The relation between classroom management and mathematics achievement: A multilevel structural equation model

The impact of teachers on their students’ academic achievement continues to be an area of inquiry. One area not fully explored is the relation between teachers’ behavior and classroom management (CM) skills, student motivation, and student achievement. We examined these relations using a multi‐level structural equation model. Data included Behavior Management subscale scores of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System for 247 fourth and fifth grade teachers, indicators of academic motivation, and end‐of‐year state standardized mathematics assessment results for 4,847 students from the National Center of Teacher Effectiveness Main Study. The results indicate teachers’ CM skills have a significant direct effect on student motivation and a significant indirect effect on students’ math achievement, suggesting that students in classrooms of teachers with better CM are more motivated to learn math and have higher math achievement scores. This underscores the importance of helping teachers increase their use of evidence‐based classroom management techniques.     

Social capital and student achievement in Norwegian secondary schools

This paper investigates student social capital in Norwegian secondary schools and its effects on student achievement. Using data from the national survey ‘Young in Norway 2002’, it explores the concept and measurement of social capital in the school context by applying factor analysis. The paper also tests an analytical model that links student home background, social capital at school and student academic achievement, using a structural modelling technique. Control variables in the analysis are student age, gender, school size and home community. Testing the analytical model with female and male student subgroup data takes gender perspectives into consideration. Finally, statistical results are presented and discussed, and implications for further research are provided. The study finds that student social capital, generated from student social relations with parents, teachers and peers, has a significant influence on student achievement.     

The distribution of pedagogical content knowledge in Cambodia: Gaps and thresholds in math achievement

Increasing teacher quality is a major objective of recent Cambodian education policy. In mathematics education literature, pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has emerged as a critical component of teacher quality that is strongly linked to student achievement. In this study I use data from a large survey of Cambodian schools to investigate the effect of math teachers’ PCK on third grade student achievement. I use ordinary least squares and Quantile Regression analyses to examine this aspect of teacher quality. I find that pedagogical knowledge is a strong predictor of student math achievement in Cambodia in comparison to other student, school, and background variables, but that the effect is concentrated among higher achieving students. Quantile Regression with this dataset also exposes gaps and thresholds in achievement associated with other explanatory variables. In addition, I investigate the proportional distribution of teacher PCK in Cambodia and find that lower quality teachers are more likely to be teaching lower achieving students of lower socioeconomic status.     

How student and parent goal orientations and classroom goal structures influence the math achievement of African Americans during the high school transition

This study examined the effects of student and parent goal orientations and perceived classroom goal structures on grades and self-efficacy in mathematics during the high school transition. From a sample of 50 African American families living in a low-income school district, student survey data and open-ended parent interviews were examined. There were three significant findings. First, students who espoused more mastery goals in high school mathematics experienced more positive changes in self-efficacy and grades in mathematics during the high school transition than did their peers. Second, students who perceived more mastery and less performance goal structures in their high school math classrooms experienced more positive changes in mathematics self-efficacy during the transition than did their peers. Third, adolescents whose parents espoused mastery goals had higher grades than did their peers whose parents did not espouse mastery goals. Results indicate that mastery goals may be more influential in determining achievement and motivation in mathematics for African American students than are performance goals during the high school transition.     

Teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs for teaching math: Relations with teacher and student outcomes

Social cognitive theory posits that teacher self-efficacy beliefs should be related to not only their own well-being outcomes but also classroom processes and student outcomes in the general ecology of the classroom environment. However, little research has directly examined the associations of teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs with these teacher and student-level outcomes simultaneously. The present study proposes and tests an integrative model of the relations of teachers’ self-efficacy for teaching math with their job satisfaction and student math achievement both directly and indirectly via interaction quality as a critical dimension of the quality of classroom processes. Additionally, student level relational and motivational predictors of math achievement, including individual perceptions of student-teacher interaction quality and math self-concept, are included per the ecology of the classroom environment. Based on data from over 6000 4th grade students and 450 teachers, results of multilevel structural equation modeling revealed that teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs for teaching math were positively associated with teachers’ job satisfaction and class levles of math achievement and interaction quality. At the individual student level, individual levels of math self-concept were positively associated with math achievement, and individual perceptions of interaction quality were positively associated with math self-concept. However, a negative association between residualized interindividual perceptions of interaction quality and math achievement was observed.     

Academic achievement of girls in rural schools in Kenya

Abstract

This study examined the effect of two family factors (financial, social capital) and school factors on students’ achievement. One hundred eighty two, seventh-grade female students from nine schools in Muranga district, Kenya, were studied. The statistical procedures included logit regression, cross-tabulations, frequency counting and chi-square analyses. These procedures were used to look at the effects of variables on each other and their effects on students’ study habits and achievement. The researcher found that each of the two family factors (financial and social capital), and the school factors had an independent and significant effect on student achievement and study habits. The results indicated that a student's academic achievement is positively influenced by the education level of both parents. The researcher also found that the father's education had more positive influence to the study habits of the females.     

Consistency of Teaching Approach and Student Achievement: An Empirical Test

This article describes the results of a study into the relations between school, teacher, class, and student characteristics in Dutch elementary schools. Central to the study were the socio-ethnic background of the students, socio-ethnic class composition, language and math test results, teaching approach, and consistency of teaching approach within the school. The major question was whether student achievement levels vary according to the consistency of the teaching approach after controlling for socio-ethnic background at both the individual and class levels. The sample consisted of 7,410 grade 8 students and in total 1,714 teachers from 567 schools. The results of multilevel analyses showed consistency of teaching approach to be of no relevance to achievement levels. The most important factor appeared to be the socio-ethnic background of the students. Ethnic minority students perform less well than native Dutch working-class students, who in turn perform less well than the other students studied. In addition, students in classes with a relatively high number of so-called disadvantaged students perform less well independent of their individual socio-ethnic background.     

Social capital,human capital and parent–child relation quality: interacting for children’s educational achievement?

We analyse the utility of social capital for children’s achievement, and if this utility interacts with family human capital and the quality of the parent-child relationship. Our focus is on parental activities directly related to children’s school work. Our data stem from a Swedish cohort born in 1953 and consist of both survey and register data. We find that parents with more human capital tended to offer their children more social capital. OLS regressions showed that, when present, social capital was directly related to children’s grades and its utility for achievement did not depend on parents’ human capital. The utility of social capital was enhanced when combined with a very good parent-child relation.     

Social capital and student learning: Empirical results from Latin American primary schools

This paper presents an empirical analysis of the relationship between social capital and student math and language achievement and the probability of promotion, using data gathered from fourth grade classrooms in public schools in four Latin American cities. The results suggest that social capital among teachers in a school, between teacher and students, and among the students in a classroom contribute significantly to learning achievement and the probability of promotion. Furthermore, social capital between the students matters at least as much as the teacher's social capital. Children learn from each other and the networks allowing that to happen can be very important. The current pressure on teachers to achieve results on reading and math scores has tended to push teachers to “teach to the test”. Ironically, this study's results indicate that spending time in creating social capital within the classroom environment is associated with higher language and math test scores.     

Teachers’ views on risk factors for problematic school absenteeism in Swedish primary school students

In the present online survey, 158 teachers in regular and special education teaching in grades six to nine were asked to rate the importance of probable reasons for problematic school absenteeism. On average, the teachers estimated that among their students, 19 students had presented with problematic school absenteeism over the last five years. Teachers viewed school absenteeism as a multifactorial problem. Family factors were considered to contribute most and low mood or depression were rated as one of the five most contributing factors. Teachers in special education viewed school factors as more influential than teachers in mainstream education did (t₁₅₆ = ?3.94, p < 0.05). The current findings stress the importance of collaboration between the school, parents and the student to be able to address all factors that may lead to problematic school absenteeism.     

Longitudinal reciprocal effects between teachers’ judgments of students’ aptitude,students’ motivation,and grades in math

We investigated whether teachers’ judgments of students’ aptitude had reciprocal effects on students’ motivation and math grades. We expected that teachers’ judgments of students’ aptitude would predict students’ grades and motivation, and that teachers’ judgments would also be predicted by these two aspects. A sample of N = 519 elementary school students was investigated at four measurement occasions from the end of third until the end of fourth grade. Students reported their self-concepts and intrinsic task values in math. Teachers (N = 27) judged students’ aptitude in math and provided students’ math grades. Cross-lagged panel analyses revealed that students’ prior grades and prior self-concepts (but not intrinsic task values) had positive effects on teachers’ subsequent judgments of student aptitude. Also, teachers’ prior judgments of student aptitude predicted students’ subsequent grades but not motivation. The findings underscore the importance of teachers’ judgments for students’ achievement development and give insights into which students’ motivational variables influence teachers’ perceptions of students’ aptitude.     

Do parental attitudes toward and expectations for their children's education and future jobs matter for their children's school achievement?

The traditional discourse in the scholarship on cultural capital theory has focused on how exclusive participation in elite status culture by students from higher socioeconomic status families benefits their learning in schools, the effects of which are most evident in linguistic subject areas such as reading achievement. However, some scholars have argued that cultural capital is not restricted to elite status culture but could include parental familiarity with school evaluation standards and job market requirements, and that the effects could transcend languages to include performance domains with more objective evaluation that are susceptible to school influences (e.g. mathematics and science). The present study systematically examines this position using data involving 96,591 15‐year‐old students from 3602 schools in eight countries who participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment 2012. Results of three‐level hierarchical linear modelling showed positive relationships between seven cultural capital variables and student mathematics achievement. The cultural variables comprised: home educational resources; parental educational attainment and occupational status; parental expectations of their children's educational attainment, future career in mathematics and school; and parental valuing of mathematics. In particular, the three parental expectations variables had substantively larger effect sizes on student achievement than the other cultural capital variables. The results demonstrated that parental familiarity with school evaluation standards and future job requirements, especially as measured by parental expectations, may constitute cultural capital that privileges student mathematics achievement in schools.     

社会资本对当代教育的影响

20世纪90年代以来,社会资本已经成为当今社会科学领域最前沿和最具影响力的概念之一。学术界从重视人力资本转向重视社会资本,这是理论上的超越和升华,对于教育而言,将打破人力资本理论在教育领域的霸权地位,给教育带来深远影响。对社会资本本身的研究将凸显教育者与受教育者之间关系的主体间交往的本质;社会资本使传统的智力观受到了挑战;促进了知识的新生产;知识传授过程既受社会资本的影响,同时本身也生产社会资本;学校、家庭、社会之间的网络以及学生、家长、教师之间的关系在学生学业成就和学校发展方面具有极其重要的作用。     

The meaning of mathematics instruction in multilingual classrooms: analyzing the importance of responsibility for learning

In the multilingual mathematics classroom, the assignment for teachers to scaffold students by means of instruction and guidance in order to facilitate language progress and learning for all is often emphasized. In Sweden, where mathematics education is characterized by a low level of teacher responsibility for students’ performance, this responsibility is in part passed on to students. However, research investigating the complexity of relations between mathematics teaching and learning in multilingual classrooms, as well as effect studies of mathematics teaching, often take the existence of teachers’ responsibility for offering specific content activities for granted. This study investigates the relations between different aspects of responsibility in mathematics teaching and students’ performance in the multilingual mathematics classroom. The relationship between different group compositions and how the responsibility is expressed is also investigated. Multilevel structural equation models using TIMSS 2003 data identified a substantial positive influence on mathematics achievement of teachers taking responsibility for students’ learning processes by organizing and offering a learning environment where the teacher actively and openly supports the students in their mathematics learning, and where the students also are active and learn mathematics themselves. A correlation was also revealed between group composition, in terms of students’ social and linguistic background, and how mathematics teaching was performed. This relationship indicates pedagogical segregation in Swedish mathematics education by teachers taking less responsibility for students’ learning processes in classes with a high proportion of students born abroad or a high proportion of students with low socio-economic status.     

Associations between Fine Motor and Mathematics Instruction and Kindergarten Mathematics Achievement

Research Findings: This study investigates the role of fine motor and mathematics instruction in mathematics achievement in an international sample of kindergarteners from the United States and China. Multilevel modeling was used to assess the interaction between students’ entering skills and classroom time spent on basic math, higher-order math and fine-motor instruction. For American children, the effect of basic math and higher-order math instruction on student achievement depended on entering skills; however, fine motor instruction had negative average effects on student achievement and did not depend on students’ entering skills. Instruction time was not a significant predictor of achievement for Chinese students. Practice or Policy: Though fine motor skills have a robust correlation with mathematics achievement, a causal link has not been established. Our study indicates that time spent in fine motor instruction does not advance mathematics achievement in kindergarten and in fact may weaken mathematics achievement, given the limited time in the instructional day. American teachers in our sample who spent more time in fine-motor instruction tended to spend less time on basic math and higher-order mathematics instruction. Educators should weigh instructional trade-offs carefully and work to tailor instruction to students’ skill levels.     

Dimensional comparisons in students' perceptions of the learning environment

This study aims to add empirical evidence to the generalized internal/external frames of reference (GI/E) model, according to which students' social and dimensional achievement comparisons might not only be related to students' self-concepts but also to perceptions of the learning environment. In a sample of N = 4926 German students, math and language achievements were measured along with two facets of students' perceptions of the learning environment, i.e., perceived instructional quality of math and language classes and perceived relations to math and language teachers. In the GI/E path model, achievement and perceptions of the learning environment were positively related within matching domains but negatively related or unrelated across non-matching domains. This pattern of relations indicates that social and dimensional achievement comparisons contribute to the formation of students' perceptions of the learning environment but the pattern of relations was stronger for math than for language achievement. Students' perceptions of instructional quality were more strongly related to achievement than perceptions of student–teacher relations. The findings were generalizable across same-aged elementary and secondary school students. The results are discussed regarding their implications for the proposed GI/E model and their importance for future research.     

BUILDING MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT MODELS IN FOUR COUNTRIES USING TIMSS 2003

Using the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2003 data, this study built mathematics achievement models of 8th graders in four countries: the USA, Russia, Singapore and South Africa. These 4 countries represent the full spectrum of mathematics achievement. In addition, they represent 4 continents, and they include 2 countries hugely influential in world events (the USA and Russia). In each country, students’ self-concept of ability in mathematics, mathematics values, perception of school, teachers’ and principals’ perceptions of school and other characteristics related to the classroom and school were incorporated to build an achievement model through hierarchical linear modelling. The final achievement models suggested that among student variables, self-concept of ability in mathematics had the highest relation to 8th graders’ mathematics achievement in all 4 countries. The relation between mathematics achievement and other student characteristics, along with the family, teacher and school variables, differed across the 4 countries. This suggests that self-concept of ability is a key variable for understanding achievement in high and low achieving countries and that other contextual variables vary in the magnitude of relations to mathematics achievement across countries.     

A Longitudinal Assessment of Antecedent Course Work in Mathematics and Subsequent Mathematical Attainment

Abstract

Using six waves of data (Grades 7–12) from the Longitudinal Study of American Youth, the author examined the effects of different mathematics course work (pre-algebra, geometry, calculus) on subsequent achievement in, and attitude toward, mathematics, with partial adjustment for student background characteristics. Results showed that in the early grades of high school, algebra courses significantly affected mathematics achievement. Mathematics course work, however, did not play a significant role in mathematics achievement in the middle grades of high schools. There was a “harvest” of significant course-work indicators in the later grades of high school; every advanced mathematics course affected mathematics achievement. Many course-work effects were substantial even after accounting for variables such as prior mathematics achievement and socioeconomic status.     

Parental influence on Chinese students' achievement: a social capital perspective

This paper examines how social capital formed by effective parental practices within Chinese families influences student achievement. Survey responses from 266 students from Grades 4 to 6 in a suburban elementary school in China were analysed to identify their perceptions of parental practices (support, pressure, help, monitoring and communication) at home. Coleman's concept of social capital serves as a framework to examine specific Chinese parental practices to influence their children's achievement. Results of multiple regression analyses indicated that parent-child communication was the most important factor in promoting student learning, whereas high level of parental help was not viewed as a useful resource for increasing achievement. The findings supported Coleman's assertion about the role of social capital in generating human capital for the next generation. This paper offers evidence that social capital is useful in examining parental practices associated with student achievement in China.     

How well do parents know their adolescent children? Parent inferences of student self-concepts reflect dimensional comparison processes

The internal/external frame of reference (I/E) model posits paradoxical relations between achievement and self-concept in mathematics and verbal domains. There is strong support for the I/E model based on student self-ratings, however, reviews of self-concept research claim that the I/E model does not apply to ratings by parents and significant others. We aimed to test these claims using parent inferred self-concepts. In contrast to widely cited claims, we found support for I/E model for both students (N = 486; aged 11–17; 57.2% female) and their parents (80.5% female). Math and verbal achievement had positive effects on self-concepts in the matching domain (e.g., math achievement predicting math self-concept) but negative effects for self-concepts in the non-matching domain (e.g., math achievement predicting verbal self-concept). Integrating conflicting claims, we found support for dimensional comparison processes for inferred self-concept ratings by parents, but not for parent perceptions of student abilities similar to the measures used that were the basis of previous claims.