Comments on the original article "Sex Differences in Intrinsic Aptitude for Mathematics and Science?: A Critical Review," by E. S. Spelke (see record EJ733610). Spelke's critical review is a research-based rebuttal (though implicitly) of Summers's (2005) speech that posited a hypothesis that one of the reasons why women are underrepresented in…

Assessing educational outcomes is a matter of great importance for everyone in a society that relies primarily on public schools to shape the next generation of citizens. Given the vital nature of this task, it is imperative that the researchers who undertake it have an informed understanding of the measures used to evaluate educational outcomes.…

Despite the prevalence of multiple choice items in educational testing, there is a dearth of empirical evidence for multiple choice item writing rules. The purpose of this study was to expand the base of empirical evidence by examining the use of the "all-of-the-above" option in a multiple choice examination in order to assess how…

Prompted by a puzzling recent growth in the proportions of minority entrants from Community Colleges (CCTs) into the Florida State University System (SUS), the current study analyzed over one million SUS applicants to determine whether any biases in entrance test scores tended to favor either whites over minorities, or males over females. Today,…

The researchers investigated the effect of attributional feedback on self efficacy judgments among a sample of 192 eighth grade students. Self efficacy judgments were measured by the scale developed by Bandura and Schunk (1981). The results showed that improvement in self efficacy judgments was significantly more for attributional feedback…

What constitutes effective parenting? An international consensus has evolved that effective parenting makes important contributions to children's achievement. But the fundamental question is what constitutes effective parenting. Most of the research that has been done in answering this question has been done within existing school frameworks…

According to self-determination theory, when teachers establish an autonomy supportive climate in the classroom, students demonstrate high levels of self-determination and are intrinsically motivated. The aim of this study was to identify factors leading teachers (N=336) to report that they create such a climate. We conducted a path analysis in…

Using latent variable structural equation modeling, we tested a theoretical model positing that grade retention has a positive effect on children's teacher- and peer-rated academic competencies and on sociometric measures of peer acceptance. We also expected that the positive effect of grade retention on peer acceptance would be mediated by…

This study was designed to compare perceived computer literacy with skills proficiency assessment of given skill sets with a second purpose to investigate the impact of certain variables on perceptions and skills proficiency of students enrolled in an introductory college level technology course. Implementation of survey research and hands-on…

This study investigated the influence of two contextual factors, parental involvement and perceived career barriers, on math/science goals. Using social cognitive career theory (SCCT; Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994), a path model was tested to investigate hypothesized relationships between math- and science-related efficacy beliefs (i.e., task and…

The education of children who are gifted is examined with respect to their unique traits as a group, their learning styles, and the best methods for instruction. The focus is elementary level academic instruction and strategies that can be used by regular classroom teachers to challenge students who are gifted. Consideration is given to:…

This study explored how college students, enrolled in an educational psychology course, perceived effort, ability, and success/failure outcomes. Students completed a set of open-ended questions that explored their thoughts about effort, ability, and success/failure. The initial classroom examination, taken during the third week of the semester,…

In response to widespread perceptions about school failure and student underachievement, this paper proposes that the culture of the nation's schools must be transformed to improve student motivation and achievement. The problem of schools is rooted in the core beliefs held by staff, students, and school leaders about the purposes, goals, and…

The popular notion that excellence in sports is inherited is seriously questioned by experts. The belief shared by many sports specialists as well as by some top athletes is that the characteristics that breed success in sports are developed. Sports experts offer the following advice to those who wish to improve their own performance: (1) relax;…

This study examines the relationship of clerical workers' ability level, as measured by the School and College Ability Test, and measures of employee satisfactoriness and job satisfaction. Ability level was not related to satisfactoriness, but was inversely related to job satisfaction. (SJL)