Examines problematic assumptions about literature reviews: (1) subject matter can be categorized as a set of topics; (2) topics have clear, unambiguous labels; (3) topics represent objectively real phenomena; (4) knowledge of topics is essentially cumulative; and (5) it can be known in advance which literature is relevant, valuable, or significant…

Two groups of 28 students each alternated as experimental and control groups in spelling and punctuation projects. Experimental groups used goal setting and self-evaluation to monitor learning, supported by class discussions. Results showed the intervention raised spelling scores 60-80%, punctuation scores 70-75%. Progress was achieved only when…

Good classroom management supports good instruction. Just as important, instruction that actively engages students' attention and efforts decreases the incidence of student misbehavior. This "What We Know About" discusses the link between instruction and management, describes daily routines that contribute to a smoothly run classroom, and talks…

The author examined the effect of demographic variables and attitudes on achievement of 8th-grade algebra students. Participants (N = 107) in 4 classes completed a questionnaire that determined demographic characteristics. They also completed attitude scales at the beginning and end of the school year. Dependent measures were the North Carolina…

Fifty-one Anglo American (28 educationally successful, 23 educationally at risk) and 20 African American (10 educationally successful, 10 educationally at risk) high school boys participated in a study to determine their willingness to allow same-sex peers with learning disabilities (LD) participate in a variety of activities. Kruskal-Wallis…

The authors evaluated outcomes and implementation processes of teacher training in the Life Skills Training (LST) program in Israel. LST, an education program that teachers administer to students, focuses on life skills in 4 major areas: (a) identity development or purpose in life, (b) problem solving or decision making, (c) interpersonal…

The authors investigated perceptions of Taiwanese students and teachers concerning topics and teaching strategies generated in response to a new national requirement for gender-equity education. Elementary, junior high, and senior high students (N = 2,928) and teachers (N = 221) responded to survey questions. Findings revealed differences in…

Inspired by K. V. Hoover-Dempsey and H. M. Sandler's (1995, 1997) model of the parent involvement process, the authors examined 4 psychological constructs of parent involvement: (a) relative strength of parents' role construction, (b) parents' self-efficacy for helping adolescents succeed in school, (c) parents' perceptions of teacher invitations…

The author performed a quantitative synthesis of experimental research conducted between 1980 and 2000, in which the Dunn and Dunn Learning-Style Model (R. Dunn & K. Dunn, 1993, 1999) was used. Of the 695 citations elicited by the database and reference section searches, 76 original research investigations met the established inclusion criteria.…

Student engagement is considered an important predictor of student achievement, but few researchers have attempted to derive a valid and reliable measure of college student engagement in particular courses. In 2 studies, we developed and explored the validity of a measure of student engagement, the Student Course Engagement Questionnaire (SCEQ).…

National and international studies have made student performance in mathematics a high priority in schools. Using longitudinal data from elementary and secondary schools, the authors examined the connections between specific family and community involvement activities and student achievement in mathematics at the school level. After the authors…

The authors investigated the quality of physical education at 2 elementary schools--1 in which generalist instructors taught physical education and 1 in which a physical education specialist delivered a schoolwide program. Set within the context of increasingly marginalized public school physical education, the discussion incorporates ethnographic…

The authors attempted to determine the effects of a high-stakes standardized testing-driven instructional approach on mathematical performance. The authors developed a multiple-choice mathematics performance test for 1,006 Grade 4 students in 28 North Cyprus schools. Analysis revealed that students who spent more time on test-taking skills…

The authors examined the effects of a simplified English dictionary accommodation on the reading-test performance of Hmong English-language learners (ELLs). Participants included a control group of 69 non-ELL students and an experimental group of 133 Hmong ELLs from 3 urban middle schools in Minnesota. In a randomized counterbalanced design, all…

The authors used data on public high schools in New Hampshire to demonstrate how the socioeconomic status (SES) of the district can help explain variations in students' average standardized test scores and college-attendance rates and subsequent rankings of schools within states. The authors show how states can use multiple-outcome measures to…