of this quantitative non-experimental correlational study is to examine if scores of students on GED Ready Opt and the…

This phenomenological qualitative study explored the lived experiences of parents who used stress-reducing interventions with children during home preparation for the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) in Kingston, Jamaica. Eight Grade Six parents with children who participated in the 2010 GSAT were interviewed. Only parents with a Grade Six child…

The No Child Left Behind Act emphasized the responsibility of states to improve student academic performance. In one state, students are required to take subject-area tests and master each test to graduate; however, in some schools, many students are failing the English II test administered during students' sophomore year. Two districts have…

This study examined the effectiveness of an ACT intervention course developed for high school juniors at Anderson County High School during the 2011-2012 school year. This study compared the ACT composite test scores of the treatment group to the ACT composite test scores of the control group by using their PLAN scores as a baseline, to determine…

Entry into a career in law enforcement is most often dependent upon the aspiring candidate's relative success on a competitive, written, multiple-choice examination. In the state of New Jersey, as in many states, civil service laws preclude consideration of formal educational attainment when establishing the ordinal, eligibles lists for law…

The problem examined in this study: Does the majority of teachers use rigorous teaching and testing practices? The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore the classroom techniques of six effective teachers who use rigorous teaching and testing practices. The hypothesis for this study is that the examination of the…

An ex post facto study was conducted to determine whether any relationship exists between remediation post Reach Exit Exam (E[superscript 2]) failure and NCLEX-RN success of graduates of baccalaureate nursing programs. Data was gathered from responses to the seventh annual validity study (V7S) offered to deans and directors of nursing programs by…

Although much is known about how students perform on standardized tests, little research exists concerning how students think and process while taking such tests. This mixed methods action research study was designed to investigate if a constructivist approach to test preparation could yield improved results for 37 English language arts freshmen…