Describes the launching and goals of the Third International Math and Science Study. The study, the biggest ever, will include assessments of teaching methods and educational systems as well as comparisons of half a million students from 50 countries. (PR)

Examines the strategies used to read science articles written in the Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRD) format. Shows how three reader roles (those of the scientist, editor, and reviewer) influence reading strategies. Discusses implications for the understanding of the function and development of the research article and for…

Prompted in part by student demand, schools of international affairs are offering new courses, hiring new faculty, and creating research centers focused on business and finance. Schools feel this move is necessary in a world where business dominates international relations and the public and private sectors have become intertwined. Critics feel…

Compares educational trends in economically developed countries over an 11-year period using data from sources that include the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) database. The period from 1985 to 1995 witnessed increases in the rates of enrollment in secondary and higher education in virtually every OECD country.…

Compared regional differences in student interest in: (1) taking international business courses; (2) pursuing long-term; and (3) short-term career opportunities abroad. Also compared regional differences in variables correlated with such interest, including academic maturity, degree of international travel, number of languages spoken, and previous…

Describes a study that examined elementary and secondary school systems in 12 major industrialized nations using data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Few of the quantifiable inputs identified described student outcomes. Discusses the lack of findings at the aggregate…

Describes the problems inherent in scoring performance assessment on a large scale, focusing on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and scoring for Israeli students. In spite of the weaknesses in the scoring approach, the effort seems to have empowered teachers. (SLD)

Simulations can often be used to internationalize a course and even a curriculum. For faculty that teach international and comparative courses, simulations can often provide students with an opportunity to see beyond their own country. In developing a course on political revolutions, I created a simulation in which students role-played either a…

In this personal narrative, the author notes that he has often said more or less in jest that when it comes to evaluating international studies, people lose their critical capacities and forget everything they ever learned in their courses in research methods and statistics. Results that would raise flags in any other endeavor receive no…

The 2000 and 2003 international studies of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) among all Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries presented disappointing results for Germany's fifteen-year-old students' reading skills. These studies pointed out two necessities for future reform: to extend the…

This Achiever contains a brief summary on the results of two major international studies: (1) 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS); and (2) 2003 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). In the 2003 TIMSS, American fourth- and eighth-graders significantly outperformed many of their international peers. In…

Because of its centrality to school success, social status, and workplace effectiveness, oral and aural skills development has been increasingly emphasized in Canadian curricula, classrooms and, very recently, large-scale assessment. The corresponding emphasis on group processes and collaborative learning has aimed to address equity issues in…

Both work and leisure are essential for well-being. Yet the ways in which we conceptualise work, leisure and well-being are in flux, reflecting, in part, the changing societal, economic and community contexts in which work and leisure take place. This paper first discusses the contested nature of work and leisure in relation to well-being, and…

This book, in three parts, presents a set of studies that: (1) explores some significant questions about mathematics teaching and learning and (2) illustrates new methodologies for the analysis of new kinds of questions about mathematics education. The data from the Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS) are the starting point for all of…

As concerns about educational planning mount, the perspectives of the foreign language teaching profession will come face to face with national policy agendas, and there may be conflict. The profession must be aware of perspectives other than its own at the same time that it sets and maintains its own goals. Public debate has arisen about the…