The purpose of this study was to understand how teachers participate in and benefit from an online community of practice (NETwork) for learning to teach. Dependent-samples t-tests were employed to examine the significant differences of members' perceptions of their social experience, while content analysis was utilized to identify members'…

This paper examines the relationships of pupils' on-task orientation at school and their opposition to teachers with perceived cognitive competence, perceived relevance of schoolwork, and the belief that going against school norms increases peer status. The study was conducted as a survey among a national representative sample of 3834 pupils in…

The purpose of this study is to examine effects of the admission system to higher education on background diversity of students and study efficiency. By using data from a longitudinal project, the students admitted to medical education on different admission grounds are compared. The results indicate that admissions based on upper secondary grades…

Evidence which suggests that university and college students are more vulnerable to psychological distress than the general population has generated increasing public concern. This study presents psychometric data on Norwegian undergraduate students' psychological distress (N= 1750). Psychological distress was assessed by applying the 12-item…

This paper seeks to explore the impact of IT on school and teacher cultures. It reports on Swedish teachers' use of IT in different school subjects by means of a case study comprising one school, four teachers (2 men and 2 women), and their pupils aged 9-12. The methods of data collection used were interviews and observations. The aim of the study…

Eleven groups of students performed a 24-session intervention based on Aggression Replacement Training (ART) as part of their further education programme. Subjects were 65 children and young people with varying degrees of behavioural problems. Forty-seven subjects received the ART programme. Eighteen received standard social and educational…

The aim of this article is to problematise and discuss collaboration between children as a means of learning and as an essential aspect of pedagogical quality in educational settings. In theories of learning, children's social interaction and collaboration are highlighted as fundamental to their learning. This implies that children's opportunities…

The purpose of this study was to investigate statistical relationships between gender and Alberta Achievement Testing Program scores. Achievement test scores from grades 3, 6, and 9 in all subject areas were investigated during a four-year period. Results showed statistically significant positive correlations between gender and scores in most…

The purpose of this article is to promote an increased awareness of the processes for setting cut-scores for complex performance assessments by (a) describing the Analytic Judgment Method (AJM) for setting cut-scores, and (b) critically evaluating the technical adequacy and practicability of the AJM by focusing on one investigation where the AJM…

The Bookmark standard-setting procedure was developed to address the perceived problems with the most popular method for setting cut-scores: the Angoff procedure (Angoff, 1971). The purposes of this article are to review the Bookmark procedure and evaluate it in terms of Berk's (1986) criteria for evaluating cut-score setting methods. The…

The purpose of this article is to review critically the Angoff (1971) and modified Angoff methods for setting cut-scores. The criteria used in this review were originally proposed by Berk (1986). The assumptions of the Angoff method and other current issues surrounding this method are also discussed. Recommendations are made for using the Angoff…

The recent increase in the use of constructed-response items in educational assessment and the dissatisfaction with the nature of the decision that the judges must make using traditional standard-setting methods created a need to develop new and effective standard-setting procedures for tests that include both multiple-choice and…

The main purpose of this study was to recognize the critical barriers of school-based management in Iran in general, and in public secondary schools of Ahvaz in particular. The subject is addressed with Lawler's (1992) theory and those of other researchers in mind. The main questions are: What are the characteristics of the new system of…

What new tendencies can be made out in Swedish educational research in the last three decades? Briefly, the following developments are described: In the 1970s, a long-prevailing emphasis on quantitative research was challenged by a number of different qualitative methods. Traditional sociology of education, meanwhile, was challenged by the new…

School closures have been common in rural areas since the middle of the last century, when new and modern schools replaced small old-fashioned schools with only one or two classrooms. Due mainly to the industrialisation of farming and hastened by the merging and globalisation of industry, the last 50 years have seen a migration of people from…