A dilemma in designing computer simulations for instruction is how to provide a challenging exploratory environment and yet provide sufficient support so that students do not become lost. Directive support such as corrective feedback may detract from the exploratory quality of a simulation. Two methods of non-directive support are: (1) simplifying…

After tests are administered, they are scored and the scores are given back to the students. If the real purpose of the test is to improve student learning, simply returning the scores is not sufficient. The first step in evaluating test results is to be sure that the test has tested the intended concepts and content. Calculating the mean and the…

Methods of computerized adaptive testing using conventional scoring methods in order to develop a computerized placement test for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) were studied. As a consequence of simulation studies during the first phase of the study, the multilevel testing paradigm was adopted to produce three test levels…

Two editions of the Verbal and Mathematical portions of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) were used to study differential speededness and differential omission and the relationships among differential item functioning (DIF), differential omission, and item difficulty for Asian Americans, Blacks, Hispanics, and females in a total sample exceeding…

A study investigated whether a classification scheme for learning strategies used in ESL (English-as-a-Second-Language) instruction is applicable to strategies used in learning Japanese as a second language. Four metacognitive strategies were examined (directed attention, selective attention, self-monitoring, self-management). Subjects were 30…

Current research and learning theory suggest that a hierarchy of proportional reasoning exists that can be tested. Using G. Vergnaud's four complexity variables (structure, content, numerical characteristics, and presentation) and T. E. Kieren's model of rational number knowledge building, an epistemic model of proportional reasoning was…

A collection of articles on dictionaries for advanced second language learners includes essays on the past, present, and future of learners' dictionaries; alternative dictionaries; dictionary construction; and dictionaries and their users. Titles include: "Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow; or Vaticinations on the Learners' Dictionary"…

A study was conducted to measure faculty perceptions of academic standards and the level of academic intensity in transfer courses. Questionnaires were sent to chief academic officers (CAO's) at 30 community colleges, asking them to distribute five instruments to members of the academic senate and five to instructors who were not members of the…

The psychological mechanisms that underlie human question asking and answering during comprehension and complex learning were studied. The transcripts of 83 tutoring sessions on research methods for college students and 22 algebra tutoring sessions for seventh graders were collected and analyzed. It was estimated that student questions were about…

This yearbook is the seventh for the Mathematics Education Research in Finland series and contains ten articles presented at the decennial jubilee colloquium. The first three articles discuss Constructivism both in general and with regard to mathematics education. Analysis is directed to the origins of constructivism, to the learning of…

External representations have a great impact on what and how students learn. One key manner in which environments can operate upon novices' knowledge is through helping them ground their problem solving in an understanding of the situation embodied by the problem. In this paper, students' difficulties in microeconomics problem solving were…

The hardware and software system used to create the National Opinion Research Center/Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (NORC/CRESST) item databases and test booklets for the 12th-grade science assessment are described. A general description of the capabilities of the system is given, with some specific information…

Arranged into two major parts, the guide offers practical and motivating techniques for teaching secondary art. The first section, a brief curriculum guide, presents a rationale, program goals, learning outcomes, program scope and sequence, course list, and evaluation information. The largest part of the document is a resource guide providing…

A study investigated whether instruction in how to use a dictionary led to improved second language performance and greater dictionary use among English majors (N=54) in a reading and writing course at a Thai university. One of three participating classes was instructed in the use of a monolingual learner's dictionary. A passage correction test…

A study investigated patterns in the apparent syntactic errors of native English-speaking, upper-level learners of Arabic as a foreign language. One hundred writing samples, including summaries, criticisms, and free composition, were gathered from a number of university courses. Error types analyzed included articles, subordinate clauses, two-word…