International achievement comparison studies assess students on core subjects such as Reading, Mathematics and Science. Students who do not speak the test language at home can be expected to be disadvantaged because of language proficiency. The test language effect has not been given sufficient attention. The present study investigated probable…

The rise of the PISA standards has taken the educational world by storm, with intense media attention and debate every time they are published. Over the past two decades, they have been gaining an increasing role in shaping educational systems and policies across the world, gaining a "canonical status" among member countries, and…

Over the past eight years we have undertaken iterative cycles of course reform in two introductory biology courses: Biology 111 and Biology 211. Our revisions of these formerly "traditional" lecture courses have included in-class case studies with and without peer facilitators and peer-facilitated small-group workshops. Based on analyses…

Using a variety of visualization tools for teaching and learning science and chemistry is necessary because pupils better understand chemical phenomena and formulate appropriate mental models. The purpose of the presented study was to determine the importance of a virtual laboratory as a visualization element when addressing chemical contents…

This study used a Chinese-language version of the Index of Science Reading Awareness to explore the science reading metacognition and comprehension of Taiwanese students. Structural equation modelling results confirmed the underlying model comprised three clusters of metacognitive knowledge: beliefs and confidence in science reading, knowledge of…

Expanded learning time (ELT) refers to a longer school day, week, or year. ELT schools are becoming common in the United States and aim to provide all students with additional opportunities for learning, recreation, and enrichment. ELT schools differ from afterschool programs that take place immediately following the regular school day and serve a…

The aim of the present article is to point out the problematic issue of administrating PISA science literacy exam to the ultra-orthodox schools in Israel. It has been assumed that some texts included in the test may offend the feelings of the ultra-orthodox population or may contradict Orthodox upbringing and therefore constitute a cultural bias.

This paper reports on an analysis of student conceptions in responses to explanation-type questions in a grade 12 (17-18 years) South African national physics examination. We were guided in our analysis of 921 examination scripts by a framework developed by Dagher and Cossman on types of explanations in science which enabled us to understand the…

Executive function (EF) is an umbrella term used to identify a set of discrete but interrelated cognitive abilities that enable individuals to engage in goal-directed, future-oriented action in response to a novel context. Developmental studies indicate that EF is predictive of reading and math achievement in middle childhood. The purpose of this…

The study of measurement invariance in polytomous items that targets individual score levels is known as differential step functioning (DSF). The analysis of DSF requires the creation of a set of dichotomizations of the item response variable. There are two primary approaches for creating the set of dichotomizations to conduct a DSF analysis: the…

A large body of research has demonstrated a big-fish--little-pond effect (BFLPE) by showing that equally able students have lower academic self-concepts in high-ability schools than in low-ability schools. Although the BFLPE generalizes across many countries, it varies significantly between countries. The reasons for this variation are still…

Empirical analysis of secondary biology classrooms revealed that, on average, 68% of teaching time in Germany revolved around processing tasks. Quality of instruction can thus be assessed by analyzing the quality of tasks used in classroom discourse. This quasi-experimental study analyzed how teachers used tasks in 38 videotaped biology lessons…

Drawing from two international measures, Trends in International Mathematics and Science Studies (TIMSS) and Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), this brief provides a snapshot comparison of the United States to other education systems. Specifically, this brief addresses how the U.S. compares to other countries in overall…

The call for reform of science education is nearly three decades old (National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983), but the implementation of such education improvements in the form of active learning techniques in large enrollment classes remains difficult. Here we present a class project designed to increase student involvement and…

Problem Statement: The interest in raising levels of achievement in math and science has led to a focus on investigating the factors that shape achievement in these subjects. Understanding how different learning styles might influence science achievement may guide educators in their efforts to raise achievement. This study is an attempt to examine…