Self-esteem and academic achievement: a comparative study of adolescent students in England and the United States

Utilizing mixed methodology, this paper investigates the relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement for young adolescents within two Western cultural contexts: the United States and England. Quantitative and qualitative data from 86 North American and 86 British adolescents were utilized to examine the links between self-esteem and academic achievement from the beginning to the end of their academic year during their 11th–12th year of age. For both samples, quantitative results demonstrated that fall self-esteem was related to multiple indicators of later year academic achievement. While country differences emerge by the end of the year, math appears to have a consistent relationship with self-esteem in both country contexts. Qualitative analyses found some support for British students’ self-perceptions as more accurately reflecting their academic experience than the students from the United States.     

Immigration in the United States and the Golden Years of Education: Was Ravitch Right?

In this article I address some assertions made by one of the most outstanding educational historians, Diane Ravitch, regarding the relation between immigration rates and academic achievement among children in the United States. In her book The Great School Wars Ravitch asserted that low immigration levels during the 1920s to early 1960s period played a large role in producing a golden age of education in New York and probably in the United States. The research undertaken for this article does confirm some of Ravitch's assertions but questions whether other claims of hers may be overly simplistic. Among her assertions that the research supports are that academic achievement rose among New York City elementary and secondary students during this "golden age," children from most immigrant groups did perform poorly compared to children born in the United States, and that the increased volume of enrollment and language factors did exert added pressure on the school system. Nevertheless, other factors lead one to believe that Ravitch's claim, although possessing merit, may be overly simplistic. For example, certain immigrant groups performed very well academically after coming to the United States. This fact supports the notion that the makeup of the immigrant population may be as important as the immigration volume. In addition, the decline in American student academic achievement in the 1960s and 1970s began well before the United States fully liberalized its immigration policy. One would not expect this, if immigration has the level of impact that Ravitch claims.     

Learning Styles Relevant to Identified Personality Types of Secondary Level Students

This study investigated the inter-relationships between learning styles as measured by Kolb's Learning Style Inventory 1985 (LSI) and personality types as measured by Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The two instruments were administered to tenth grade students in Singapore. The canonical correlation analysis revealed two significant canonical correlation coefficients, indicating moderate relationships between the variables of the LSI and MBTI. The canonical variates represented abstract thinking and reflective thinking, factors associated by the students with academic achievement. The LSI types and the MBTI learning profiles of the sample were also examined.     

Rotation of Canonical Variates in Multivariate Analysis of Variance

A general discussion is undertaken to show how the rotation techniques of factor analysis can be used to clarify and interpret the results of multivariate analysis of variance and discriminant analysis. Two general methods of rotating are explained; direct rotation, where the variance of the canonical variates is attached to the canonical variate scores, and indirect rotation where the variance of the canonical variates is attached to the principal components of the hypothesis. Two reasons for rotating are discussed, one giving rise to a taxonomy of groups or levels of a multivariate analysis of variance, the other giving rise to a taxonomy of variables involved in a multivariate analysis of variance. Two examples are given: one, a particular variety of taxonomy of groups and the other, a taxonomy of variables or battery reduction scheme.     

Characteristics of U.S., Japanese,and British Commonwealth universities offering education in agriculture

The purposes of this study were: (1) to compare universities that do and do not provide training in agriculture in the United States, Japan, and the British Commonwealth, and (2) to examine similarities and differences among those nations with respect to characteristics of agricultural universities. In all these nations, universities that offer training in agriculutre are significantly larger than universities that do not. In the United States and Japan, but not in the British Commonwealth, agricultural universities are characterized by a significantly greater technical emphasis. In Japan alone agricultural universities are significantly more affluent than other universities. A hierarchical grouping of the United States, Japan, and 17 British Commonwealth nations on similarities among their agricultural universities yielded three broad clusters. Those appear to reflect, respectively, U.S., British, and African approaches to agricultural higher education.     

Preparing Students for College and Career in the United States: the Effects of Career-Themed Programs of Study on High School Performance

In the United States, education policy calls for every student to graduate from high school prepared for college and a career. National legislation has mandated programs of study (POS), which offer aligned course sequences spanning secondary and postsecondary education, blending standards-based academic and career and technical education (CTE) content and often including work-based learning opportunities. This study examined the effects of these career-themed POS on high school achievement outcomes in the United States. We used structural equations and an instrumental variable approach to test the effects of POS enrollment and participation in CTE course sequences on GPA and graduation. Results indicated that POS enrollment improved students’ probability of graduation by 11.3 % and that each additional CTE credit earned in POS increased their probability of graduation by 4 %. There were non-significant effects for high school GPA. These findings suggest that POS benefited students in terms of retention at no cost to their achievement.     

Tracking the Rise of Web Information Needs for Mobile Education and an Emerging Trend of Digital Divide

In recent years, smartphones and tablets have been rapidly adopted by consumers worldwide. Within the United States, a growing number of school districts have incorporated tablets into classroom instruction. As mobile technology becomes further integrated into households and classrooms, parents, teachers, and students might need information for using the mobile devices for education. Yet little research exists to show the need. Using search query data from Google Trends, it was found that Internet users' information needs for mobile education have significantly increased since 2008. Moreover, Internet users in the United States, where fourth- and eighth-grade students were high performing in reading and mathematics in national assessments, demonstrated stronger information needs for mobile education. We also found a positive correlation between the Web information needs for mobile education and the achievement gap, suggesting an emerging trend of digital divide in mobile technology.     

Changing Science Outcomes: Cognitive Acceleration in a US Setting

Inquiry is seen as an integral part of science education in the USA; however, few American science programs explicitly focus on the higher order thinking skills that are the precursors to inquiry. In this paper, Australian researchers report the result of using a version of the Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education (CASE) program in a school district in Oregon (USA) to address teacher-identified concerns about student competence in scientific inquiry. The substantial effect of CASE on British children’s cognitive development and scholastic achievement has been demonstrated convincingly since its inception in the United Kingdom in 1981. The Oregon CASE project was not a mere replication of the original British CASE research: different instruments were employed, and both the measures of cognitive level and student achievement were Rasch-calibrated. The Oregon CASE teachers received comparatively less professional development than did their British counterparts. Neither did they deliver the entire intervention. The results of the study suggest that many of the benefits of CASE still apply when the intervention is conducted in a sub-optimal setting. Cognitive growth was apparent in participating students and high correlations were found between cognitive level and results in some state-mandated tests.     

美国教师培养项目增值评价探析 ——以路易斯安那州为例

世纪之交以来,美国教师培养面临内部质量提升和外部质量问责的双重压力.在此背景下,伴随数据系统和分析方法的发展以及教师增值评价的推广,教师培养项目的增值评价应运而生.教师培养项目增值评价基于教师培养项目→教师教学质量→学生学业成绩的因果逻辑,通过统计计量模型来评估教师培养项目对学生成绩的贡献度.其中项目效能的证据选择、效能测量以及效能增值结果的意义阐释构成教师培养项目增值评价的关键内容.教师培养项目增值评价虽然在一定程度上响应了公众对于强化教师教育绩效责任的呼声,但依然存在着信效度和适用范围等问题.     

韦伯斯特的母语教育思想及其启示

独立战争后,美国虽建立起了独立的政治制度,但在语言上却一直使用英国英语。韦伯斯特提出美国应当确立美式英语,他为此编写了《美国拼音课本》,并编撰了《美国英语词典》。韦伯斯特的这些母语教育思想启示我们要思考母语与国家的关系,确立母语在教育中的重要地位,规范母语并重视母语教育。     

PREDICTORS OF ACHIEVEMENT IN AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS AT RISK FOR ACADEMIC FAILURE: THE ROLES OF ACHIEVEMENT VALUES AND BEHAVIORAL ENGAGEMENT

The achievement gap between African American and European American youth is a pervasive problem in the United States. This study explored how achievement values and behavioral engagement affect the academic attainment of an academically at‐risk sample of 167 African American youth in late elementary school. Results indicate that achievement values do not have a significant influence on engagement or achievement in late elementary school. However, behavioral engagement significantly influenced math achievement from Grades 4 to 5. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

The international status of English for intercultural understanding in Taiwan's high school EFL textbooks

The purpose of this study is to evaluate linguistic and cultural issues around the status of English as a lingua franca and intercultural understanding as presented in one set of Taiwan's (English as a Foreign Language (EFL) high school textbooks. The methodology centres on the analysis of textbook content as categorized in three central themes: (1) the status of English language in international communicative settings; (2) intercultural/interpersonal understanding and diversity in English language texts; and (3) the linguistic and cultural effects of globalization on Taiwan and the world. Results found that the textbooks generally legitimate the hegemony of American English and British English as the only acceptable varieties or standard forms of the language. Furthermore, most of the texts are limited to specific aspects of societal issues and regions that represent influential cultures and their commercial commodities. The United States receives the most attention, followed by the United Kingdom and certain dominant Western European nations, where the image of ethnic and cultural homogeneity prevails in the texts. Most content focuses on reporting achievements, cultural practices, and perspectives of dominant groups in the United States, Great Britain, and Europe with little or no critical analysis of content.     

美国联邦政府政策对教育机会的影响:1776-2010年

通过对美国联邦1776年至2010年间各个时期的教育政策进行梳理,探讨其在教育机会均等方面所做出的努力。20世纪60年代前,联邦教育政策重点在于普及义务教育,关注入学机会均等。20世纪下半叶,联邦教育政策开始重点关注弱势群体教育机会均等,但仍然局限于弱势儿童入学机会均等方面。新世纪伊始,联邦教育政策不仅关注弱势群体入学机会均等问题,同时意识到优质教育公平的重要性,更加注重资助学业成就落后的地区,开始为弱势儿童的学业过程和结果均等做出努力。     

Structural Communications: An Instructional Strategy for the Language Arts

The ranking of the United States in major international tests such as the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is used as the driving force and rationale for the current educational reforms in the United States. Through current reforms, the United States is preparing to “race to the top” of the international rankings. However, using international test results as the ultimate indicator of a country's educational achievement might not be an appropriate measure. Additionally, replicating some aspects of high-achieving countries’ education systems or standards may not guarantee success for U.S. public schools. In this article, four reasons are presented explaining why there is no guaranteed success in comparing the United States to other countries’ educational standards and to their achievement in international tests. In order to successfully implement reforms in U.S. public schools, educational leaders and reformers should carefully consider the four points discussed in this article and use tests to inform their reforms, rather than to create uniformity.     

对我国高中阶段教育发展的思考:基于美国综合高中的比较

美国综合高中制度以其丰富多样的课程设置、个性化的选课机制和全人培养的教育思想,在国际上受到广泛推崇和学习仿效。在高中阶段教育的普及化发展背景下,我国必须研究具有全局性和实质性的高中阶段教育发展思路。一方面,要通过建设高水平的职业学校,实施专业化高质量的职业教育;另一方面,还应在普通高中设置“技术与职业教育”课程,实施普通教育与职业教育相融合,形成立足中国国情、具有中国特色的高中阶段教育普职“分”“合”结合的教育体制,实现比美国综合高中单轨制更有效的教育民主与自由。     

Are they thinking what we're thinking? College staff and student perceptions of the impact of ethnicity and gender on completion and achievement at a college of further education

This study was carried out with students and staff from a college of further education in south London. The college has a mix of male and female students from a range of ethnic groups, the largest of which is white British. A study undertaken by the college in 2003 indicated that there may be significant differences in achievement and completion rates between genders and between ethnic groups. The college commissioned Kingston University to research into the relationship between gender and ethnicity on student achievement and completion. In this article the qualitative findings from data on the experiences and perceptions of the staff and full‐time students are discussed in the context of the variable completion and achievement rates of the students and results from other studies. The main themes linked to ethnicity, gender, completion and achievement emerging from the analysis indicate broad agreement between students and staff over issues around learning and teaching and written and spoken English; however, their particular perspectives led to their having differing views on the most important factors external to the college and those affecting student motivation.     

Education as Part of the Migratory Project of Latin American Migrant Women Traveling to the United States in Undocumented Conditions

Education is an indispensable element for the development of society. In Latin America, the point of origin of most of the undocumented immigrants to the United States, equal opportunity in access to education and educational achievement is still pending. The study presented here focuses on the analysis of the expectations of female migrants via Mexico’s northern border, focusing attention on educational attainment as an important aspect of the “American Dream” of the migrant women interviewed and their dependents.     

中美思想政治教育比较研究的历史发展、成就及问题

十一届三中全会以来,中美思想政治教育比较研究经历了三个阶段,体现出由感性认识到理性认识的认识论规律。回顾中美思想政治教育比较研究这一历程,我们取得了巨大的成就：统一了思想认识,确立了中美思想政治教育比较研究的基本思路;解决了中美思想政治教育比较研究的基本问题;建立了中美思想政治教育比较研究体系;同时我们又面临着迫切需要解决的问题。总结中美思想政治教育比较研究已取得的成就,分析其存在的问题,为今后中美思想政治教育比较研究指出了进一步努力的方向,对改进和加强我国现阶段思想政治教育也具有现实意义。     

The relationship between self-concept and achievement in TIMSS 2007: A comparison between American and Japanese students

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between eighth-grade students?? maths-related self-concepts and their achievements in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007. The students?? maths self-concept was compared with other variables, namely their mothers?? education, their fathers?? education and the amount of books held in the students?? households. To investigate the potential role of culture, a comparison between American and Japanese students?? scores was also included. The findings demonstrated that students?? maths self-concept was positively associated with their achievement both in the United States and Japan, but Japanese students, while having higher achievement, had a lower maths self-concept than American students. Maternal education, paternal education and the number of books at home were also found to be positively related to achievement. Examining standardised coefficients, the study confirmed a strong interaction between maths self-concept and country, as well as a positive connection between maths self-concept as such (irrespective of the country) with maths achievement.