When student achievement is assessed, we seek to elicit a student's maximum performance -- a goal requiring the assumption that the student is fully engaged. Otherwise, to the extent that disengagement occurs, test performance is likely to suffer. Effectively managing test-taking disengagement requires an understanding of the testing conditions…

This study investigated the relationship among the variables instructional time configuration, gender, race/ethnicity, and poverty to predict the academic performance of seventh-grade students on a state-mandated social studies accountability test. Results of 24,919 seventh-grade student social studies test scores from 117 middle schools, as well…

A study examined student engaged and nonengaged behavior in mathematics class during various types of instructional activities and at different age levels. Third- and fifth-grade students spent more time on seatwork, while seventh-grade students had more teacher-led activities. As grade level increased, student engagement decreased. (Author/PP)

Eighty-eight seventh grade students were randomly assigned to mastery or nonmastery approaches to learning four hierarchical chapters about sailing. The price of increased achievement benefits of group-based mastery learning seems to be increased time costs of (1) extra remedial time and (2) "wasted time" of faster learners. (Author/PN)

Many previous studies have documented the importance of time needed for learning and time spent in learning as parameters of educational achievement. However, most of this research has not considered the different types of tasks students are asked to learn. This study examined differences in student learning rates, amount of information acquired,…

The Fort Worth (Texas) Board of Education, Superintendent, and Texas State Legislature have implemented changes in the schools to increase student learning time. The purposes of this study were to determine (1) the percentage of allocated class time used for instruction; and (2) whether overall time utilization has changed since a similar 1979-80…