Collective efficacy reveals how well group members relate to one another while working toward common goals. It also reveals group resilience and the willingness of group members to continue working through difficult situations. The purpose of this study is to explore collective efficacy at the classroom level, using Vygotsky's view of individual…

US adolescents initiate sex at increasingly younger ages, yet few pregnancy prevention interventions for children as young as 10-12 years old have been evaluated. Sixteen Washington, DC schools were randomly assigned to intervention versus control conditions. Beginning in 2001/02 with fifth-grade students and continuing during the sixth grade,…

The current investigation was designed to identify emotion states students experience during mathematics activities, and in particular to distinguish emotions contingent on experiences of success and experiences of failure. Students' task-related emotional responses were recorded following experiences of success and failure while working with an…

A number of underlying principles for including technology in the mathematics classroom is provided by Way and Webb (2006). They see technology, if incorporated in a rich and meaningful way, as potentially providing: (1) a shift from "instructivist" to constructivist education philosophies; (2) a move from teacher-centred to…

Background: Professional standards for validity of achievement tests have long reflected a consensus that validity is the degree to which evidence and theory support interpretations of test scores entailed by the intended uses of tests. Yet there are convincing lines of evidence that the standards are not adequately followed in practice, that…

Mixed-aged (MA) classes are a common phenomenon around the world. In Sweden, these types of classes increased rapidly during the 1980s and 1990s, despite the fact that existing empirical support for MA classes is weak. In this paper, the effect of attending an MA class during grades 4-6 on students' cognitive skills is estimated. Using a unique…

Computers have changed the landscape of scientific research in profound ways. Technology has always played an important role in scientific experimentation--through the development of increasingly sophisticated tools, the measurement of elusive quantities, and the processing of large amounts of data. However, the advent of social networking and the…

This study was designed to compare the writing motivation of students with specific language impairments with their non-disabled peers. Due to the cognitive and linguistic demands of the writing process, students with language impairments face unique difficulties during the writing process. It was hypothesized that students with specific language…

Two information literacy skills pilot projects are being undertaken at Malvern St James School (MSJ) with Year 6 and Year 9 pupils during 2009-10. The projects encourage the development of independent learning skills, with pupils planning, managing and executing both the research and practical elements of their project. Each pupil sets their own…

A single-subject design of the effects of teaching Tier Two vocabulary on the vocabulary knowledge, comprehension, fluency, and prosody of fifth-grade nonnative English speakers was conducted. Results suggested that vocabulary instruction improved vocabulary knowledge, but further research and study is needed to determine ways to improve fluency,…

This paper examines changes in the average mathematics achievement of students in the Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS) from 1998 to 2003, comparing students in schools that implemented Direct Instruction with students in other schools. First-grade students who received Direct Instruction had significantly higher levels of achievement on…

Many international schools embrace social studies education, and service learning embedded within the social studies curriculum is often the norm rather than the exception. Helping students help others in any setting is powerful. In a richly diverse venue there are added benefits. The "third-culture kids" attending international schools…

An instructional framework that included the use of a touchstone text, literature circles, and independent reading and writing created a rich context for the study of mysteries in a fifth-grade classroom. Key points include a) the complexity of the touchstone text as a key factor in shaping the instructional goals in this genre study, and b) the…

The world which students inhabit is increasingly digital, multimedia and online. A pedagogy is urgently needed to prepare students to be effective authors and participants in such a world. This paper reports on an on-going study which is seeking to develop a 3D multimodal authoring pedagogy in the middle years of schooling. A case study is used to…

The Harvard Forest Schoolyard Ecology Program provides teachers and students with the opportunity and materials to participate in regionally focused ecological studies under the guidance of a mentor scientist working on a similar study. The Harvard Forest is part of a national network of ecological research sites known as the Long Term Ecological…