A critical analysis of university examinations in mathematics

Part I of this paper introduced a procedure for assessing the questions set in University mathematics examinations to see what skills were needed for their solution. This part of the paper discusses the results obtained when the procedure was applied to a sample of some 1400 questions set during 1976 in ten British Universities. Although there is an unavoidable subjective element, the method is a way of focussing rational argument.     

A critical analysis of university examinations in mathematics

In many Universities, mathematics examinations use a timed, closed-book format. The paper discusses what areas of ability are being assessed in these examinations, and to what extent the procedure might foster possible educational objectives. We describe a list of ten qualities by which a mathematics question can be graded in order to see what skills are needed for its solution, and some examples are discussed, as well as the background system in which the procedures are set.Part II of the paper (to follow) will discuss the results obtained from a study which applied this procedure to a large sample of questions set in examinations in ten British Universities.     

Using British school examinations as a predictor of university performance in a pharmacy course: A correlative study

The investigation reported in this paper studied the relationship between 31 variables from 80 subjects graduated in pharmacy. Variables included in the study were average grades taken from the examination held at age 16 (Ordinary O level), predicted and actual Advanced level scores usually 3 subjects taken at around age 18 and the complete pattern of university examinations. The average of O-level scores was not a useful predictor but the teachers' estimates of performance at A-level were. A-levels themselves correlated particularly well with early parts of the course and the average grade still showed a small but significant correlation through to the end. Undergraduate examinations throughout the 3 years were generally intercorrelated. It is argued that given the appropriate circumstances both teachers' estimates of A-level performance and actual A-level scores remain useful in selection and forecasting.     

Causal attributions of students and student-proctors for performance on a university examination

Undergraduate psychology students rated the importance of several causes of examination outcomes both prior to and after taking a course exam. Similar attributions were made by advanced psychology students who served as course proctors. Students rated proctor characteristics as more important and their own characteristics as less important determinants of exam outcomes, particularly successful outcomes. Results suggested that positivity biases rather than egotism biases are operative in actual classroom settings. Further, contrary to expectancyconfirmation theory, student and proctor preexamination confidence was not strongly related to postexamination attributions.     

成就动机的归因模型建构及其在教育实践中的运用

教育是归因理论最重要的应用领域之一，学生对其学业成败的归因在决定其成就动机和学习行为方面有重要作用．而当今成就动机研究几乎成了动机研究的同义语，关心学生学业成就的教育心理学家占据了动机研究的中心舞台．在此背景下，归因理论的介入给其研究注入了新的活力，成为该领域的主旋律，对教育教学实践起着积权的指导意义．文章拟结合动机研究的发展历程，对成就动机的归因模型建构加以探析，并讨论其在教育教学实践中的意义及运用．     

Professors and examinations: ideas of the university in nineteenth-century Scotland

The separation of examining from teaching, pushed furthest in the ‘examining university’ of which London University, founded in 1836, was the model, was a much-debated principle in nineteenth-century Britain. This separation was generally rejected in Scotland, but only after complex controversies that illustrate how Scots defined their university tradition in comparative terms, and how Scottish developments interacted with those in England and Ireland. Among the issues involved were proposals for a National University or central examining board, and claims that graduates should have a right to give ‘extramural’ teaching in competition with professors. The paper traces this aspect of university reform in Scotland from the 1820s to the 1890s, and argues that the professorial model and the integration of teaching and examining were successfully consolidated and defended.     

High school grades and university performance: A case study

A critical issue facing a number of colleges and universities is how to allocate first year places to incoming students. The decision to admit students is often based on a number of factors, but a key statistic is a student's high school grades. This paper reports on a case study of the subsequent performance at the University of Winnipeg of high school students from 84 Manitoba high schools. By tracking the university performance of students admitted for the years 1997–2002, we are able to estimate the likelihood of success of subsequent students based on their characteristics as well as their high school grades. In doing so, we use a number of alternative estimators including a Least Squares Dummy Variable Model and a Hierarchical Linear Model. The methodology should be of interest to admissions officers at other universities as an input into estimating the subsequent performance of first year students.     

Beyond genetics in Mental Rotation Test performance: The power of effort attribution

This study compares the effects on Mental Rotation Test (MRT) performance of instructions that stress the importance of (a) personal effort, and (b) genetically driven ability. A total of 120 high-school students were assigned to three groups, and administered two sub-tests of the MRT. Between the first and second sub-tests, the groups received one of the following instructions: effort (“anyone can succeed in this task by putting in effort”), ability (“performance on the test depends on genetic determinants”), and neutral for control (“this is an important test used in many countries”). We predicted that effort but not ability instructions would affect performance. Results confirmed the prediction and showed that, after controlling for baseline performance, the effort group outperformed the ability and control groups, which did not differ from each other. Discussion focuses on the mechanisms implied in believing ability to be genetically determined or experientially driven.     

制胜高中生物学"遗传与进化"有关高考知识剖析

本模块的内容包括生物的遗传（遗传的细胞基础、遗传的分子基础、遗传的基本规律）、生物的变异和人类遗传病、生物的进化等。这部分模块内容有助于学生认识生命的延续和发展,了解遗传和变异规律在生产生活中的应用;领悟假说一演绎、建立模型等科学方法及其在科学研究中的应用;理解遗传和变异在物种繁衍过程中的对立统一,生物的遗传变异与环境变化在生物进化过程中的对立统一,形成“生物进化观点”。以上内容也是高考的热点和焦点,也是部分难度较大的命题素材。     

The determinants of research performance: A study of Australian university economists

In this article, the relationship between individual productivity in research, as measured by an index of publications produced, and their preferences and perceptions about research-related issues is explored. A sample of 134 Australian university economists were classified as low, average and high in respect of their publication performance using cluster analysis. Discriminant analysis was then used to see whether membership of these groups was associated with items representing individuals' preferred research approach, their involvement in a range of research-related activities, the things which they felt constrained their research and their perceptions of the benefits of their position which might be conducive to research.Our results show that there was a relationship between these items and group membership, and therefore productivity. Highly productive researchers made deliberate choices about the type of research they undertook in order to enhance their career advancement; they were heavily involved in a number of areas of research activity; they felt relatively few constraints on their research by comparison with low producers; and they enjoyed the freedom and challenge of their positions. These results imply that research performance is more a function of individual motivation than resource support.The authors would like to acknowledge the helpful comments of two anonymous referees.     

Change in strategy: The relationship of attribution,expectancy, performance,and satisfaction

The purpose of the study was to examine the degree to which change in examination preparation is related to measures of attribution, expectancy, prior performance, perceived success/failure, and satisfaction. Subjects were students in an intermediate graduate statistics course. Although performance is the single best predictor of change in preparation, three attribution measures and satisfaction contributed unique predictive variance. While expectancy was significantly related to change in preparation, it did not add uniquely to the multiple correlation.     

Educational opportunities and academic performance: A case study of university student mothers in Venezuela

The transformation of universities from elite to mass models in developing countries has given the opportunity to new social groups to participate in higher education. As a part of this process, diverse groups of students have benefited in different ways from the equal educational opportunities offered to them. In this paper, we approach the problem of institutional efficiency versus social inclusion in a developing country through the case study of the academic performance of a social group of recent participation in a public university in Venezuela, especifically that of student mothers in the Universidad de Los Andes. This work investigates how student mothers make use of the educational opportunities opened to them and how their academic performance is affected by their particular life circumstances. Evidence shows that the academic performance of student mothers is lower than that of other groups of university students. In practice, student mothers participate as part-time students, although this category is not officially recognized by most Venezuelan public universities. Almost all the life circumstances of student mothers negatively affect their academic performance. The only circumstance that contributes positively to the performance of a student mother is the help provided by her extended family in taking care of her children. The fact that student mothers are able to participate in higher education is mainly due to the help they receive from their extended family. This is a distinctive cultural feature associated to this social group in the context of a developing country such as Venezuela.     

The university president as pragmatist: An investigation of priorities

Presidents of leading American universities were surveyed to determine the priority they place upon university programs of research, instruction, and service. The study examines the priorities they place upon methods of delivering university service programs to various constituent groups and the varying priority that the presidents place upon business and professional groups; general public groups; state or local government officials; federal government officials; labor groups; and agriculture groups. The study also compares the priorities of private, public non-land-grant, and public land grant university presidents on these items. Highest priority was given to research, followed by instruction and service. The rating for research was six times higher than for service. The service priority was further analyzed to reveal a client orientation by presidents linked to the basis of university support.     

Predictors of university academic performance in Colombia

This chapter describes the available information about the prediction of college performance in Colombia (South America). Before graduating from high school, students must take a national examination which includes 400 questions grouped into four major areas: sciences (biology, chemistry, and physics), social sciences, language (verbal aptitude and Spanish), and mathematics (mathematical attitude and mathematical knowledge). ICFES scores are used as a major criterion for university admission. Existing research suggests that the correlations between ICFES scores and GPAs tend to be quite small and vary widely from one academic program to another. Other variables (e.g., high school grades) are better predictors of college GPA, quite likely because the same set of personal and socio-cultural variables are needed for both high school and college success.