This paper explores the phenomenon of mathematical understanding, and offers a response to the question raised by Martin (2001) at PME-NA about the possibility for and nature of collective mathematical understanding. In referring to collective mathematical understanding we point to the kinds of learning and understanding we may see occurring when…

Educational technologies, specifically computer and the Internet technologies, have apparently become powerful tools in the classroom as they change the way we teach and learn today. That is why pedagogies of school reform are now highly influenced by and built around the "constructivist" theories of learning, assuming the use of technology in…

The primary aims of this report are to (1) identify the incidence of daily smoking at several time points during the adolescent and young adult years, including the prevalence of new daily smokers relative to repeat daily smokers; (2) identify several specific developmental patterns of smoking; and (3) examine the specific developmental patterns…

Whether performance assessments can be claimed to be more inclusive than traditional assessments was studied in an investigation of whether a student's perceptions of control can be detected in a performance assessment score. It was hypothesized that students' perceptions of control would show no effect on their scores on an objective test of…

As schools move toward performance assessment, there is increasing discussion of using these assessments for accountability purposes. When used for making decisions, performance assessments must meet high standards of validity and reliability. One major source of unreliability in performance assessments is interrater disagreement. In this paper,…

The purpose of this study was to assess the role of H. Gardner's (1983) theory of multiple intelligences in determining levels of statistics anxiety by correlating each of his dimensions of intelligence with six components of statistics anxiety. Participants were 90 graduate students from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds enrolled in 4…

Previous research on childhood temperament has produced complex and largely unexplored heuristic models with which to understand the etiology of childhood psychopathology. Such research may help in the diagnosis of regulatory disorders in infancy and childhood, which is the focus of this paper. The recent formulation of regulatory disorders by the…

This report sets up a structure for examining the real costs of public education. It defines three approaches of gathering and reporting cost information: narrow (salaries and current expenditures, excluding capital outlays); generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) (costs are recorded during the period in which they occur); and broad (all…

In the 1990s higher education has been increasingly challenged to be excellent, be accessible, and to prove it, as the emphasis on accountability and outcomes assessment (OA) has emerged. This study explores how institutional requirements for OA and the attitudes and beliefs of music faculty and music program administrators may be related to the…

This study examined the relationship of the five-factor model of personality (extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and intellect) to college student adjustment. Using a sample of 200+ undergraduate students at a large public university, it was found that emotional stability correlated positively with goal…

Researchers have assumed that global self-esteem (often labeled as general self-concept), being a general aggregate of perceptions of the self, is content free. Recent research has, however, shown that responses to self-esteem survey items are influenced by the context in which the respondents are asked to make their responses--a chameleon effect.…

This report examines the relationship among school expenditures, educational reforms, and school achievement in South Carolina. It discusses the social factors affecting school-district wealth, such as population, income, and the number of single parents, and compares these factors to school districts' expenditures on education. Data for the study…

At a large Midwestern university, the distance learning administration has recently found a need to develop a preassessment instrument for its distance learning students. The instrument would be made available to students to help them determine their readiness for the unique nature of distance learning. This study sought to determine whether the…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of course, class, student, and instructor characteristics on student ratings of instruction. The sample included 437 undergraduate courses with 96 (21.2%) freshman courses, 140 (32.0%) sophomore courses, 119 (27.2%) junior courses, and 82 (18.8%) senior courses at National Hualien Teachers…

The purpose of this study was to examines the relationship between students' core knowledge and their achievement in mathematics and reading on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. The study was based on E. D. Hirsch's theory that having a strong foundation of core knowledge in one grade is necessary for growth and the understanding of new and more…