Selection of mathematically talented students

This paper reports a study concerned with the selection of mathematically talented students at the beginning of secondary school in Australia using a version of the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Some young students achieved scores comparable with older mathematically able students and with college-bound students in USA. Teacher nomination of students as talented resulted in the selection of considerably different groups of students to those selected using the SAT. Marked sex differences, in favour of boys, are noted and discussed. Three different procedures for comparing item responses of younger and older groups are employed, leading to the conclusion that younger and older students respond to SAT items in qualitatively different ways. Comparison procedures based on the Rasch model for measurement are favoured.     

少数民族初中生汉语能力的性别差异分析——学习过程的中介作用

基于性别差异的角度,通过测验和问卷,对青海省共和、贵德、同仁三县1072名寄宿制藏族初三学生进行调查。本研究在分析学业自我效能感、学习过程及汉语成绩的性别差异的基础上,构建了包含学生层和班级层的研究模型,进而分析学习过程的中介作用,特别是性别、表面过程、深层过程与汉语成绩的关系。结果显示,学习过程的性别差异显著,男生倾向于使用表面过程,女生倾向于使用深层过程;表面过程对汉语成绩的负效应显著,深层过程对汉语成绩的影响效应不显著,表面过程在性别与汉语成绩之间起完全中介作用。也就是说,青海藏族初中生的汉语成绩存在性别差异,进一步分析发现该差异是由男生倾向于使用基于复制、机械记忆的表面过程引起的。建议教师在日常教学活动中正视少数民族学生汉语能力的性别差异,注意提高男生学习汉语的主动性,鼓励男生降低表面学习动机和减少表面学习过程的使用,从而提升教学效果,促进学生汉语能力的提高。     

高中生对语文教师的性别接受与期待

关于中学生对语教师性别接受和期待的研究不仅可以揭示中学生的性别认知状况，而且可在一定程度上反映语教师在教学风格和教学效果等方面的性别差异。依据自编调查问卷，对北京市三所学校的117名高一年级学生进行了调查。研究发现，中学生对女语教师的接受和喜爱程度高于对男教师；他们普遍认为女性更适合做语教师；但学生对不同性别语教师的期待没有明显差异；遇到过男语教师的同学对语教师的性别期待表现出比较大的灵活性。中学生认为男女语教师在教学优势和教学风格方面有显的差异。因此，就中学生对语教师的性别接受和性别期待的可能影响因素、男女教师在教学优势和教学风格方面的差异及其可能原因和后果等进行讨论是有意义的。     

Differences in science students' view of ideal and actual role behavior according to success and gender

Information about how success and gender affect students' views of ideal and actual classroom role behavior can help both researchers and teachers better understand classroom components such as achievement and curriculum. A 20-item double Q sort was used to measure differences in perceptions of high school science students according to letter grades and gender. Individual Q sort item rankings of 160 students were tested for significant differences according to letter grade received; item ratings were compared according to gender for 215 students. Differences in perception according to success were found for both ideal and actual behavior; 8 and 5 items, respectively, out of each 20-item sort were found to be significant at the p = < 0.05 level. No such overall patterns of difference in view were found between boys and girls, although three ideal student items and one actual self-report item were found to be significantly different at the p = < 0.05 level.     

Effects of curricular emphasis in college on the GRE and its impact on the gender gap in performance

Previous research has indicated positive relations between a curricular emphasis during college and improvements in GRE performance for content that matches that emphasis. However, measurement issues and a lack of a theoretical approach have contributed to a lack of precision and detail in the estimates of the relation between college experiences and performance for relevant content. In the current study, we hypothesized that differences in training between students majoring in math related majors and students majoring in reading and writing related majors would be differentially related to the size of the changes on GRE performance. Further, we hypothesized the gender gap in GRE-Quant performance would be reduced when the higher likelihood of males majoring in math related majors was modelled. The expert performance approach was used to develop three path models (including curricular emphasis, college grade performance, previous performance on the SAT, and gender) to compare the effects of the relation of a curricular emphasis in math on GRE-Quant performance to the effects of the relation of an emphasis in reading and writing on GRE-Verbal performance. The results indicated support for our predictions that a math course emphasis was related to larger GRE performance gains and that gender differences in curricular emphasis during college partially mediated the large gender gap in GRE-Quant performance. Additionally, higher grade performance average was found to positively predict GRE performance with college experiences and previous performance statistically controlled. Implications for the relation between training accrued during college courses and changes in GRE performance are discussed.     

Measuring ocean literacy of high school students: psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the ocean literacy scale

This study established a Chinese scale for measuring high school students’ ocean literacy. This included testing its reliability, validity, and differential item functioning (DIF) with the aim of compensating for the lack of DIF tests focusing on current scales. The construct validity and reliability were verified and tested by analyzing the established scale’s items using the Rasch model, and a gender DIF test was conducted to ensure the test results’ fairness when distinct groups were compared simultaneously. The results indicated that the scale established in this study is unidimensional and possesses favorable internal consistency and construct validity. The gender DIF test results indicated that several items were difficult for either female or male students to correctly answer; however, the experts and scholars discussed these items individually and suggested retaining them. The final Chinese version of the ocean literacy scale developed here comprises 48 items that can reflect high school students’ understanding of ocean literacy—which helps students understand the topics of marine science encountered in real life.     

Factors mediating the effect of gender on ninth‐grade Turkish students' misconceptions concerning electric circuits

This study was designed to identify and analyze possible factors that mediate the effect of gender on ninth‐grade Turkish students' misconceptions concerning electric circuits. A Simple Electric Circuit Concept Test (SECCT), including items with both practical and theoretical contexts, and an Interest‐Experience Questionnaire about Electricity (IEQ) were administered to 1,678 ninth‐grade students (764 male, 914 female) after the completion of a unit on electricity to assess students' misconceptions and interests‐experiences about electricity. Results of the concept test indicated that general performances of the students were relatively low and that many students had misconceptions in interpreting electric circuits. When the data were analyzed using MANOVA and follow‐up ANOVAs, a gender difference for males was observed on the dependent variable of total scores on the 10 practical items; however, there was no significant gender difference on the dependent variable of total scores on the six theoretical items. Moreover, when the same data were analyzed using MANCOVA and follow‐up ANCOVAs, controlling students' age and interest‐experience related to electricity, the observed gender difference was mediated on the total scores on the practical items. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 603–616, 2004     

Gender Effects in Assessment of Economic Knowledge and Understanding: Differences Among Undergraduate Business and Economics Students in Germany,Japan, and the United States

Gender effects in large-scale assessments have become an increasingly important research area within and across countries. Yet few studies have linked differences in assessment results of male and female students in higher education to construct-relevant features of the target construct. This paper examines gender effects on students’ economic content knowledge with a focus on construct-relevant explanations. Moreover, we compare gender effects cross-nationally between Germany, Japan, and the United States. To assess economic content knowledge of higher education students, we used translated, adapted, and validated versions of the Test of Understanding in College Economics (TUCE, 4th ed.), an instrument that is commonly used internationally. We found gender effects on test scores in all three countries; effects were larger in Germany and the United States than in Japan. Gender effects were generally more pronounced on the numeracy subscale than on the literacy subscale, that is, male students had a greater edge over female students when items required calculations. In our conclusion, we discuss how numeracy and literacy items may tap different abilities.     

Using the Attribute Hierarchy Method to Make Diagnostic Inferences about Examinees’ Cognitive Skills in Critical Reading

The purpose of this study is to apply the attribute hierarchy method (AHM) to a subset of SAT critical reading items and illustrate how the method can be used to promote cognitive diagnostic inferences. The AHM is a psychometric procedure for classifying examinees’ test item responses into a set of attribute mastery patterns associated with different components from a cognitive model. The study was conducted in two steps. In step 1, three cognitive models were developed by reviewing selected literature in reading comprehension as well as research related to SAT Critical Reading. Then, the cognitive models were validated by having a sample of students think aloud as they solved each item. In step 2, psychometric analyses were conducted on the SAT critical reading cognitive models by evaluating the model‐data fit between the expected and observed response patterns produced from two random samples of 2,000 examinees who wrote the items. The model that provided best data‐model fit was then used to calculate attribute probabilities for 15 examinees to illustrate our diagnostic testing procedure.     

Technical characteristics and some correlates of the california critical thinking skills test,forms A and B

Forms A and B of the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) were administered to two randomly formed groups of undergraduate students at a large eastern university, as part of the freshman orientation process. Arithmetic means for the forms were significantly different, indicating a lack of equivalence between forms. Principal component analyses and specific patterns of item intercorrelations differed between forms, with the lack of equivalence apparently due to the changes in Form A items, which were carried out in order to create Form B items. Internal consistency reliabilities for total and subtest scores were uniformly low, and it appears the CCTST scores largely reflect verbal intelligence of the type measured by the SAT. It was concluded that the CCTST may be acceptable for research purposes (e.g., as a blocking variable or covariate), but not for decision making concerning individual students, especially with respect to subtest scores and score differences.     

The relation of LD and gender with emotional intelligence in college students

This study examined the relation of learning disabilities (LD) and gender with emotional intelligence in 128 college students. Fifty-four students with LD (32 men and 22 women) and 74 without LD (34 men and 40 women) attending two colleges and one university participated in the study. Emotional intelligence was assessed using the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i; BarOn,1997), a self-report instrument designed to measure interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, stress management, adaptability, and general mood. A 2-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was performed to examine the main effects of LD and gender and the interaction of the two main effects on the five composites of the EQ-i. Students with LD had fewer credits and lower scholastic aptitude test (SAT) scores, high school grade point averages (GPAs), and college GPAs than students without LD; women students were older and had higher college GPAs than men students. Results of the MANOVA indicated significant main effects of both LD and gender; no significant interaction occurred. Post hoc univariate analyses of the five composites revealed significant differences between students with LD and students without LD on stress management and adaptability, significant differences between men and women students on interpersonal skills, and significant differences of the interaction of LD and gender on interpersonal skills.     

Impact of Fewer Questions per Section on SAT I Scores

The impact of allowing more time for each question on the SAT I: Reasoning Test scores was estimated by embedding sections with a reduced number of questions into the standard 30-minute equating section of two national test administrations. Thus, for example, questions were deleted from a verbal section that contained 35 questions to produce forms that contained 27 or 23 questions. Scores on the 23-question section could then be compared to scores on the same 23 questions when they were embedded in a section that contained 27 or 35 questions. Similarly, questions were deleted from a 25-question math section to form sections of 20 and 17 questions. Allowing more time per question had a minimal impact on verbal scores, producing gains of less than 10 points on the 200–800 SAT scale. Gains for the math score were less than 30 points. High-scoring students tended to benefit more than lower-scoring students, with extra time creating no increase in scores for students with SAT scores of 400 or lower. Ethnic/racial and gender differences were neither increased nor reduced with extra time.     

高校心理健康与教育公共课教学效果评估研究

大学生评教有利于教师发现自身不足,提高教学水平,使教师在授课时充分考虑大学生的个剐差异而使用不同的教学方法,使每个学生都得到充分的发展。本研究意在探索当下的心理健康与教育教学评估存在的问题,以期有所改进。通过采用SEEQ问卷（大学生评价教师教学效果问卷）对贵州大学的文、理、工、农、艺五个学科的一、二、三年级的大学生展开调查,以其探索贵州大学生对心理健康教育公共课教学平均数、方差、交互作用显著性进行分析,结果表明：（一）不同学科、年级、性别的大学生对评价大学心理学教师的教学效果有一定的差别,表现在不同项目上;（二）总体来看,大学生的学科、年级、性别存在一定的交互作用,但不显著。     

Do college admissions counselors discriminate? Evidence from a correspondence-based field experiment

I design and implement a correspondence based field experiment to test for race and gender discrimination among college admissions counselors in the student information gathering stage. The experiment uses names to identify student race and gender, and student grade, SAT score, and writing differences to reflect varying levels of applicant quality. I find that counselors do not respond differently by race in most cases, but there are measurable differences in response/non-response and in the type of correspondence sent that favor female students. I also find that the quality of the student induces large differences in the type of response.     

Gender equity in mathematical achievement: the case of China

Gender differences in achievement in mathematics, a traditionally male-stereotyped subject, have long been a concern for many educators around the world. Gender differences in mathematical achievement have decreased in recent decades, especially in Western countries, and become small or insignificant in large-scale tests, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The situation in China has not yet been studied. The recent PISA report lists China B-S-J-G (representing Beijing–Shanghai–Jiangsu–Guangdong) as an educational system with no significant gender difference in mathematical achievement. Based on a secondary analysis of PISA 2015 mathematics data from China B-S-J-G, this study more deeply scrutinized gender differences in Chinese students’ mathematical performance, emphasizing societal factors, namely students’ socioeconomic status, school level, school type, school location, and socioeconomic status at school level. This analysis revealed important differences within the overall picture. Most importantly, significantly more boys than girls scored in the top tier of mathematics achievement. At the lower- and upper-secondary school levels, boys performed significantly better than girls, with the achievement difference increasing at the upper-secondary level. Furthermore, this study found that, on average, Chinese (B-S-J-G) girls achieved significantly lower average scores on the PISA 2015 mathematics test than boys in the same school. Overall, students’ individual characteristics and school characteristics need to be separated and both taken into account to examine the role of gender in mathematical achievement, which has not been thoroughly investigated in the past.     

Social responsibility and community development: Lessons from the Sistema de Aprendizaje Tutorial in Honduras

This article extends understanding of the connections between education, social capital, and development through a mixed-methods case study of the Sistema de Aprendizaje Tutorial, or SAT¹, an innovative secondary-level education system. The quantitative dimension of the research used survey measures of social responsibility to compare 93 SAT students to 88 other students in conventional Honduran schools, with samples based on the naturally occurring (non-random) presence of one of these two different educational programs in each of nine nearby Honduran communities. Preliminary findings suggest that students in the SAT program held a greater sense of social responsibility than their peers in conventional schools. Students’ statements about their own educational experiences were analyzed in order to identify some of the characteristics of the SAT program that may have led to this difference. The SAT approach to developing social responsibility is contrasted to a human rights focused approach.     

Cognitive Abilities among Twelfth‐grade Students: Implications for Science Teaching∗

The study investigated the differences related to formal reasoning abilities among students attending different sections of the upper cycle of secondary schools in Cyprus. The subjects of the study were twelfth‐grade students from 21 intact classes (227 boys and 242 girls). These classes were randomly selected among the 36 twelfth‐grade classes of four schools in a town of Cyprus. The sample of students represented the science section, the economic section and the “unified” section consisting of sections following common curricula in science and mathematics. Students’ performance on a standardized Test of Logical Thinking (TOLT) was used as a measure of their cognitive abilities related to control of variables, proportional, probabilistic, correlational and combinatorial reasoning. The students of the “unified” section had lower performance than the students of both the science and the economic section on all cognitive measures, and female students had lower performance than male students on cognitive measures related to control of variables and probabilistic reasoning. Multiple regression analysis between performance on TOLT and gender, section of study, and measures of school achievement showed that gender, section of study, achievement in mathematics, and grade point average, but not achievement in science and Greek language, contributed significantly to predicting performance on TOLT. Observed differences related to measures of school achievement either among the subjects of the three sections or between male and female students did not correspond to differences related to cognitive measures. Factor analysis of performance on the ten TOLT items (two items from each reasoning mode) produced a two‐factor solution. There were also significant differences in students’ performance between items related to the same or different reasoning mode. The results of the study cast doubt on the appropriateness of the existing curricula or their implementation and indicate that different theoretical perspectives should be considered when evaluating cognitive development.     

Preparing students for college admissions tests

Attaining successful outcomes on the SAT can have profound educational and financial consequences for college-bound students. Using archival data from a private tutoring centre, we investigated variables we hypothesised to contribute to SAT score increases. Our analyses revealed significant effects of time on task and rate of SAT homework completion. Starting preparation earlier in the junior year and distributing tutoring sessions over larger intervals contributed to higher SAT score improvements. Testing effects were significant: more frequent practice tests significantly increased SAT scores. Official SAT administrations contributed more to score increases than did unofficial practice tests. Individual tutoring hours yielded greater increases than did group tutoring hours. Student characteristics such as gender, SES, or private or public school attendance were not significant. Implications for improving test preparation for students as well as directions for future research are discussed.     

Paradox of student gender: a case study of economic education from China

In many Chinese universities and colleges, female students outperform male students in social science subjects. This paper presents a case study, which examines gender difference in economic education in a Chinese university. We look at a sample of students from the Chinese university and find that holding constant observed student characteristics, female students on average appear to earn higher scores than male students and the gender difference is primarily driven by low achieving students. We further find that the gender difference in exam scores is not because of female students' ability, family background and other unobservable student characteristics. Instead, it is simply a result of female students exerting more effort than male students. We finally explore a wide range of possible explanations for the gender difference in diligence, but find little support for any of the explanations.