Analysis and Data Preparation for the Second International Science Study

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This proposal is an extension of analysis of data from the Second International Science Study (SISS). SISS is an international survey of 24 countries conducted in 1983. THe survey was repeated in the U.S. in 1986 because of poor participation rates of schools in the 1983 effort. Later analysis of the SISS data resulted in the report "Science Achievement in Seventeen Countries", which has received a great deal of attention, mainly because of the relatively poor performance of U.S. students in science achievement. Under this grant, in-depth analyses will be conducted on the factors that explain science achievement in the various countries. Some of these factors involve the science curriculum, its structure (integrated vs. layer-cake approach), and the opportunity to learn and an estimate of how much can be learned by certain age levels, even by the bottom 25 percent of students. Some of the effect that this and the amount of homework has on achievement and in-service training, involvement in science projects, the planning of lessons and the relative salaries of teachers will be examined. An the effect of yet other variables to do with school organization such as school and class size will be examined. The report from this project/scheduled for June, 1989 should result in important international analyses of student achievement in science that will be useful to science educators and others in advocating changes designed to improve science instruction and teaching. This project is being supported jointly by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education.