Analyzes the development in word decoding, reading comprehension, and math of Dutch 3rd graders. Multilevel analysis shows small difference in development for word decoding and reading comprehension. For math, however, there is a substantial proportion of variance at the class level. Instruction characteristics and years of experience by teachers…

Evaluated relationship between Cognitive Levels Test (CLT) and two tests of academic achievement: Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests (WRAT) and KeyMath Diagnostic Arithmetic Test (KeyMath). Findings from children in kindergarten through second grade showed CLT to be rather highly correlated with KeyMath scores, modestly correlated with WRAT total…

Four elementary schools, 10 third-grade teachers, and their students (n=168) participated in a quasiexperimental study to determine the impact of individual versus collaborative planning and traditional versus problem-focused curriculum on students' learning of multiplication. Results favored collaborative planning and problem solving. (MKR)

Improved writing and higher grades of first-semester calculus students (n=25) were the result of a variety of written assignments used in the course. Includes sample writing assignments. (MKR)

Applied drill and practice intervention in small-group (n=5) setting to improve fifth-grade students' fluency with basic mathematics facts. Cover, Copy, and Compare intervention was modified and implemented with Chapter I mathematics class. Results provide practitioners with ideas about implementing group interventions using drill for mathematics…

This interview with Julian C. Stanley concerning the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth discusses research findings about gender differences in mathematical ability and competitiveness, gifted students' need for counseling about their personal lives and college choice, curriculum differentiation, and other issues. (JDD)

Because it is sensitive to variability and permits partitioning of a distribution into the tails and center, the Hedges and Friedman Index can be used to investigate gender differences in each partition. It should yield greater insight into the nature of between-gender differences, as its application to Feingold's 1992 data illustrates. (SLD)

Investigates the effects of three methods of teaching on achievement in mathematics using traditional lecture method, interactive method with individual use of materials, and interactive method with group use of materials. Reports a significant interactive effect of gender and method of teaching on students' achievement. Contains 25 references.…

In comparing 44 fifth- and sixth graders in year-round school with 40 on a traditional calendar, the traditional group improved math scores significantly over the summer. Despite no significant differences between the groups, year-round students seemed more consistent in achievement. (SK)

Uses neuropsychological and developmental models of number, counting, and arithmetical skills as well as supporting working memory and speed of articulation systems as the theoretical framework for comparing groups of low- and average-IQ children. Indicates that low-IQ children's conceptual understanding of counting did not differ from that of…

Explores how the use of the graphics calculator may lead to changes in students' solution approaches and how these changes affect student achievement. Concludes that only prolonged use of the graphic calculator leads to enrichment of the solution repertoire of students and a better understanding of functions. (Contains 11 references.) (Author/ASK)

Examined predictors of attitudes and beliefs related to school and family and predictors of mathematics outcomes focusing on attitudes using data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Tested a model derived from Cyprus TIMSS data on U.S. and Japanese data. Findings highlight the complexity of factors accounting for…

Studies two intact classes of 30 undergraduate students enrolled in a mathematics course; however, one group received relaxation training during an initial class meeting and during the first 5-7 minutes of each subsequent class. The group which received the relaxation training had significantly lower mathematics anxiety and significantly higher…

Suggests that the lack of motivation in mathematics courses often demonstrated by undergraduates can be remedied in part by a better explanation of the intrinsic value of studying mathematics. Offers suggestions for maximizing success such as previewing topics, attending class regularly, and knowing how to read the text and how to study for exams.…

A feasible instructional method for reducing failure in first-year algebra is the double-dose approach pioneered by Douglas MacIver. Two studies conducted in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and in Norfolk, Virginia, reveal the educational benefits of providing second math periods for ninth-grade algebra students. (MLH)