In 2003, the Mathematics and Science Unit of the South Carolina Department of Education developed the Mathematics and Science Coaching Initiative. The model--one coach, one school, one content area--requires participating schools to commit to a three-year partnership. The three-year commitment ensures sufficient time for coaching to become an…

This article is an introduction to the international assessments Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and a review of results from 2003. International comparisons, especially in the media, have elevated interest in science education and stimulated discussions…

This study investigated the effectiveness of conceptual change texts in remediating high school students' alternative conceptions concerning chemical equilibrium. A quasi-experimental design was used in this study. The subjects for this study consisted of a total 78 tenth-grade students, 38 of them in the experimental group and 40 of them in the…

Survey data from 8,594 students in 55 randomly chosen colleges and universities finds that those having passed an AP science exam earn somewhat higher college science grades, but not enough to assume prior mastery. Moreover, half of this performance difference appears to be related to demographics and high school coursework and not to students' AP…

This article articulates a framework for examining the quality of formative assessment practice and provides empirical evidence in support of one of its components. Based on a study of middle school science, the study examines the accuracy of teachers' judgments of students' understanding and the relationship of such accuracy to middle school …

This report describes an inquiry-based Earth systems curriculum and strategies for teaching diverse students, which were embedded in the curriculum. The curriculum was implemented with 5th-grade students with varied linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds in five schools in a large, southeastern U.S., urban school district. At the end…

An important feature of the Math and Science Partnership (MSP) Program of the National Science Foundation is to increase K-12 student achievement in math and science by increasing the quality, quantity, and diversity of the nation's K-12 math and science teachers. Because the underlying supply of math and science teachers is never directly…

The objectives of this exploratory study were to determine: (1) the approach to learning of physics students (N=142) at John Abbott College (Quebec, Canada) as determined by the Study Process Questionnaire; (2) the intellectual demands of quizzes, tests, and final exams in physics using a scheme derived from Bloom's taxonomy; and (3) the…

Articulation of mathematics and science education is advocated in the official documents of several professional organizations. To assess the benefit of curriculum integration, a national indicator needs to be developed from a correlation study of performance scores between the two subjects. In this study, a correlation analysis was conducted at…

Background: This study made use of the "Model of Academic Choice" by Meece et al. (1982). It is a general model of academic choice, expectation and value of attitude leading to achievement. The model links achievement with constructs of expectation of success on a task and the subjective value of the task influencing the attitude of…

The use of the method of self-explanations to gain knowledge on students' conception of the chemical equilibrium concepts is reported in this paper. The analysis provides information on: (1) a general indication of students' understanding of materials related to chemical equilibrium, (2) a deep investigation of problem solving skills associated…

Using the international database of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), this study estimated the effect of class size on student performance in 18 countries, combining school fixed effects and instrumental variables to identify random class-size variation between 2 adjacent grades within individual schools. Conventional…

An innovation-focused Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) study of 13 nations participating in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) found universal unhappiness with the state of mathematics and science education. There was no link among successful test scores, improvement goals, or satisfaction of…

Investigated the effects of student motivation, attitude, and academic engagement on eighth graders' mathematics and science achievement. Data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 supported the positive effects of the two motivation factors, attitude, and academic time on mathematics and science achievement. The strongest effects…

Introduces the articles of this theme issue, which cover a wide variety of questions and problems relevant to research using findings of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The articles have in common that most try to determine the degree to which certain factors influence student achievement. The focus is on five…