Gender differences in performance in mathematics at the end of lower secondary school in Italy

The paper deals with the investigation of gender differences in performances in mathematics for Italian students at the end of lower secondary school. The study is based on a new large-scale assessment test developed and administered by the National Evaluation Institute for the School System. Given the evidence in the literature which favors males, performances of female and male students are compared using different approaches. Scores proposed by educational experts based on item subgroups were considered, while a model-based approach was used within item response theory. The results revealed a significant advantage to males in overall performance, while no meaningful differences were observed with respect to item domain and type. An interpretable item map was developed crossing expert opinions with IRT abilities, and plausible proficiency levels were defined. According to the map-based student classification, a relatively lower percentage of females fell into the highest proficiency groups with respect to males.     

Error handling in the classroom: an experimental study of teachers’ strategies to foster positive error climate

European Journal of Psychology of Education - The present research investigated the possibility to foster positive classroom climate, achievement emotions, and adaptive beliefs about errors by...     

Strategies for Digital Television: DTT in Italy

Italian broadcasting has long been terrestrial. Its main shortcomings (spectrum chaos, non-enforcement of the law and market concentration) were considered not conducive to a rapid and reliable diffusion of digital terrestrial television (DTT). In 2005, the private free to air duopolist Mediaset entered the pay television market with an offer on DTT and, within a few years, has proved to be a fast-growing operator, threatening the established satellite incumbent (Sky). This evidence apparently challenges the received wisdom of the literature and the business practice. With the aim of explaining these peculiar market dynamics, this article examines the operators' strategies, controlling for the institutional side and the policy. A few main points stand out. First, the enduring spectrum chaos has not significantly hampered Mediaset, nor was spectrum a binding constraint, thanks to biased regulation. Second, the entrant crafted a coherent and gradual “premium content” strategy, fine-tuning its evolution in accordance with the platform diffusion. Third, the public policy for digital TV served as a supporting complement to the private strategy. In particular, being biased, it favored the diffusion of DTT over rival platforms, and benefited its main pay-TV offer. Overall, our analysis uncovers a complex and unique national case, rooted in an effective, albeit contentious, public–private interplay. Consequently, the Italian case does not convincingly challenge the received wisdom on DTT.     

Teacher judgments and pupils’ causal explanations: Social valorization of effort-based explanations in school context

Achievement evaluation in school contexts may be considered as a kind of social judgment, which is affected by social and moral determinants since it is not merely an estimation of pupils’ accomplishment (Dompnier, Pansu, & Bressoux, 2006; Weiner, 2003). Teachers’ judgments have been investigated starting from the analysis of two theoretical approaches: the norm of internality (Dubois, 2003), and the attributional approach to social motivation (Weiner, 2006). In order to study the social valorization of internal explanations referring to effort in school context, an empirical research has been conducted. Our study investigates how teachers evaluate fictitious pupils, which are supposed to explain events by means of different types of causal explanations. According to our results, pupils providing effort-based explanations receive more positive judgments. Findings are discussed by considering effort as a key principle of school environments.