This report is based on a test that was arranged in April and May of 1997 among first- and second-year students at Tallinn Pedagogical University who studied the Finnish language as a general subject and among the students of the eleventh and twelfth grades in some Estonian secondary schools. There were among 105 Estonians and 25 Russians among…

This paper compares data on the prevalence of alcohol and other drug use by students in grades 8 and 12 across four sizes of communities. Data from the American Drug and Alcohol Survey (ADAS), administered in approximately 250 communities during the 1992-93 and 1993-94 school years, were analyzed for four community sizes: very small (population…

Over the past quarter of a century, the Monitoring the Future study has tracked young American's use of psychoactive substances, both illicit and licit. In this volume, findings are presented on the prevalence and trends of drug use and related factors for secondary school students (eight, tenth, and twelfth graders). Distinctions are made among…

The effects of an incentive (money) on the motivation of students taking the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics test were studied. Results with 749 8th graders and 719 12th graders indicate that, at least for 8th graders, student effort can be increased by financial rewards and that this effort results in higher scores.…

This article describes the development of a one-semester science seminar course for high school juniors and seniors in a suburban/rural Pennsylvania school district. It addresses scheduling considerations and planning activities, the role of the teacher in the seminar approach, use of community resources and guest speakers, standards and…

Similes and metaphors were extracted from over 2,000 papers by students in grades 4, 8, 12, and the third year of college to study the effects of age, grade, sex, mode, and writing competence on these figures of writing. Students worked with more abstract forms as they grew older. (SLD)

Describes a multiple choice, pencil and paper, diagnostic instrument used to measure student understanding of covalent bonding and structure concepts. Reports evidence of seven commonly held misconceptions. (MVL)

Data from the Second International Mathematics Study indicated that the retention rates of countries accounted for some achievement differences. However, achievement differences for the more able students across countries were not related to the rate at which countries retained students. Instead, variables such as opportunity to learn were needed.…

The invariance of a multidimensional, hierarchical self-concept structure for adolescent males and females was studied using 412 male and 420 female 11th and 12th graders. Significant gender differences were found in general, academic, English, and mathematics self-concepts. (TJH)

Longitudinal study of mathematics achievement and gender of (n=60) students progressing from 6th to 12th grade found consistent gender differences in stereotyping mathematics as a male domain; identified no difference in spatial, verbal, or mathematics skills; and found positive correlation between achievement and confidence. (17 references)…

Examined secondary school students' (n=364) attitudes toward time use. Three constructs of time-use attitudes were identified: passive fatalistic, egoistic, and conscientious. Several significant developmental patterns of time-use attitudes were found for males and females in grades 8, 10, and 12. (Author/NB)

Examines the effects of word processing on high school seniors' writing and revisions of essay assignments. Length of papers, the impact of topic on the results, the effect of handwriting papers after computer composition, comparison of writing methods over time, and effects of typing ability and computer experience are discussed. (Contains eight…

Increasing the learning of economics among 76 public high school seniors from lower socioeconomic levels by teaching them to use generative comprehension procedures in cooperative learning groups was attempted. Comparison with 66 controls indicated facilitative effects of generative teaching in increasing confidence in correctness of answers and…

The influence of test wiseness on the performance of 736 high school seniors in British Columbia on provincial school leaving examinations in English, algebra, geography, history, biology, and chemistry was studied. The performance of many students on the multiple-choice sections was spuriously enhanced by test wiseness. (TJH)

Tested high school seniors and college freshmen (N=183) to examine whether Cohesion and Adaptability Scales on Family Adaptability Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES III) relate linearly or curvilinearly with positive family functioning and whether independence, open disagreements, or family satisfaction is responsible for curvilinear finding…