Cross-National Achievement with Differential Retention Rates

Abstract

In the First International Mathematics Study, Husén (1967b) showed that cross-national achievement differences were related to the proportion of students remaining, or retained, in the educational system. In addition, in countries retaining a high proportion of students in school, the more able students fared better than in countries retaining few students. For data gathered in 1981–1982 for the Second International Mathematics Study, the retention rates of countries accounted for some achievement differences, but achievement differences for the more able students across countries were not related to the rate at which countries retained students. Instead, variables such as opportunity to learn were needed to explain these differences.