The purpose of this research was to study the effects of violations of standard multiple-choice item writing principles on test characteristics, student scores, and pass-fail outcomes. Four basic science examinations, administered to year-one and year-two medical students, were randomly selected for study. Test items were classified as either…

The reliability and validity of professionally written multiple-choice exams have been extensively studied for exams such as the SAT, graduate record examination, and the force concept inventory. Much of the success of these multiple-choice exams is attributed to the careful construction of each question, as well as each response. In this study,…

Math anxiety is an affliction that causes several intelligent students to believe, mistakenly, that they lack the ability to master the subject. Professors are starting to question their teaching tactics in hopes of tackling math anxiety, with some educators looking at ways to make their classes more interactive, while others are considering…

Our students need to be able to adhere to standard written English to succeed in their other classes and to get jobs at the end of their schooling, and it's the responsibility of writing teachers to help them do so. In this article, the author provides a research-based theoretical underpinning for effective grammar instruction as well as several…

This report provides information on the education system of Cape Verde, and is designed to assist college admissions officers and registrars in the United States with the admission and placement of students from that country. The report contains general information on the geography, history, and people of Cape Verde, as well as more specific…

A study examined college students' responses to writing tasks that were created by their instructors--writing tasks that constituted an important part of the instructors' course designs and that were presented to students as an integral part of the curriculum. In all, approximately 4800 independent evaluations of 796 essays were analyzed. The…

The instructional program presented in this paper was implemented to improve the computer literacy and reduce computer anxiety of the teachers at a junior high school that serves 8th and 9th graders in the southeastern United States. The target group was 65 teachers at the site. The program consisted of 6 hours of instruction and hands-on…

A faculty committee was commissioned at Ohio State University's College of Social Work to study that College's grading practices. In fulfilling this charge a survey of the faculty was conducted and the results presented along with a review of useful literature on grading and recommendations for change. The survey of faculty used a questionnaire…

This paper presents a chronological guide (from hiring to evaluating) in directing associate faculty in communication studies. The paper reviews the small amount of research and advice published in this area. It discusses hiring and orienting associate faculty, standardization of the basic course in speech communication, and empowering,…

Teachers' written responses to student writing cover a wide range, and through the kind and amount of response, they convey their values, beliefs, and priorities about language and learning, about the roles of teacher and student, and about the goals of writing. Researchers have found that students respond well to comments on concepts and…

This booklet has two purposes: to illustrate and compare two important levels of expectation, or standards, set for the Alberta English 30 diploma examination writing (Satisfactory and Excellent) and to provide suggestions to help students move beyond the Satisfactory level by developing their unrealized writing potential. Sample papers from…

This booklet has two purposes: to illustrate and compare two important levels of expectation, or standards, set for the Alberta (Canada) English 33 diploma examination writing ("Satisfactory" and "Excellent") and to provide suggestions to help students move beyond the Satisfactory level developing their unrealized writing…

The status of women in college and employment, the attitudes of mature-age alumni, individualized instruction, unsuccessful innovations, and grading are addressed in five articles in this issue of an Australian journal. "Women in Advanced Education, Advancement for Whom?" (Jan Craney, Carol O'Donnell) cites evidence to indicate that the…

In considering the use of open education to meet the needs of present and future generations, this article attempted to answer a few basic questions: 1) Why will not the old ways do? 2) Where is it all leading? 3) What are the characteristics of this new system? 4) What should this new system be like? (Author/RK)

Recent research on effects of different ways of marking student compositions is reviewed.