Sex differences in attributions for success and failure in algebra of Samoan community college students were examined and compared with attributions of a large group of mainland U.S. students. study included the Mathematics Attribution Scale: Algebra Version (MAS), which assessed students' attributions of achievement in algebra to their effort,…

Conceptually, the laboratory approach is based on Maria Montessori's and Jean Piaget's theories that students learn through becoming involved and experiencing mathematics. Teaching them means creating situations where structures can be discovered and where students can verify and relate ideas to objects. Following a discussion of definitions and…

Sixth-grade middle school students (N=91) in four mathematics classes served as subjects in a study designed to: (1) determine if the use of computers as an integral part of instruction would increase mathematics achievement; and (2) explore the impact of computers as an integral part of instruction on other factors (such as student attitudes,…

Data from 32 state assessments in mathematics (conducted in 1984 and earlier) are analyzed in this document. The high degree of variability across the states is stressed, with some of the points of variation in the test development, administration, and analysis process noted. Information is then presented on topics on which students are doing well…

Abstracts of 12 mathematics education research reports and critical comments (by the abstractors) about the reports are provided in this issue of Investigations in Mathematics Education. The reports are: "More Precisely Defining and Measuring the Order-Irrelevance Principle" (Arthur Baroody); "Children's Relative Number Judgments:…

An overview and analysis is presented of the Vance and Schlechty Study (1982) of education majors which indicated that there is a negative selection process which systematically attracts and holds in the teaching profession young people with modest verbal and mathematical abilities. Three factors, operating singly or in combination, were…

This document reviews current literature, and contains the following section titles: General background; Current position in New Zealand and trends; Cross-cultural studies; Spatial visualization and problem solving; Achievement; Attitudes; Attitudes and Achievement; Mathematics as useful; Confidence in mathematics ability; Socialization/sex…

Presented is a supplement to three previous collections of expanded abstracts of research with calculators. Twelve reports are abstracted to add to the information on the effects of calculators on achievement and learning. The critical commentary prepared by each abstractor pinpoints particular strengths and weaknesses of each study. (MP)

This study explored the variance in mathematical problem-solving achievement accounted for by sex and ethnicity. Each of 316 adolescents in a rural school district in southeast Texas was administered the California Achievement Test and a set of five affective scales. Reading scores accounted for 49.5% of the variance; computation, 14.6%; affective…

The relationship between mathematics tests and the theoretical learning process was explored using alternative statistical methods and models. Data for over 1300 students in grade 5 using the mathematics subscales from the National Longitudinal Study of Mathematical Abilities (NLSMA) were analyzed. Results indicated that Bloom's taxonomy is weakly…

One of the two major phases of the Test Use Project of the Center for the Study of Evalaution (CSE) is discussed; that is, the collection and analyses of survey data from a national sample of teachers and principals representing the targeted grades/schools. Some historical background influencing that phase of the project is provided. The findings…

This final study in a series reports the investigation in detail of the sex-related differences in the mathematics achievement of sixth grade students. Students were stratified in four intelligence levels with 91.5, 101.5, and 111.5 IQ as cutpoints. Twenty computation scores and eight contemporary mathematics scores were derived from the…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether children with differing cognitive abilities can benefit from differing educational environments. The investigation was specifically concerned with two questions: (1) Are there differences in the mathematics achievement between children with an internal or external locus of control in both open and…

An intensive 10-day peer tutor training component is described as a key element in the success of a peer tutoring program in mathematics for 21 low-achieving second graders. Results suggest the program's effectiveness in increasing the speed and accuracy of responses on written speed tests of addition facts. (Author/JW)

This paper discusses the use of tests by American teachers over the past six decades. A representative sample of the research centering on the linkage between testing and teaching is cited. (LMO)