A major challenge for researchers and educators has been to discern the effect of ICT use on student learning outcomes. This paper maps the achievements in Year 10 Science of two cohorts of students over two years where students in the first year studied in a traditional environment while students in the second took part in a blended or e-learning…

Using percentage of students at proficient and advanced levels for science on the Missouri Assessment Program in St. Louis area school districts, this study investigates the relationship of scientific attainment with school variables of enrollment, percentage of students receiving free/reduced lunch, instructional expenditures per student,…

In a real sense, PISA 2003 has touched the mathematics education community by stealth rather than by storm. Although PISA brings "baggage" commonly associated with international assessments, it takes some refreshing perspectives especially in the way that it envisions and assesses mathematical literacy. In this panel discussion we focus…

Primary school data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) were analyzed in this study to examine performance difference between third and fourth grades. The score comparison was conducted across all TIMSS items in each of the 26 participating countries. The empirical findings indicate that not all TIMSS items have…

Mathematics and science achievements have been assessed in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and its repetition (TIMSS-R). The released TIMSS and TIMSS-R reports are largely divided into subject domains. To merge the research outcomes, this study focused on an examination of the relationship between mathematics and…

Results for the 2000 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science assessment are reported. Since 1969, the NAEP has been the sole ongoing national indicator of what U.S. students know and can do in major academic subjects. The science assessment was first administered to nationally representative samples of 4th, 8th, and 12th graders…

This quasi-experimental study investigated the effects of teachers' use of interactive and non-interactive science homework assignments on family involvement in student homework, homework completion and accuracy, student science achievement, and student and parent attitudes about science homework. Two hundred and fifty-three students from ten…

This paper presents a framework for evaluating cognitive claims to the interpretation of assessment scores and provides evidence of its applicability to science achievement. The idea of the "assessment triangle" (Pellegrino, Chodowsky, and Glaser, 2001) was adopted in the form of an assessment square with four tightly linked corners: construct…

The academic performance of first-semester nursing students who attended 5 or more (n=18) or fewer than 5 (n=19) tutorials was compared. A significant relationship was found between grades in prerequisite science courses and first-semester performance. Those who attended fewer tutorials had higher prerequisite course grades. (Contains 17…

Problems in using comparative data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study include the following: inadequate funding of the research; unique cultural factors; questionable sampling procedures; noncomparative curricula; irregularities in test administration; and student preparation for tests. Results do not identify the root…

This study (n=711), using students from grades 4-7, focused on the following questions: (1) Do any of the variables of gender, ethnicity, ability, and grade have a relationship with student attitudes toward science as a subject? and (2) Is there a significant relationship between students' attitudes toward science and science achievement?…

Evaluated an intervention aimed at giving girls a better chance in science that focused on introductory physics at the secondary level and featured material and methods developed for use with girls. Results for German seventh graders (150 girls and 139 boys in the experimental group) show better learning achievements for both girls and boys in the…

In the grade 12 portion of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study, Canadian students performed better than other participating G-8 countries. In fact, Canada scored consistently above the international mean for all three age groups tested. However, some educators and reformers have expressed dissatisfaction with these results. (MLH)

Report on the current trends and issues in American public education involving personal views of state-mandated testing, the 2000 NAEP reading and math assessments, President Bush's "No Child Left Behind" initiative, TIMSS-R Benchmarking Studies, education vouchers, charter schools, and education management organizations. (Contains 52…

Substantial gaps in achievement of groups of individuals of varying social status are well documented, but there are no conclusive explanations for them. The author integrated psychological and educational perspectives to scrutinize the effects of 4 protective factors believed to promote academic resilience of students at risk because of low…