The SAT is a major milestone for many high school juniors and seniors. Scoring as high as possible is of utmost concern for college bound students because SAT scores often determine the college or university they may attend and the scholarships they may receive. As a result, those who can financially afford to take prep courses for the SAT do. / Over the past forty years research studies have found that SAT preparation increases test scores. These previous studies have been concerned only with increasing test scores. To date, no study has investigated if one method of preparation produces higher gains than another, nor has any study identified those students for whom preparation is most beneficial. A comparison of methods among existing studies is impossible because most reports do not include the methods or materials used. / The contents of most SAT preparatory books deal primarily with a review of the mathematical concepts involved. However, an inspection of several SAT items reveals that the SAT tests more than mere rote calculations and algebraic manipulations--it tests "understanding," "application," and "nonroutine" methods of problem solving. Therefore, the present study was proposed to examine and assess the effectiveness of two methods of student preparation for the SAT-M: the first method of preparation explored content review, solving each item in a rigid traditional manner, and the second method of preparation examines the use of flexible problem solving strategies to answer the items rather than using routine mathematical manipulations. / Sixty-two juniors and seniors participated in the study. The results of the study showed that the students taught test-taking strategies scored significantly better than the control group. However, this strategies group did not score significantly better than the group who was taught content. The content group did not score significantly better than the control group. This indicates that students could benefit from instruction in flexible, nonroutine methods of solving SAT-M items efficiently. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-01, Section: A, page: 0074. / Major Professor: Herbert Wills. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_77757 |
| Contributors | Kelly, Frances Smith., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 304 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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