Explains the results and findings of the Cognitive Analysis Project (CAP) which was used to evaluate the intellectual development of children from grades 10, 11, and 12 by analyzing the use subjects made of written language in solving problems and explaining phenomena. (HM)

Presents the results of an investigation to determine if the position of a distractor in a multiple choice question influences the degree of difficulty of an item. The data support the hypothesis that the placement of the distractor immediately before the key alters the difficulty of the item significantly. (Authors/SA)

Discusses the implications of several studies of science education practices. Concludes that although students in the United States are performing better than they were a decade ago, students are not performing well enough to meet the challenges of the 21st century. (DDR)

Develops the two-level small-group model based on cooperative learning seminars for inservice science teachers. Describes procedures to construct materials for the two-level group and suggests a teaching sequence. Summarizes research results about the two-level model and suggests implications of the model. (YP)

Evaluates the attributes of a microcomputer software package as a supplement to chemistry instruction. Reports higher scores among the students in a control group. Discovers no significant interaction between treatment and development stage. Discusses several implications for further research. Provides the General Chemistry Test and error analysis…

Tests in each science area were developed around six laboratory tasks. Students had to plan an investigation, collect and organize data, and formulate conclusions based on calculations and graphs. Over 1,000 students from 32 Ohio schools formed the sample for this study. Data are presented by skill and by task. An analysis for gender and school…

Investigated the relationships of figural response items and open-ended verbal items in biology to figural and verbal mental aptitudes (n=24). Performance on the verbal items was positively related to verbal ability. Figural response scores were related positively to both figural and verbal abilities. (PR)

Proposes methods by which laboratory practical exams may be structured to assess outcomes from laboratory instruction. Presents eight general considerations for writing and using practical exams. Describes four example laboratory exams involving a box camera, circuit boxes, floating objects, and light. (MDH)

Certain that students' average standardized test scores did not reflect their faculty's teaching effectiveness, Department of Defense dependent schools in Wuerzburg, Germany, mounted a districtwide experiment involving performance tests and rubrics in writing and science. Teachers documented gains in students' high-level writing and science skill…

Examined the effect sizes associated with mean differences in performance on the Second International Assessment of Educational Progress (IAEP2) and the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) administered in 1995. Largest differences were associated with the performance of students in France, Ireland, and Switzerland. Proposes…

Argues that test score rankings provide little information about educational quality because countries differ substantially in factors such as student selectivity, curriculum emphasis, and the proportion of low-income students in the test-taking population. (DDR)

Studied the effects of test consequences, response formats, gender, and ethnicity on the mathematics and science sections of the Michigan High School Proficiency Test. Results for more than 11,000 students show that students taking constructed response and multiple choice formats performed better under high stakes conditions. Discusses gender and…

In this article, we report on an experiment designed to improve the learning of metabolic biochemistry by nutrition and medical undergraduate students. Twelve students participated in a monitored lunch and had their blood extracted for analysis: (1) before lunch; (2) 30 min after lunch; and (3) 3 h after lunch. The subjects were divided in two…

This study investigates whether or not (a) 252 Jamaican high school students (168 boys, 84 girls, 171 grade 10 and 81 grade 11 students) had favourable attitudes to biology, (b) their level of biology performance was satisfactory, (c) there were significant differences in their performance based on their gender, grade level, school-type,…

This study sought to find out if (a) the performance of 113 Jamaican 11th-graders on a mole concept test was satisfactory or not; (b) there were significant differences in their performance linked to their chemical and mathematical abilities, gender and socioeconomic background (SEB); and, (c) there were significant relationships among the four…