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Α frequently used indicator to reflect student performance is that of a test score. However, although tests are designed to assess students' knowledge or skills, other factors can also affect test results such as test-taking strategies. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to model the interrelationships among test-taking strategy instruction (with a focus on metacognition), answer changing bias and performance on multiple-choice tests among college students through structural equation modelling. This study, which was based on a sample of 1512 students from Greece, has managed to extend the findings of previous research by proposing a model that demonstrates the interplay between these variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to provide a first systematic research overview of the effects of the pandemic on the educational performance of children with SEND according to children's/youths and caregivers' perspectives following the PRISMA statement. The studies, published between February 2020 and June 2022, were identified through the search of SCOPUS, EBSCO, PubMed, PsycInfo and two preprint-servers related to Education. In determining which studies to include in the review, the selection criteria were based on (1) articles focusing on ages 4–18 years, (2) articles focusing on children with special educational needs and (3) articles focusing on student achievement during COVID-19. The exhaustive reading and quality assessment left a final sample of nine scientific papers. According to children's/youth's and caregivers' perspectives, there is clear evidence for a negative effect of COVID-19 on the educational performance of children with SEND in the areas of (1) speech and language development (2) home learning (3) academic achievement (4) learning performance and (5) remote learning. The most important findings are to be found in the difficulties faced by children in homework completion, in paying attention during online learning, in efficiently completing tasks, in managing their time and in making progress on their IEP goals during school closures. • Children/youth with SEND and/or caregivers reported learning losses during COVID-19. • Children/youth with SEND encountered difficulties in attending online classes. • Time spent on homework per week was significantly greater during lockdown. • There was a post-lockdown decline in SEND children's learning progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the need to develop school teachers as researchoriented professionals and the reported complexities of this endeavour internationally, this article explores teacher involvement in research-related-activities in Cyprus. It aims to measure the extent and quality of such involvement and explore possible predictors. Data were collected from a sample of 420 public primary and secondary school teachers. Most respondents reported involvement in activities for the consumption of research, which was found to be related to teachers' background in research methods courses and work context (primary/secondary school). Teachers' involvement in activities for the production of research was less extensive, whilst statistical associations with the specific background variables were not traced. On the basis of the findings, recommendations for the transition towards research-oriented teachers are discussed in terms of developing research knowledge, skills and attitudes and providing supportive measures to schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of our study was to examine the issue of answer changing in relation to students’ abilities to monitor their behaviour accurately while responding to multiple-choice tests. The data for this study were obtained from the final examination administered to students in an educational psychology course. The results of the study indicate that decision making regarding answer changing can be informed by metacognitive monitoring when a student's attention is drawn to cues solicited during testing. However, answer changing can be a “tricky” test-taking strategy, and how it relates to test performance is based on an interplay of variables both at a person level as well as at a task level. This is probably why this strategy is frequently misunderstood by both test-takers and educators. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The study aims to investigate the relationship of organisational and teacher variables to job satisfaction among teachers in Cyprus. Data were collected through a questionnaire used in the 'Teacher 2000 Project', which examined teacher job satisfaction in several countries including Australia, England, New Zealand and the USA. A logistic regression model was employed to investigate the link between several variables and job satisfaction. According to the findings, four variables were found to have a significant effect on the likelihood of teacher job satisfaction. These were: (a) gender - men reported higher satisfaction than women; (b) school level - teachers working at lower education levels reported greater satisfaction than their higher-level counterparts; (c) satisfaction with the school climate; and (d) satisfaction with the degree to which the teacher had attained his/her professional goals. Pay was found to be weakly associated with job satisfaction. The implications of the findings for policy initiatives aimed at increasing job satisfaction in education are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study reported in this article examines the nature of anxiety that undergraduate students experience in a research methods course and explores some of the factors that influence their anxiety levels. Two questionnaires measuring the attitudes towards research and the anxiety level were administered to 472 students enrolled in a research methods course at the University of Cyprus between the fall of 2002 and the spring of 2005. The results showed that students' self-perceptions seemed to influence the level of anxiety in such courses, while the grades that students were expecting to earn did not predict students' anxiety. Another important finding was that students who considered research to be important for their profession had higher levels of anxiety. Finally, the implications of this study are discussed and teaching interventions are suggested to assist students deal with their anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are a number of measurement instruments in the field of education whose aims are to measure various aspects of educational technology. However, the psychometric properties of such instruments are not always determined, and their use is not always appropriate. The aim of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of the survey of factors affecting teachers teaching with technology (SFA-T³) when used with a sample of Greek Cypriot teachers. The results of this study show that the reliability evidence obtained from the responses to the questionnaire was satisfactory. The construct validity evidence was also determined based on a factor analysis that created ten easily interpretable factors. Some gender differences have also appeared in the teachers' responses on the various factors, which is in accordance with similar literature that exists in other countries as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MATHEMATICS SPECIALISTS AND NON-SPECIALISTS AT THE HIGH-SCHOOL LEVEL in Cyprus – The data obtained from high-school seniors for the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) for the country of Cyprus appear to be contradictory. Although Cypriot students did not perform well in mathematics in elementary school, middle school, and in the non-advanced sectors of high school, students in advanced mathematics courses in high school managed to perform exceptionally well. In seeking to account for this apparent disparity, the present study examines the differences between mathematics specialists and non-specialists at the high-school level and discusses the implications that these have for teaching practice. It shows how students educated in an environment that might not be optimal for producing high-achieving students in mathematics and science in elementary and middle school (according to the TIMSS) might nonetheless manage to excel in these fields at the end of their schooling. In conclusion, the authors address the implications of their study for similar educational systems in other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to contribute to the limited literature on teacher job satisfaction in developing countries, especially in Cyprus. Drawing on interviews with 52 teachers and administrators in 17 schools, the paper describes the sources of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction of Cypriot teachers and the impact on how teachers feel. Teachers emphasised their satisfaction with interactions with students, relationships held with colleagues and opportunities to contribute to the growth of individuals and the development of society. Sources of dissatisfaction were social problems and their impact on teachers' work, students' lack of interest and bad behaviour, the centralised educational system and the lack of professional autonomy in schools, and teacher evaluation and promotion prospects. Some of the factors are predictable but others are less so, having to do with the particular historical and social context in Cyprus. The context of a developing country is especially considered in an effort to explore how education officials may address issues of teacher satisfaction and dissatisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to compare the relationships that exist between computer use and science achievement for 15-year-old students in the USA and Germany, based on data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). The results of this study show that what has an effect on science achievement is the way in which computers are used. The results indicated that students who used computers frequently at home, including for writing papers, tended to have higher science achievement. Students who had frequent availability of computers at school, who used them at that location, and who frequently used computers for programming had lower levels of science achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empowerment is defined and measured in terms of teachers' power to participate in decisionmaking about teaching and learning conditions. Job satisfaction refers to the level of teacher satisfaction by matters related to these conditions: student achievement, decision-making ability, self-growth, and so on. This research considers the relationship between job satisfaction and teacher empowerment, which includes dimensions of job satisfaction that contribute to teacher empowerment. In particular, it examines the levels of teacher satisfaction in four dimensions (professional growth, decision-making, promotion, and status) and their contribution to the sense of teacher empowerment among Cypriot teachers. The results support the importance of job satisfaction in the construction of teacher empowerment. Specifically, (1) teachers' level of job satisfaction varies depending on the dimension of school life that is focused; (2) teachers' job satisfaction is related to teacher empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Permitting item review is to the benefit of the examinees who typically increase their test scores with item review. However, testing companies do not prefer item review since it does not follow the logic on which adaptive tests are based, and since it is prone to cheating strategies. Consequently, item review is not permitted in many adaptive tests. This study attempts to provide a solution that would allow examinees to revise their answers, without jeopardizing the quality and efficiency of the test. The purpose of this study is to test the efficiency of a “ rearrangement procedure” that rearranges and skips certain items in order to better estimate the examinees' abilities, without allowing them to cheat on the test. This was examined through a simulation study. The results show that the rearrangement procedure is effective in reducing the standard error of the Bayesian ability estimates and in increasing the reliability of the same estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The main purpose of this study is to compare the differences in job satisfaction among public and private kindergarten school teachers in Cyprus. These comparisons take place from the perspectives of the teachers themselves and how they evaluate the working conditions in their own schools. More specifically, a series of three logistic regressions and a MANOVA were performed to predict whether the teachers are employed in private or public schools based on (a) the motivational factors that influenced them to enter the teaching profession, (b) their satisfaction with their working conditions, (c) the status and recognition that they receive, and (d) their satisfaction with the work of educational boards and associations. The results are interpreted in the context of how a country''s cultural, social, and economic structures contribute to the development of particular forms of private/public schooling and the ways in which these structures seem to influence teacher job satisfaction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The authors investigated the temporal stability and construct validity of the Adult Manifest Anxiety Scale—College Version (AMAS-C, C. R. Reynolds, B. O. Richmond, & P. A. Lowe, 2003b) scores. Results indicated that the AMAS-C scores had adequate to excellent test score stability, and evidence supported the construct validity of the AMAS-C test scores. Implications for counselors are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research study investigated the attitudes toward science of 8th-gade students in Australia, Canada, Cyprus, and Korea, based on recent TIMSS data, and suggests a model of family and school influences on their attitudes. The structural equation model contained 3 exogenous constructs—family's educational background, aspiration, school climate— and 2 endogenous constructs—teaching and student attitudes reward science. Educational background, aspiration, and school climate were shown to have a direct effect on attitudes, while teaching was shown to directly affect attitudes and to be affected by aspiration and school climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to describe the results obtained from a survey whose goal was to examine the combination of variables that have contributed to the success of a middle school math club. This is a case of a middle school in which the students are extremely successful in mathematics, and where the majority of the students voluntarily attend its math club. The results of the study show that the students have positive attitudes about mathematics and the club, and that some of the reasons that influenced them to attend the club were those of being with friends and eating donuts at the club. The results were similar for students of both genders and all grades. In addition, since positive attitudes are associated with higher levels of math achievement, such clubs have the potential to encourage students to enrol in additional mathematics classes while in high school, as well as pursuing mathematics related careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the 'locality' of the relationship between attitudes towards science, self-beliefs and science achievement for senior high school students in Australia, Cyprus and the USA. These relationships were examined with the use of the structural equation modeling software, AMOS. The data for this study were obtained from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study database. The results of this study demonstrated the differential effects that science achievement and science attitudes can have on each other, depending on the characteristics of the educational systems within each of country. Furthermore, these findings provide a number of directions for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine how variables related to computer availability, computer comfort and educational software are associated with higher or lower levels of science literacy in the USA, Finland and Mexico, after controlling for the socio-economic status of the students. The analyses for this study were based on a series of multivariate regression models. The data were obtained from the Program for International Student Assessment. The results of this study showed that it was not computer use itself that had a positive or negative effect on the science achievement of the students, but the way in which the computers were used within the context of each country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A surprising result of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is that computer use was negatively associated with high student achievement in some countries. More specifically, the students from all three countries who indicated that they use computers in the classroom most frequently were those with the lowest achievement on the TIMSS in 1995. For the purpose of this study, a similar comparison was made for 15-year-old U.S.A. students, based on the data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). The results of this study show that it is not computer use itself that has a positive or negative effect on the science achievement of students, but the way in which computers are used. For example, after controlling for the student's socioeconomic status in the United States of America, the results indicated that the students who used computers frequently at home, including for the purpose of writing papers, tended to have higher science achievement. However, the results of this study also show that science achievement was negatively related to the use of certain types of educational software. This indicates a result similar to that found in the TIMSS data, which might reflect the fact that teachers assign the use of the computer and of educational software to the lower achieving students more frequently, so that these students can obtain more personal and direct feedback through educational software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine how pupils' attitudes towards science and their beliefs about themselves affect their achievements in science, and vice versa. Cyprus provided an interesting location for the study, being a developing nation that has adopted educational ideas from a variety of countries, including the US, UK and Greece. The results of this study demonstrated the differential effects that science achievement and science attitudes can have on each other, depending on the characteristics of the educational systems of the country. The findings indicate various directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was twofold: to examine how attitudinal and instructional variables differentiated 4th-grade students in Cyprus, Hong Kong, and the USA; and to determine how those variables were related to math performance on the TIMSS test. A discriminant analysis was performed to examine how those variables differentiated the students in the 3 countries. The most striking result was that the students from all 3 countries, who were similar to the average students in Cyprus, had the highest achievement within their countries. Thus, 4th-grade students who liked math, who thought it was important to do well in math for their friends, who did not need private instruction, and who had not been taught using computers or small group procedures, tended to be the better students. However, students who were similar to the average USA student had the lowest achievement within each of the 3 countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the factors influencing the students to become a teachers in Pennsylvania and Cyprus. Benefits of influential factors to students; Evaluation of the academic ability of students of becoming a teacher; Analysis of the internal motives of students.