This paper reports research into the effect on 11-year-old pupils of introducing more cognitively challenging, practical, and interactive science lessons. Our hypothesis was that such lessons would increase the children's enthusiasm for science and their engagement with the scientific process, thereby improving educational performance. Schools in…

Since the publication of "A Nation at Risk," (U.S. National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983), several state and local educational authorities have increased the number of mathematics and science courses required for high school graduation. This report examines the relationships between the numbers of courses in mathematics…

This booklet provides an overview of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Key findings from the Pursuing Excellence series of reports for each grade level as well as overall comparative findings are detailed. At the fourth grade level, U.S. students were above the international average in both science and mathematics. In…

Legislative authority for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Education Act, one of the principal sources of Federal funding to improve mathematics and science instruction in elementary and secondary schools, expires during the 103d Congress. This report provides background data and analysis for the reauthorization of the Eisenhower…

This bulletin reviews research and lists resources on sex differences in mathematics and science achievement in middle-grade students. Research is discussed in relation to the following points: (1) differences in boys' and girls' achievement or ability; (2) influence of math/science on students' futures; (3) interventions for middle-grade years;…

This study had three purposes. First, to develop and validate a criterion-referenced test to measure science knowledge of students who finished the second cycle of the Basic General Education (6th grade). Second, to assess the performance of the entire Costa Rican population of sixth graders and, third, to analyze the results according to some…

This study explored questions about the effect of lesson structure and cognitive development on science achievement of 42 students in grades four and five in British Columbia. Increased lesson structure did not significantly increase achievement, and interaction effects were generally nonsignificant. Conservation ability significantly affected…

This paper presents the results of a case study involving Taiwanese elementary teachers who teach science at the elementary grade school level. It advocates the position that a teacher's personal science efficacy belief influences his or her science teaching outcome expectations. It promotes the position that the success Taiwan has experienced in…

This monograph presents the findings of a multiyear study of the effectiveness of reform-oriented mathematics and science instruction. It builds on an earlier RAND study, called the Mosaic project, which found "a weak but positive relationship" between reform practices and student achievement (see Klein, Hamilton, McCaffrey, Stecher,…

This study explored the perspectives of teachers, administrators, and students as they were engaged in a 5-year funded project aimed at improving science and mathematics achievement for African American students in a school district. The study also discusses the obstacles that hindered and the supports that bolstered this project. In this study,…

This study examined the role of affect and conation in high school students science test performance, using a sample of 491 students. It provides a profile of partial corrections of standardized multiple-choice and constructed response test scores with affect and conation scores (after accounting for general ability and student background) at…

The professional development program Using Literacy Integration for Communicating Scientifically (ULINCS) is a joint program of the University of Northern Colorado and Adams Twelve Five Star School District. It had been noted that the increased emphasis on literacy skills was leading educators to place less emphasis on science. The ULINCS project…

This paper focuses on how best to evaluate student achievement in science. Many issues such as issues of test construction, validity, and reliability, and how to measure hands-on achievement must be considered. Qualitative evaluations are harder to explain, but can yield valuable information. The use of portfolios is an example of a technique that…

This document evaluates the 1999 Third International Mathematics and Science Study-Repeat (TIMSS-R) results for eighth grade students and compares them to the 1995 results. TIMSS-R compares 38 nations' mathematics and science performance and allows the United States to compare the achievement of its eighth grade students to the original TIMSS.…

This booklet summarizes the findings of the survey of science attainment carried out in 1993 by a team of researchers at Jordanhill Campus, Strathclyde University. The assessment tasks were used with a sample of pupils, selected to be representative of all pupils in Scotland, at three stages--primary 4, primary 7, and secondary 2. The report…