Language Development of Children in Two Types of Rural Environments

The aim of this study was to examine the role of motivational beliefs in mediating the relationship among perceived teacher support, learning strategy use, and student achievement. The author analyzed the Programme for International Student Assessment mathematics scores and questionnaire responses of 4,855 15-year-old students in Turkey via multilevel analysis. Results indicated that perceived teacher support was positively related to learning strategy use in mathematics and that this relation was mediated through math self-efficacy, anxiety, intrinsic value, and instrumental value. Math self-efficacy and anxiety were, in turn, correlated with Programme for International Student Assessment mathematics achievement. In addition, the author found between-school SES differences to be strong predictors of math self-efficacy, anxiety, and achievement. Findings and directions for future research are discussed.     

Heterogeneity of student perceptions of the classroom climate: a latent profile approach

Student perceptions are a pivotal point of measurement for understanding why classroom learning environments are effective. Yet there is some evidence that student perceptions cannot be reliably aggregated at the classroom level and, instead, could represent idiosyncratic experiences of students. The present study examines whether heterogeneity in student perceptions of the classroom climate has implications for student achievement. We use data from 1428 seventh grade students in 75 mathematics classrooms from the Michigan Study of Adolescent and Life Transitions. Three dimensions of student perceptions of the classroom were measured: emotional support, autonomy support and performance focus. To obtain a measure of heterogeneity, we first reduced the data using latent profile analysis to describe profiles of students’ perceptions of the classroom. Next, we quantified the heterogeneity of student perceptions within classrooms using Simpson’s D. Classroom-level heterogeneity (Simpson’s D) of students’ perceptions was negatively associated with students’ mathematics achievement, even after controlling for individual- and classroom-level previous achievement, student’s prior perceptions and other variables. Findings suggest that measures of heterogeneity in student perceptions might be important for understanding classroom- and teacher-level effects on student outcomes.     

The Present Status and Significance of Manuscript Writing

Abstract

Teachers’ expectations as they relate to student achievement outcomes have received much research attention. Student expectations for their own achievement have not. Noninduced student expectations for their individual achievement, and for male and female differential achievement, in mathematics classes were assessed for 698 eighth grade students. Expectations were measured early in the school year via written self-report. Student ability level was also ascertained and controlled. Individual achievement expectations were found to relate to students’ subsequent achievement across criterion variables and times of the year.     

The effect of a brief teacher training on student achievement

On the basis of previously determined correlations between teacher behavior and student achievement, a training program for mathematics teachers was developed. Previous research had established that this training did change the behavior of teachers. This article reports the effects of the training program on teacher behavior, student achievement, and student attitudes towards mathematics. From this study it appeared that the timing of the training was important for its effect on student achievement. There was no effect on student attitude.     

Teacher support,instructional practices,student motivation,and mathematics achievement in high school

The authors examined the relationships among teacher classroom practices, student motivation, and mathematics achievement in high school. The data for this study was drawn from the base-year data of High School Longitudinal Study of 2009. Structural equation modeling method was used to estimate the relationships among variables. The results indicate that conceptual teaching positively affected student mathematics achievement, whereas procedural emphasis in mathematics instruction had a negative effect. Teacher support influenced student mathematics achievement indirectly through students' mathematics self-efficacy, and also influenced students' interest in mathematics courses. Finally, students with higher levels of family socioeconomic status and prior achievement were more likely to have teachers who use conceptual teaching strategies. Students with higher prior achievement were also more likely to perceive higher levels of teacher support. The findings have theoretical and practical implications.     

Assessing and Validating Effects of a Data‐Based Decision‐Making Intervention on Student Growth for Mathematics and Spelling

Data‐based decision making (DBDM) is presumed to improve student performance in elementary schools in all subjects. The majority of studies in which DBDM effects have been evaluated have focused on mathematics. A hierarchical multiple single‐subject design was used to measure effects of a 2‐year training, in which entire school teams learned how to implement and sustain DBDM, in 39 elementary schools. In a multilevel modeling approach, student achievement in mathematics and spelling was analyzed to broaden our understanding of the effects of DBDM interventions. Student achievement data covering the period from August 2010 to July 2014 were retrieved from schools’ student monitoring systems. Student performance on standardized tests was scored on a vertical ability scale per subject for Grades 1 to 6. To investigate intervention effects, linear mixed effect analysis was conducted. Findings revealed a positive intervention effect for both mathematics and spelling. Furthermore, low‐SES students and low‐SES schools benefitted most from the intervention for mathematics.     

The roles of teacher–student relationship quality and self-concept of ability in adolescents’ achievement emotions: temperament as a moderator

This study examined to what extent teacher–student conflict and closeness, on the one hand, and students’ self-concepts of ability in literacy and mathematics, on the other, are related to students’ achievement emotions (enjoyment, anxiety and boredom) in mathematics and literacy among Finnish early adolescents (N = 854). We also investigated the extent to which these associations are moderated by student temperament (surgency/extraversion, negative affectivity and effortful control). The results showed, after accounting for relevant covariates, that in both school subjects, teacher–student conflict was negatively related to enjoyment and positively to anxiety and boredom, whereas teacher–student closeness was positively related to enjoyment and negatively to boredom. Self-concepts of ability in both school subjects were positively related to enjoyment and negatively to anxiety, whereas the self-concept of ability was only negatively related to boredom in mathematics. Student temperament also moderated some of the associations in the literacy domain. Lower levels of conflict in the teacher–student relationship were related to higher levels of enjoyment in literacy, particularly among students who had lower levels of surgency/extraversion. Also, a closer relationship with the teacher or a lower self-concept of ability in literacy was related to higher levels of anxiety, particularly among students who had low effortful control. In the mathematics domain, the associations between the self-concept of ability and achievement emotions were somewhat stronger than in literacy, and the domain-specific associations were not dependent on student temperament.

     

影响大学新生学习态度的因素分析

学习态度是学生在长期的学习过程中由教师引导、启发逐步培养起来的,它在一定程度上指引着学生学习的方向和进程,影响着学习效果,同时在很大程度上还受学习动机、家庭、社会的影响。当前许多研究表明,大学生尤其是大学新生的学习态度松懈的现象不容乐观,这对其大学生涯的专业学习和发展产生了极为不利的影响,甚至会影响整个高等教育的人才培养质量。文章运用问卷调查及访谈法对影响大学新生学习态度的因素进行分析,望能对高等教育工作者提供有价值的参考。     

An international comparison investigating the relationship between national culture and student achievement

The purpose of this study was to examine the connections between national culture and student achievement. Using Hofstede’s six cultural dimensions and the two dimensions from the World Values survey, we conducted multiple regressions to determine the most significant predictors of student achievement as measured by the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment in reading, mathematics, and science. Our analyses found that the most significant predictors of student achievement on all three student outcome included the following cultural dimensions based on two different frameworks: (1) a culture’s focus on fostering long-term orientation to include emphasis on perseverance to achieve future-oriented results and (2) a culture’s focus on secular-rational values vs. traditional values. In addition, findings indicate that when mapped geographically, similar patterns emerge among the two cultural dimensions.     

Multidimensional analysis system for quantitative chemistry problems: Symbol,macro, micro,and process aspects

There is a consensus regarding the fact that students encounter difficulties in understanding scientific concepts, such as the particulate nature of matter, the mole, and the interpretation of chemical symbols. Researchers and practitioners have been looking for teaching methods to improve students' understanding of quantitative chemistry and their ability to solve related problems. This study describes the Multidimensional Analysis System (MAS), an approach to constructing, classifying, and analyzing quantitative chemistry problems. MAS enables classification based on complexity and transformation levels of a quantitative problem. We define three transformation levels: symbol ? macro, symbol ? micro, and symbol ? process. Applying this framework to teaching and research, we investigated the relationships between MAS‐classified chemistry problems and student achievement in solving these problems. The research population, 241 high school chemistry students, studied problem solving according to MAS for 9 weeks; the control group studied the same topic for the same duration in the traditional way. Student achievement was sorted by mathematics level and gender. We found that the success rate of the entire student population in solving these problems decreased as the problem difficulty increased. Experimental group students scored significantly higher than their control group peers. The improvement in student achievement was significantly dependent on the pretest score and the mathematics level, and independent of gender. Students who studied mathematics in the basic level benefited significantly more from MAS‐based teaching than their peers, whose mathematics level was advanced. Based on the research findings, we recommend applying the multidimensional analysis approach while teaching quantitative problems in chemistry. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 40: 278–302, 2003     

The relationship between homework time and achievement is not universal: evidence from multilevel analyses in 40 countries

Although homework is generally believed to be an important supplement to in-school learning, research has not yet fully clarified the relationship between homework and achievement. This cross-cultural study analyzed the relationship between homework time and mathematics achievement drawing on data from 231,759 students in 9,791 schools and 40 countries who participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003. Multilevel analyses found a positive association between school-average homework time and mathematics achievement in almost all countries, but the size of the association decreased considerably once socioeconomic background and school track were controlled. At the student level, no clear-cut relationship was established between homework time and achievement across the 40 countries. The results highlight the need to use multilevel analyses and to control for confounding variables in homework research.     

THE DIFFERENCES IN SCORES AND SELF-EFFICACY BY STUDENT GENDER IN MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE

Typically, mathematics and science are seen as linked together, where both subjects involve numbers, critical thinking, and problem solving. Our study aims to develop a better understanding of the connections between student’s achievement scores in mathematics and science, student gender, and self-efficacy. We used the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2007 eighth grade data to answer our research questions and were able to demonstrate that when controlling for self-efficacy, there is a statistically significant difference in the achievement scores between males and females by subject, where females score higher Algebra, but males score higher in the other mathematics subjects. Likewise, we were also able to demonstrate that there is a statistically significant difference in the achievement scores in Earth Science, Physics, and Biology, between males and females where males score higher in science subjects. In both mathematics and science examinations, we controlled for self-efficacy where in mathematics females hold lower self-efficacy then males and in science there is no difference between females and males in terms of self-efficacy. We conjecture that mathematics and science classrooms that consider self-efficacy may impact student’s achievement scores by subject, which can ultimately impact career choices in mathematics- and science-based fields.     

Perceived Classroom Control,Self-Regulated Learning Strategies,and Academic Achievement

Relations between perceived classroom control, self-regulation strategies and academic achievement were investigated in a sample of 302 sixth grade students. Four distinct perceived classroom control styles were determined, based on the balance between teacher and student control over learning. It was hypothesised that student mathematics achievement would be contingent on the combined effects of teacher and student control: it would be highest when both teacher and student control is high, and would be lowest when both of them are low. Student adoption of self-regulated learning strategies would be linked to the net effect of student control: they would be highest when student control is high and teacher control is low, and would be lowest when teacher control is high and student control is low. The data tended to support these hypotheses, indicating that both achievement and self-regulation strategies were contingent on classroom processes.     

Relationships of some socio-personal factors to mathematics achievement of secondary school and university students in Bophuthatswana

Poor matriculation mathematics results in Bophuthatswana led us to make exploratory efforts to identify possible non-pedagogical factors responsible for such results. Two small scale studies were carried out to examine relationships of socio-personal variables to mathematics achievement. Study 1 looked into the impact of socioeconomic background, school alienation, sex, self-concept and attitude toward mathematics on mathematics performances of secondary school pupils, while study 2 was aimed at examining relationships of dogmatism and mathematics anxiety to mathematics achievement of first-year university students. The data of these two studies invite the attention of mathematics educators to the importance of attitude toward mathematics, mathematics anxiety, and dogmatism in mathematics achievement of Bophuthatswana secondary school and university students.     

THE POWER OF LEARNING GOAL ORIENTATION IN PREDICTING STUDENT MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT

The teaching and learning of mathematics in schools has drawn tremendous attention since the education reform in Taiwan. In addition to assessing cognitive abilities, Taiwan Assessment of Student Achievement in Mathematics (TASA-MAT) collects background information to help depict average student achievement in schools in an educational context. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between student achievement in mathematics and student background characteristics. The data for this study was derived from the sample for the 2005 TASA-MAT Sixth-Grade Main Survey in Taiwan. The average age of the sixth-grade students in Taiwan is 11 years old, as was the sample for the 2005 TASA-MAT. Student socioeconomic status (SES) and student learning-goal orientation were specified as predictor variables of student performance in mathematics. The results indicate that the better performance in mathematics tended to be associated with a higher SES and stronger mastery goal orientation. The SES factor accounted for 4.98% of the variance, and student learning-goal orientation accounted for an additional 10.61% of the variance. The major implication obtained from this study was that goal orientation was much more significant than SES in predicting student performance in mathematics. In addition, the Rasch model treatment of the ordinal response-category data is a novel approach to scoring the goal-orientation items, with the corresponding results in this study being satisfactory.     

The impacts of student-, teacher- and school-level factors on mathematics achievement: an exploratory comparative investigation of Singaporean students and the USA students

Reports from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) consistently show that there is a substantial gap in average mathematics achievement between Singapore and the USA. This study conducts an exploratory comparative investigation on the multilevel factors influencing the mathematics achievement of students from these two countries. A conceptual framework together with an integrated model is proposed for the analysis. The TIMSS 2011 eighth grader mathematics data were chosen for this study. Results reveal that the common features influencing mathematics achievement for the students of both countries are student self-confidence, school composition by student background and teacher confidence in teaching mathematics. The cause of the different effects of American students’ mathematics achievement is more associated with resources, whereas the effects of Singaporean students’ mathematics achievement are more related to attitudes, expectations and motivations. The major elements that affect Singaporean student mathematics performances are at the teacher level. Suggestions for future research are discussed.     

The mediating role of cultural capital in the relationship between socioeconomic status and student achievement in 14 economies

More empirical evidence is needed to answer the question of in what way a family's socioeconomic status (SES) affects student academic achievement, so this study explores the mediating role of cultural capital (CC) in the relationship between SES and student achievement, using the latest approach to testing mediating effects. The data sets from 14 economies in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009 were analysed. In general, the results supported the mediation effects of CC, and the mean of ratios of mediation effects to total effects was 23%. For the three frequently used indices of SES, parents’ occupations and education levels had larger impacts on student literacies than did family wealth possession. For most economies, objectified cultural capital (OCC) can explain the effects of all three SES indices on student literacies, but embodied cultural capital (ECC) can only explain the effects of parents’ occupations and education levels on student literacies. Whether for reading literacy, science literacy or mathematics literacy, CC theory is applicable in most economies. However, the mediating effects on reading and science literacies were higher than those on mathematics literacy. For different economies, the explanatory power of CC theory was also different.     

Standards-based external exams and students’ science-related career expectations: an international perspective

Students’ science-related career expectations are important for predicting their future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related educational and occupational attainments. This study examines the degree to which standards-based external examinations are associated with a student’s propensity for pursuing science-related professional occupations. The science-related fields included in the analysis are mathematics, physical and life science, and engineering/computing. Three-level hierarchical generalized linear models are employed to analyse international survey and student achievement data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The analyses show that students in national education systems that require standards-based external examinations have lower expectations for science-related professional careers than students in the systems that do not use such examinations. This negative association remained constant by gender as well as across levels of science performance. From an educational policy point of view, the results suggest the negative consequence of standards-based external exams in fostering students’ interests in pursuing science-related careers.     

Variability in Reading Scores on a Given Level of Intelligence Test Scores

ABSTRACT

Previous studies have shown that several key variables influence student achievement in geometry, but no research has been conducted to determine how these variables interact. A model of achievement in geometry was tested on a sample of 102 high school students. Structural equation modeling was used to test hypothesized relationships among variables linked to successful problem solving in geometry. These variables, including motivation, achievement emotions, pictorial representation, and categorization skills, were examined for their influence on geometry achievement. Results indicated that the model fit well. Achievement emotions, specifically boredom and enjoyment, had a significant influence on student motivation. Student motivation influenced students’ use of pictorial representations and achievement. Pictorial representation also directly influenced achievement. Categorization skills had a significant influence on pictorial representations and student achievement. The implications of these findings for geometry instruction and for future research are discussed.