Mathematics Achievement as a Function of Within- and Between-School Differences

Achievement in mathematics of eighth-grade students is modeled as a function of within-school, between-school and cross-country differences. The data were obtained from 217,728 students, within 7,216 secondary schools, in 48 countries, who participated in the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. Multilevel analysis showed that out of the total variance in mathematics achievement, 40.39%, 20.61%, and 38.99% were accounted for within-school, between-school-within-country, and cross-country differences, respectively. Mathematics self-concept followed by socioeconomic status was the strongest predictor of achievement at the student level. At the school level, school location yielded the strongest link to achievement, while at the country level socioeconomic status was the main predictor of national mathematics average.     

Accounting for Variation in Science and Mathematics Achievement: A Multilevel Analysis of Australian Data Third International Mathematics and Science Study (Timss)

One of the most consistent themes evident in the literature dealing with rural education is that of rural disadvantage. Much research and literature indicates that students from rural schools receive an education that is inferior to that of students from larger urban or suburban schools. Of the matrix of factors reported to lead to that disadvantage, geographical isolation and the extent to which it restricts access is reported to result in rural schools not having the same standard of resource allocation as urban schools where access is not a problem. This study addresses the issue of resource availability in rural and urban Australian schools and includes the variables: students' attitudes towards science and mathematics and career aspirations of these students. The analysis includes socioeconomic status and gender of these students and investigates how these variables relate to student achievement. Do students in rural schools have the same educational opportunity as students in urban schools? In this study a multilevel model is used which takes into account the classroom level variance in student achievement as well as individual variance and school level variance.     

学校教育资源对科学素养成绩影响的跨文化比较——以中国香港、日本、芬兰和美国学生PISA成绩为例

基于国际学生评价项目PISA 2006的数据,采用多水平线性模型,比较了中国香港、日本、芬兰和美国这四个国家(地区)的学校教育资源与学生科学素养成绩的关系.结果发现,学校教育资源中的客观特征变量在不同的国家(地区)有不同的影响,而学校教育投入变量对学生成绩基本没有影响,这一结果在四个国家(地区)基本一致.最后,探讨这一结果对我国科学教育的启示和意义.     

Assessing Student Achievement in Large-Scale Educational Programs Using Hierarchical Propensity Scores

Many researchers assessing the efficacy of educational programs face challenges due to issues with non-randomization and the likelihood of dependence between nested subjects. The purpose of the study was to demonstrate a rigorous research methodology using a hierarchical propensity score matching method that can be utilized in contexts where randomization is not feasible and dependence between subjects is a concern. Although propensity score matching is not new in helping to create quasi-experimental models, many studies limit propensity score matching to student-level variables. To address this limitation in educational research, this study extends propensity score matching to the next level so that hierarchical modeling techniques can be used to help minimize error due to the likelihood of dependence between nested students. A large-scale educational program that targets first-semester freshmen was used to illustrate the utility and value of the methodology. This type of program is typical in higher education where student self-selection creates difficulty in assessing its true effects on student achievement; however, by using a rigorous methodology, administrators can have higher confidence when making programmatic and budgetary decisions.     

Narrowing in on Educational Resources That Do Affect Student Achievement

In an era dominated by issues of school finance adequacy, it seems particularly important to provide evidence that, despite a number of claims to the contrary, educational resources are indeed positively related to improved student achievement. One of the hypotheses of this article is that expenditures per pupil must be disaggregated into more meaningful categories to discern the relationship between resources and student achievement. To explore this question, this article uses data from the Washoe County School District in Reno, Nevada, which reports its school expenditures using a program called InSite. This program disaggregates expenditures into 4 categories: instruction, instructional support, leadership, and operations and maintenance. This school-level variable is the primary explanatory variable in this covariate adjustment model using a 3-level hierarchical linear modeling analysis of students (approximately 7,000) nested in classrooms (approximately 420) nested in schools (approximately 55). This model also includes a number of contextual and school compositional factors that research tells us affect student achievement, including student demographic characteristics and pretest score; teacher experience, education, and a measure of his or her instructional practice; and school size, school-level poverty, and expenditures broken out into 4 categories: instruction, instructional support, leadership, and operations and maintenance. The results show that expenditures for instruction and instructional support were positively related and statistically significant for the reading achievement of 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders in the 2002-03 school year.     

脑科学在数学教育研究中的应用

20世纪90年来以来,许多脑活动测量的仪器得到发展.使用脑活动数据使得研究者有可能在不依赖学生自主解释其自身问题的能力的情况下,探查学生心理变化和学习困难水平.尝试使用真实课堂教学中的数学任务,测量学生问题解决过程的脑活动数据,进而获得了脑活动(含氧血红素浓度与去氧血红素浓度)与有关学习特征、理解过程之间的关系的初步结论,同时也为在数学教育研究中应用脑科学提供经验.     

中国农村小学教育资源对教育成果的影响研究

本文基于作者2005年实地调查的中国5省82所农村小学1990年和2004年的数据,运用计量经济模型研究了学校教育资源对学生教学成果,即考试平均及格率的影响.研究结果表明:第一,学校拥有更多大专及以上学历教师、制定鼓励教师上课的补助政策均有助于提高学生考试的平均及格率;第二,学校任课老师的频繁更换对学生考试平均及格率会产生负面影响.基于上述结论,本文对提高农村小学教育质量提出以下政策建议:提高教师队伍的受教育水平;在激励教师授课热情、提高教师上课积极性方面,考虑制订并完善任课教师的课时补助政策;采取措施稳定基层教师队伍.     

Between-School Variation in Students' Achievement,Motivation, Affect,and Learning Strategies: Results from 81 Countries for Planning Group-Randomized Trials in Education

To plan group-randomized trials where treatment conditions are assigned to schools, researchers need design parameters that provide information about between-school differences in outcomes as well as the amount of variance that can be explained by covariates at the student (L1) and school (L2) levels. Most previous research has offered these parameters for U.S. samples and for achievement as the outcome. This paper and the online supplementary materials provide design parameters for 81 countries in three broad outcome categories (achievement, affect and motivation, and learning strategies) for domain-general and domain-specific (mathematics, reading, and science) measures. Sociodemographic characteristics were used as covariates. Data from representative samples of 15-year-old students stemmed from five cycles of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA; total number of students/schools: 1,905,147/70,098). Between-school differences as well as the amount of variance explained at L1 and L2 varied widely across countries and educational outcomes, demonstrating the limited generalizability of design parameters across these dimensions. The use of the design parameters to plan group-randomized trials is illustrated.     

International Comparative Studies of Science Achievement from the Time Perspective: The Third International Mathematics and Science Study versus the International Assessment of Educational Progress

The key question in international comparative studies of educational achievement is whether results can be trusted. The answer is unknown unless what is measured at one point in time can be compared with measurement at some other point in time. Results from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in Slovenia can fortunately be compared with results from the International Assessment of Educational Progress (IAEP) collected in 1991. Although TIMSS sampling was grade-based and IAEP sampling was age-based, allowing for differences in sampling shows that Slovene children, as well as those from all other compared countries performed approximately at the same level at both points in time. Age-based comparison placed Slovenia's 13-year-olds much lower on the international rankings list than the TIMSS grade-based comparison. But taking samples based on age and comparing only 13-year-olds in both samples shows very little difference in the results of these two studies. Furthermore, achievement varies very similarly in both studies with variables such as time used for school at home, time spent watching television and the disposal of study aids. Despite the different approach used in each study, comparison of achievement between TIMSS and IAEP reveals exceptional similarity.     

大学教育资源配置主导力量及目标实现

高等教育资源配置直接影响到微观教育活动的效率和宏观教育格局的平衡,还间接影响到其他社会子系统的协调发展。大学教育资源配置的主导力量为政府力量、市场力量和大学力量,三者相辅相成,具有不可替代、功能互补和相互制衡的作用。要实现大学教育资源合理配置,应制订科学的发展规划,构建大学教育资源约束制度,实现教育投资主体的多元化,增强大学办学自主权和提高大学的办学效益。     

大学教育资源配置主导力量及目标实现

高等教育资源配置直接影响到微观教育活动的效率和宏观教育格局的平衡,还间接影响到其他社会子系统的协调发展。大学教育资源配置的主导力量为政府力量、市场力量和大学力量,三者相辅相成,具有不可替代、功能互补和相互制衡的作用。要实现大学教育资源合理配置,应制订科学的发展规划,构建大学教育资源约束制度,实现教育投资主体的多元化,增强大学办学自主权和提高大学的办学效益。     

Rural and Urban Differences in Student Achievement in Science and Mathematics: A Multilevel Analysis

Recent educational research has demonstrated rural/urban differences in achievement and success in higher education. However, in order to assess the rural school's impact on student outcomes, rural/urban comparisons must be made after accounting for student background variables. Researchers have begun to question the generalisability of the effective school model for urban, suburban, and rural schools, given substantial differences in their social and organisational environments (Hannaway & Talbert, 1993). The purpose of this research study was to examine differences in student achievement between rural and urban schools in Western Australia, after controlling for student background variables. By using multilevel modelling techniques, this study demonstrated that the location of the school had a significant effect upon student achievement, with students attending rural schools not performing as well as students from urban schools.     

从《科学素养的基准》看美国的数学教育思想

由美国科学促进协会主持制定的<科学素养的基准>,确定了在21世纪从幼儿因到高中的美国学生在不同年龄段所应具备的科学、数学和技术方面的素养,提出了一系列数学教育的新思想,对我国的数学教育改革具有很好的参考价值和启发性.     

Double Visions: Educational Technology in Standards and Assessments for Science and Mathematics

For educational technology integration in content disciplines to succeed, teachers and teacher educators need clear standards delineating why, how, where, and how much educational technology they should include in their teaching. This paper examines the visions offered by current science, mathematics, and educational technology standards for educational technology integration in K-12 schools. Since national assessments exert a profound influence on what teachers and students choose to teach and learn, the vision of educational technology use supported by national assessments is also examined. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards (NCTM, 2000. Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. Retrieved April 6, 2002 from http://standards.nctm.org), the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council (NRC) 1996. National Science Education Standards. Available at http://books.nap.edu/catalog/4962.html), and the National Educational Technology Standards (International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) 2000. National Educational Technology Standards for Students: Connecting Curriculum and Technology, ISTE, Eugene, Oregon) provide different visions of educational technology use in the classroom. In addition, the current technology use policies for national assessments in science and mathematics, in particular the college admission tests (ACT, SAT I and SAT II subject area tests), Advanced Placement (AP) course assessments, and the Praxis Series assessments indicate that while mathematics assessments often recommend or require the use of educational technology, few science assessments permit the use of educational technology by students. Recommendations are offered for science educators regarding teacher preparation for the technology-rich classrooms of the future.     

Social Values Associated with Cross-national Differences in Mathematics and Science Achievement: A cross-national analysis

This study explores several factors that account for cross-national differences in mathematics and science achievement for middle-school students from 39 countries based on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study. The results suggest that economic development level, as measured by GNP per capita, has a positive but relatively weak association with mathematics and science achievement. In contrast, variables reflecting a society's value on education, specifically the education of mathematics and science, demonstrates strong effects on students' achievement. These variables include students' perceived rigour of mathematics and science - a proxy of academic standards of mathematics and science, students' school attendance, the length of a school year, students' educational aspiration, and the average number of parents living with the student. The evidence presented in this study supports the argument that education reform aiming at improving mathematics and science achievement can hardly be successful without the efforts of the whole society.     

Relationship Between Educational Resources and School Achievement: A Mixed Method Intra-District Analysis

This study examines the relationship between educational resources (fiscal, personnel and facilities) and school achievement within a large urban/suburban elementary school district. A sequential mixed methods approach reveals inequitable resource allocation trends and patterns between schools within a school district by producing different student outcomes. The educational resources positively correlated to higher school achievement are: higher teacher salaries, newer schools, more multi-purpose space per pupil and less portable classrooms. Without question, White students receive more of these resources than Latino students, low-income students and English Language learners. This study also conducts a multiple comparative case study analysis comparing between Title I and non-Title I schools, within Title I schools and within non-Title I schools. The study contains policy and practice implications to improve opportunity and school achievement in urban/suburban school districts.     

International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement Science Assessment in Developing Countries

The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) has been active now for more than 30 years. In that time the IEA has planned and co-ordinated several international surveys of pupil performance, particularly in mathematics, science and language. Pupil test data have in every case been supplemented with information regarding pupil, school, curriculum and system features, gathered through questionnaire enquiries and other means. Despite the relatively high costs of participation, and the complex logistics associated with pupil testing on the scale required, a number of developing countries have collaborated in one or other of the surveys, most particularly in those in mathematics and science. Some of the motivations for survey participation are equally relevant for both developed and developing countries, principal among them the desire to evaluate national educational system effectiveness through international comparison. A particular motivation driving some developing countries into this form of international collaboration is the opportunity it offers for skills transfer in the general areas of curriculum development and test construction. The paper overviews the IEA's three international science surveys, notes levels of developing country involvement in these, highlights some selected survey findings, and reflects on the potential value of survey participation to developing countries in particular.     

Measuring and Monitoring Educational Achievement

Societies continue to have high expectations of education. There may be disappointment with the current achievements of education systems but commitments to change and reform bear testimony to an underlying faith that education has much to offer - to individuals and to societies as a whole.     

Parental Involvement and Educational Achievement

Parental involvement is seen as an important strategy for the advancement of the quality of education. The ultimate objective of this is to expand the social and cognitive capacities of pupils. In addition, special attention is paid to the children of low‐educated and ethnic minority parents. Various forms of both parental and school‐initiated involvement are examined. On the one hand, the connections between a number of characteristics of parents and schools such as the social and ethnic background of the parents and the composition of the school population will be examined. On the other hand, the connections between a number of outcome measures such as the language and mathematics skills of the pupils will be examined. Data will be drawn from the large‐scale Dutch PRIMA (primary education) cohort study, which contains information on more than 500 schools and 12,000 pupils in the last year of primary school and their parents. An important finding is that predominantly schools with numerous minority pupils appear to provide a considerable amount of extra effort with respect to parental involvement, but that a direct effect of such involvement cannot be demonstrated.