The study investigated the effects of exposure to computer-assisted testing (CAT) as an effective instructional method and its effects on attitudes toward computer-assisted instruction (CAI). Five computer quizzes consisting of 20 randomly drawn multiple-choice questions were individually administered on 10 teletype terminals. A feedback mechanism…

A study was conducted to test and compare the effects of a group-paced, multimedia, non-lecture method and a traditional lecture method of instruction in General Biology, and to determine if the type of evaluation used influenced a student's chances of successfully completing the course. Subjects were 308 students enrolling in General Biology…

Results of a 1987 report indicating that elementary students of all states were above the national average are assessed. Issues addressed include teaching for standardized tests, the effect of teaching on national norms, and alternatives available to protect the integrity of instruction and the validity of normed test scores. (TJH)

Developing the ability to speak in a foreign language is an arduous task. This is because it involves the mastery of different language subsystems, simultaneous focus on comprehension and production, and the impact of a range of social factors. This challenge is further compounded in situations in which learners have limited access to the target…

It is suggested in this column that trends in language testing in the last 15 years have followed trends in modern language teaching. Language testing adopted the tenets of audiolingualism and contrastive analysis, then incorporated test-making procedures of psychometrics, and finally became more eclectic in its approach. (SW)

A comparative study of first-grade reading instructional methods was undertaken with the support of the Granite School District Exemplary Center for Reading Instruction. This study was conducted in 19 schools of the district and involved approximately 1,295 students. Nine hypotheses concerning the various approaches used in reading instruction…

Effective testing appears to be that which is congruent with the mode of instruction. Reading test items aloud does not seem to compensate for poor reading ability of children tested. (Author)

Achievement on the final exam was the dependent variable in an experiment involving two college algebra classes. The experimental class was allowed retesting on unit tests while a control class took the unit test once. No significant differences were obtained. (JP)

Discusses the potential of a test to instruct students and thus facilitate their learning. The author shows various ways of giving a carefully prepared test on a second occasion. (RM)

Reviews literature showing that formal instruction dealing with the process of how to take tests has been generally effective with students ranging from the prekindergarten through the high school level. (Author/FL)

The notion of washback, that testing influences teaching, is explored and a series of possible hypotheses are advanced. The empirical research in general education and in language education is reviewed to determine whether washback actually exists, how it can be measured, and what accounts for its form. Proposals for future research are suggested.…

Offering perspectives in the teaching of statistics assists students, immersed in the study of detail, to see the leading principles of the subject more clearly. Especially helpful can be a perspective on the logic of statistical inductive reasoning. Such a perspective can bring to prominence a broad principle on which both interval estimation and…

Does the modality of instructional messages affect learning? How does it affect different media? In this paper, I offer an answer to these questions by first proposing a theoretical framework from which effective instructional methods can be derived. Then, I report a set of studies where one method, the modality principle, was tested across…