Described are the use of two different tests designed to test for selected inquiry skills. Procedures, tests used, and results in several different countries are presented. Implications for classroom instruction are discussed. (CW)

Reviews several arguments deployed in favor of promoting the public understanding of science. Examines assumptions embodied in these arguments. An introductory discussion of scientific literacy is given and suggested as being a more appropriate goal because it provides more criteria for assessing the nature and understanding of science. (RT)

Examined are boys' and girls' achievement from a developmental perspective over the three years of science curricula. Results show the overachievement of girls relative to boys in both chemistry and physics in grades 10 through 12. Discusses implications of the results. (YP)

The development of a framework for analyzing pupil talk is described and the reliability of scoring transcribed conversions using the framework discussed. Definitions and examples of the terms used in the framework are appended. (Author/YP)

Explores the concept of construct validity in the context of a public examination. Multitrait-multimethod analysis and factor analysis were used. Discusses the analyses in terms of theory versus practical components and experimental versus observational investigation in practical components. Sample items for the practical examinations are…

Reported are two studies considering factors affecting students' attitudes to science by using television programs. Describes the results on students' attitudes by sex and grades. Hypothesized that the use of space programs and other fantastic aspects of science could improve the attitudes of children towards science. (Author/YP)

Presents a discussion of trying to best account for the variation resulting from guessing on a multiple-choice exam. A mathematical process is given to determine the amount of variance that could be added or subtracted from a student's score to account for guessing. Examples are provided. (MVL)

Reports on a study that explores student perspectives on the transfer to A-level chemistry from GCSE chemistry. Explores the attitudes of groups of new A-level chemistry students at a sixth-form college. (DDR)

This study examined gender differences in students' scientific literacy as measured by OECD-PISA. In particular, we focused on the 2437 students from 140 Hong Kong schools. Hong Kong boys' and girls' science scores did not differ overall. However, boys scored higher than girls at the higher percentiles (75th and above). Moreover, specific test…

The learning difficulties for new entrant chemistry students from a multi-national, regional, tertiary education institution in the South Pacific were investigated using a purpose-designed diagnostic instrument. The instrument contained 25 items distributed across three themes: scientific reasoning, numeracy and scientific language literacy. The…

Instructionally supportive accountability tests (a) measure students' mastery of only a modest number of extraordinarily important curricular aims; (b) describe what is to be assessed in clear, teacher-palatable language; and (c) report each student's results for every curricular aim assessed. To determine the suitability of such assessments to…

A clear and consistent finding of educational research has been the importance of active student responding. During lectures and discussions, active responding most often takes the form of student responses to teacher questions. This whole group responding to questions, however, does not permit every student to respond and does not assure that all…

In September 2006, the U.S. Department of Education amended the regulations governing programs administered under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), related to both the assessment of, and State, local educational agency (LEA), and school…

This paper outlines the work in progress undertaken by the School of Engineering Technology faculty to identify, assess, and develop a course to address the depth and breadth of drafting/plan preparation and plan reading skills required by the various engineering technology programs offered at Youngstown State University. The methodology used to…

The degree of gender differences in mathematics and science appears to vary with the content subdomain. Differences also appear to be greater on items assessing content knowledge than with items measuring reasoning about scientific processes. Many studies of gender differences have involved fairly select populations. This study focuses instead on…