Comprehension strategies, while helpful, are not sufficient to produce student achievement at high levels. The authors examine the role of background knowledge and vocabulary in developing understanding and facilitating achievement. Through purposeful instruction in vocabulary and by building and activating background knowledge, teachers can help…

In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in single gender education. Emerging science has proven that boys and girls learn differently. This study compared fifth grade single-gender classes to fifth grade traditional, coeducational classes in the same urban middle school. The following were compared: students' academic achievement;…

This report describes New City Charter School student achievement in the 2008-09 school year, the school's sixth operating year. The number of students enrolled in the school was 125, an increase from 60 students enrolled the first year of the school. Student academic achievement is measured using the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement…

The study intends to choose between two alternative explanations for the low attainment of Arabic-speaking students in reading literacy who participated in the PIRLS (2006), i.e., one that relates to lower socioeconomic conditions in the Arabic-speaking sector, and another that relates to the diglossic situation in Arabic. After controlling for…

Researchers, policy officials, and the wider public in Japan and abroad often hold different views about the quality of Japanese education. Whereas Western researchers are attracted by the academic performance of Japanese students in international assessment studies, Japanese university professors launched a public debate in 1999 about declining…

This study was conducted to determine the level of student teachers' understandings of Newton's laws of motion and relating these levels to identify student teachers' models of understanding. An achievement test composed of two parts comprising 12 open ended questions was constructed and given to 45 pre-service classroom teachers. The first part…

This mixed methods study examined 73 5th graders' flow experience in a game-based science learning environment using two gameplay approaches (solo and collaborative gameplay). Both survey and focus group interview findings revealed that students had high flow experience; however, there were no flow experience differences that were contingent upon…

The effects of student-directed activity-based learning (SDABL) were examined in two high school chemistry classes. Students in the SDABL class were given pretest results, a list of standards to be mastered, and a chart of learning activities categorized by difficulty level. They selected activities to meet their needs and preferences.…

Informal science education institutions have been identified as critical participants in helping students succeed in science by working in collaboration with school systems across the country. The results of one such collaboration, the Urban Advantage (UA) program found that participation in UA improved student achievement, on average, by 0.6…

The World Bank 2007 TIMSS Video Study provided a distinctive insight into the practices of the Indonesian classroom and identified key strengths and weaknesses of current teaching. This investigation considered this evidence in the development of a structured lesson design that specifically addressed the instructional practices of the teaching and…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and its reports are a key measure in informing the nation on how well the goal of scientific literacy for all students is being met. The "Science Framework for the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress" sets forth the design of the NAEP Science Assessment. This document is…

Of all the equalities man possesses, creative thinking has been the most important for his well being and advancement. Creativity means to make, to bring into being, to originate or to invent something. Scientific aptitude is considered to be a unique or unusual potential or ability of an individual to acquire general knowledge and skill in…

This action research project will be focused on a group of third grade students. Each student will be placed into three different groups based on similar learning styles, similar interests, and student readiness. These small groups will be occurring within my third grade classroom during our bi-weekly science lesson. The purpose of this action…

This Information Capsule answers the most frequently asked questions about M-DCPS' academic performance during the 2010-11 school year. M-DCPS earned a performance grade of "B" in 2011 and was only six points short of an "A." Over half of the District's schools (56 percent) earned an "A." In Writing, the percent of…

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), jobs in computer systems design and related services--a field dependent on high-level math and problem-solving skills--are projected to grow by 45% between 2008 and 2018. Further, more than one in four (26%) of all new jobs created in the U.S. economy during this time will be in the healthcare and…