Differential teacher effectiveness in relation to the organisational context: the role of school policy

Deaf children have been integrated into secondary schools in Cyprus since 1990. This article reports the results of a major study carried out in Cyprus, the aim of which was to evaluate for the first time the support services available for deaf children receiving their education in secondary general schools. For the purposes of our study, four types of questionnaires were designed and administered to all deaf children integrated into secondary general schools, as well as to their parents, teachers, and head teachers. All participants stressed that the support services are vital for the children's academic success and social integration. The main support services identified by the participants in our study were: one-to-one and group sessions; presence of co-coordinators (special teachers of the deaf); "acoustical treatment" of the classrooms; provision and management of personal amplification, psychological support, and counseling; and in-service training for designated teachers. The majority of the participants expressed satisfaction with the support services offered to them. They also made some suggestions for the improvement of the integration of deaf children into secondary schools in Cyprus.

This paper argues for establishing stronger links between educational effectiveness research and school improvement. It presents the results of a 3-year study investigating the impact of the dynamic approach (DA) to school improvement on promoting student achievement in mathematics. It explores duration (offering the DA for more than 1 year) and sustainability effects of the DA. A sample of 18 secondary schools in Cyprus participated in this study. Two experimental groups used the DA to develop their school improvement strategies. The first group employed the DA for the first 2 intervention years and was more effective than the control group in promoting mathematics achievement at the end of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year. Schools that made use of the DA for all 3 years were found to be the most effective at the end of the 3rd year. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.

This study investigates the influence of peer pressure, time management, and self-efficacy on students’ achievement in mathematics in Oyo Metropolis of Oyo state, Nigeria. The study adopts a descriptive survey. A simple random sampling technique was used to select four hundred (400) senior secondary school II students in sixteen (16) secondary schools in the metropolis consisting of four local governments: Afijio, Atiba, Oyo East, and Oyo West Local Government Areas. Three (3) validated instruments were used for the study. Data analysis was done using frequency count, Percentage, Standard Deviation, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, and Multiple Regression Analysis. The result shows that there is a negative, weak non-significant relationship between peer pressure and students’ achievement in mathematics; there is a positive, weak significant relationship between time management and students’ achievement in mathematics. Also, there is a significant positive relationship between self-efficiency and students’ achievement in mathematics. The finding also reveals that the composite contribution of peer pressure, time management, and self-efficacy to the predictor of students’ achievement in mathematics is significant. The relative contribution of peer pressure to students’ achievement in mathematics is not significant but the relative contribution of time management and self-efficacy to students achievement in mathematics is significant. The data shows that the variables that predict students’ achievement in mathematics are time management and self-efficacy. Based on the result, it was recommended that Mathematics teachers should find ways of enhancing Mathematics Self-Efficacy in student’ and emphasize students’ confidence to succeed in the subject.

The effectiveness of teaching strategies in improving student achievement in mathematics has been a topic of ongoing research. In Kosovo, vocational schools, especially those with an economics focus, face challenges in student engagement and achievement in mathematics, particularly in solving contextual problems related to economics. This study examines the impact of contextual teaching and learning (CTL) on students’ mathematical problem-solving skills in economics, as well as students’ attitudes toward this approach. This action research study employed a quasi-experimental design with a pre-/post-test approach. The research was conducted at the vocational high school “Andrea Durrsaku” in Kamenica, with 40 twelfth-grade students enrolled in the department of economics. The intervention lasted for six weeks, during which students engaged in problem-solving tasks related to economics using the modified CEICT (connection, experience, implementation, collaboration, transfer) model. Data collection included a pre-test, post-test, and a questionnaire with open-ended questions to measure students’ attitudes toward the contextual approach. Results from the pre- and post-test indicated significant improvement in student achievement, particularly in solving contextual problems in economics. Students demonstrated better problem-solving skills after the six-week intervention. Additionally, the majority of students reported positive attitudes toward CTL, appreciating their relevance to real-life situations and their collaborative nature. The findings suggest that CTL significantly enhances student achievement in mathematics, particularly in the context of economics, by making learning more relevant and interactive. Students’ positive attitudes toward this approach highlight its potential to foster deeper engagement and understanding. This research underscores the importance of integrating contextual learning strategies into vocational education to improve outcomes and better prepare students for real-world challenges.

This study aimed to explore the effect of teachers’ motivation on students’ academic performance in mathematics in public lower day secondary schools in Rwanda, specifically the case of Kirehe district. The study had three specific objectives which were to determine the influence of recognition and rewards of teachers on students’ academic performance in mathematics in public lower day secondary schools in Kirehe District, to determine the influence of in-service training of teachers in improving academic performance of students in mathematics in public lower day secondary schools in Kirehe District, to investigate the influence of teachers’ remuneration and incentives on students’ academic performance in mathematics in public lower day secondary schools in Kirehe District. The results of this study will support the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC), along with its bodies NESA and REB, which are responsible for monitoring and evaluating the academic performance of secondary schools, in making informed decisions on initiatives to address challenges faced by teachers and school management. Findings of this study will also enrich the existing knowledge and literature on teacher motivation, primarily benefiting academicians. One theoretical frame work, Self-Determination Theory underpinned and supported this research. In this research, descriptive survey design for quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis were implied. The study gathered data through questionnaires and interview guides. Specifically, the questionnaires were made for Mathematics teachers while interview guides were designed for deputy head teachers and school head teachers. The study’s target population was 348 respondents made of 232 Mathematics teachers from Public lower day secondary schools, 58 deputy head teachers and 58 school head teachers from all public lower day secondary schools in Kirehe district, Rwanda. The selection of the participants for this study employed various methods, including both simple random and purposive sampling techniques. A sample size of 186 was chosen by using Yamane formula. The quantitative and qualitative data analysis in terms of frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, correlational analysis, Regression analysis, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and Regression Coefficient involved the use of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM SPSS 22.0) where each item from the questionnaires and interview guides was systematically categorized. Subsequently, the analysis revealed a strong positive correlation between students' academic performance in mathematics and teacher’s recognition and rewards (r = .901, p = .000). This suggests that when teachers are recognized and rewarded for their efforts, it positively impacts student achievement in mathematics. Additionally, a moderately strong positive correlation was found between students ‘academic performance in mathematics and in-service training of teachers (r = .701, p = .000). This implies that providing teachers with ongoing training and professional development opportunities contributes to improved student outcomes in mathematics. Finally, a moderately strong positive correlation was observed between students ‘academic performance in mathematics and teacher remuneration and incentives (r = .757, p = .000). This suggests that compensating teachers fairly and providing them with incentives can positively influence their effectiveness and, consequently, student achievement. The analysis demonstrates that all three teacher related factors: recognition and rewards, in-service training, and remuneration and incentives are significantly correlated with students' academic performance in mathematics in public lower day secondary schools in Kirehe district. To measure the results reliability, test and retest all methods were used in measurement of the reliability. The supervisor reviewed all data collection instruments items before the administration of data collection to ensure it validity. The research concluded by providing recommendations based on the findings of the study.

The study examined effect of constructivist strategy on students Achievement in Senior Secondary Mathematics in Rivers State. The research was guided by three research questions and corresponding hypotheses. The population is all the thirty four thousand, one hundred and sixty eight (34,168) of all Senior secondary II (SS11) students in Rivers State during the 2018/2019 Academic year. A sample size of 280 students in four intact classes were selected through purposive sampling technique. Two of each of the classes were used as experimental and control groups. Non randomized pre-test, post test control group design was used for the study. Instrument used for the study was Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) made up of 25 items drawn from simple statistics and Lesson Packages. The instrument was validated by experts and reliability coefficient of the instrument was obtained through test-retest method. The scores obtained were subjected to Pearson product moment correlation coefficient analysis and the result yielded 0.82. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), Mean and Multiple Classification Analysis (MCA) were used in analyzing the data. Findings reveals that constructivist strategy was more effective in facilitating students achievement in Mathematics than expository method. The result did not show a significant difference in students’ achievement in Mathematics in terms of gender and school type. The study therefore recommended among others the use of constructivist strategy in the teaching and learning of Mathematics in schools.

This study investigates differential effectiveness of teacher behaviour in relation to classroom composition by searching for the extent to which teachers exhibit the same teaching skills when they teach mathematics in different classrooms within a school year. Twenty-six teachers who taught mathematics in more than one classroom of the same age group of students participated in this study. Quality of teaching was measured through external observations and student questionnaires. Student achievement in mathematics at the beginning and at the end of the school year was measured. Data about each teacher factor of the dynamic model but orientation and dealing with student misbehaviour were generalizable at the teacher level. Multilevel structural equation modelling analysis revealed that all teacher factors had an effect on student achievement. Prior achievement (aggregated at classroom level) had an effect on the functioning of two factors (orientation and dealing with misbehaviour). Implications of findings are drawn.

This study explores the relationship between student characteristics (perception regarding peer bullying, students’ confidence in mathematics, students’ like learning mathematics and students valuing mathematics) which affect mathematics achievement of eighth grade students in Turkey and teacher characteristics (working conditions of teachers, teacher’s emphasis on academic success and collaboration with colleagues in order to enhance teaching) which are dealt with at school level. In this correlational study, 141 teachers and 4498 students were included from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007 and 219 teachers and 6928 students were included from TIMSS 2011. Samples were created with the stratified sampling method. Data collection sources of the study consist of the mathematics achievement tests and student and teacher questionnaires that were used in TIMSS 2007 and 2011 assessments. Study data was analysed with the hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) method. Data for the study was analysed with four HLMs. These models are: (i) Random Effects One Way the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) Model; (ii) Regression Model in Which Means are Outcomes; (iii) Random Coefficients Model; (iii) Constant and Slope Coefficients as Outcomes. As a result of the analysis conducted to examine the level of relationship of the features regarding mathematics achievement of students at student and school level and the state of these relations between TIMSS 2007-2011 applications, it was found that in both TIMSS periods, eighth grade students’ mathematics achievements vary significantly among schools. According to the results of both 2007 and 2011 TIMSS, at school level, student’s mathematics achievement has a positive and significant relationship with teacher’s emphasis on the academic achievement variable. No significant relationship between students’ mathematics achievement and teachers’ working conditions and teachers’ collaboration for improving teaching variables were found in the 2007 and 2011 assessments. Students’ performances in TIMSS 2007 and 2011 mathematics exams have a significant relationship with students not being subjected to bullying at school and students’ like learning mathematics variables on student level. Students’ confidence in mathematics variable has a significant effect in achievements in 2011, which is not the case in 2007 and students valuing mathematics variable does not have a significant relationship with students’ mathematics achievement in either year.

This research was conducted with the aim to find empirical evidence about the impact of the application of the Batu Pijar method in learning mathematics to learning activities and student achievement in learning mathematics. This research was conducted following a class action research procedure with the Kemmis and Taggart design. The subjects of this study were students of class VI C of Elementary School 47 Jambi City in the even semester of the 2018/2019 school year consisted of 30 people. The learning outcomes using the Batu Pijar method show that there was an increase in student learning activities. Positive results on student learning activities in mathematics can be seen from the tendency of increasing student learning activities in each cycle. in the first cycle (with an average of 9.33), at the time before the application of the Batu Pijar method the result was 12.4 in the first cycle and continued to increase to 13.17 in the second cycle, a good classification with an average of 14.67 in the cycle III and also with good classification with an average of 14.6 in the IV cycle.. Likewise student achievement has increased in terms of average and mastery learning. Average learning outcomes increased by 2.51% (from 79.7 to 81.7) and mastery learning increased by 11.11% (from 90% to 100%). Based on these results it can be said that the implementation of the Batu Pijar method in learning mathematics, contributes positively in increasing learning activities and student achievement in mathematics

Mathematics aids the development of science and technology, but many secondary school students perform poorly in it in public examinations in Kaduna-Nigeria due to ineffective instructional strategies adopted by teachers. Hence the need to complement mathematics teaching with tools that could engage learners actively. Interactive e-note Mathematics Instructional Strategy (IMIS) and Problem-Solving Strategy (PSS) capability of enhancing students’ achievement in mathematics in junior secondary schools were determined by this study with moderating effects of gender and school type. The pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental design using 3x2x2 factorial matrix was adopted. Three private and public schools were purposively selected and randomly assigned to IMIS (134), PSS (134) and control (132) groups from two randomized Local Government Areas within Kaduna. Instrumentation are Mathematics Achievement Test (r = 0.87) and instructional guides. Data analysis was by Analysis of covariance and Bonferroni post-hoc test at 0.05 level of significance. Treatment, School type had significant main effect on students achievement in mathematics (F(2,385)=7.01; partial ƞ2=0.04), (F(1,385) =27.63; partial ƞ2=0.07) in private school respectively. Post achievement mean score are IMIS (21.48), control (20.42) and PSS (20.30). Treatment and school type had significant interaction effect on mathematics achievement (F(2,385)=12.23; partial ƞ2=0.06) from private school in control group. Mathematics aids the development of science and technology, but many secondary school students perform poorly in it in public examinations in Kaduna-Nigeria due to ineffective instructional strategies adopted by teachers. Hence the need to complement mathematics teaching with tools that could engage learners actively. Interactive e-note Mathematics Instructional Strategy (IMIS) and Problem-Solving Strategy (PSS) capability of enhancing students’ achievement in mathematics in junior secondary schools were determined by this study with moderating effects of gender and school type. The pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental design using 3x2x2 factorial matrix was adopted. Three private and public schools were purposively selected and randomly assigned to IMIS (134), PSS (134) and control (132) groups from two randomized Local Government Areas within Kaduna. Instrumentation are Mathematics Achievement Test (r = 0.87) and instructional guides. Data analysis was by Analysis of covariance and Bonferroni post-hoc test at 0.05 level of significance. Treatment, School type had significant main effect on students achievement in mathematics (F(2,385)=7.01; partial ƞ2=0.04), (F(1,385) =27.63; partial ƞ2=0.07) in private school respectively. Post achievement mean score are IMIS (21.48), control (20.42) and PSS (20.30). Treatment and school type had significant interaction effect on mathematics achievement (F(2,385)=12.23; partial ƞ2=0.06) from private school in control group.

The unsatisfactory students’ performance in school subjects in Nigerian secondary schools has been blamed on teachers’ quality and professional development suggested as a remedy. Hence, this study examined the effects of teacher collaboration on students’ academic achievement in mathematics. The study adopted pretest-posttest-control group quasi-experimental design involving a 2x2 factorial matrix. The sample for the study consisted of one hundred and thirty-five (135) students from two intact classes and five teachers of the two junior secondary schools purposively selected for the study. Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT), a researcher-developed instrument with reliability coefficient of 0.86 was used to collect data. The collected data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The results indicated significant difference in the effect of teachers’ group (collaboration and isolation) on students’ achievement in mathematics. Also, the study found no significant effect of students’ age on academic achievement in Mathematics. Additionally, the finding revealed no significant interaction effect of teachers’ group and students’ age on academic achievement in Mathematics. Based on the findings, the study recommended among other that government should restructure the school hours to cater for teacher collaboration activities and that workshops should be organised for teachers on the importance of teacher collaboration as a means of professional development.

This study aimed to measure the relationship between teacher self-assessment score and student achievement in English and Mathematics. The researchers developed a Self-assessment Instrument for Teacher Evaluation (SITE) based on five National Professional Standards for Teachers developed by the Ministry of Education, Pakistan. Using a convenient sampling method, 279 English or Mathematics teachers of grade 10 in 40 public boys’ and girls’ high schools in district Okara were surveyed who self-evaluated their performance on the SITE II. Additionally, based on the Lahore Board’s annual matriculation examination results 2014, the achievement scores in English or Mathematics (n=7245) of students were also collected from teachers. The study found positive, weak or moderate, relationships between teacher evaluation scores and student achievement in English, as well as in Mathematics. The findings also revealed that Subject Matter Knowledge, Instructional Planning and Strategies, Assessment, Effective Communication, and Continuous Professional Development, individually, significantly predicted student achievement in English and Mathematics. The Subject Matter Knowledge, Instructional Planning and Strategies, and gender significantly explained 28% of the observed variance to predict student achievement in English. Only Subject matter Knowledge explained 12% of the variance in student achievement in mathematics.

This study investigated the effect of gamification on student engagement and achievement in mathematics education. It was guided by two research questions: what is the overall effect of gamification on students’ engagement and academic achievement in mathematics, and do study characteristics such as educational level moderate the effect of gamification? The following hypotheses were tested: : gamification has no significant effect on students’ achievement in mathematics education, and : gamification has a significant effect on students’ achievement in mathematics education. A quantitative meta-analytic research design was employed using the PRISMA 2020 framework to ensure systematic study identification and selection. The population of the study consisted of published and unpublished empirical studies on gamification in mathematics education between 2010 and 2025. A purposive sampling technique was applied to identify eligible studies, resulting in a final sample of 41 studies comprising 54 independent effect sizes, representing a total of 6,087 learners from primary, secondary and higher education settings. A structured coding sheet was used for data extraction, and intercoder reliability was confirmed using Cohen’s Kappa ( ), indicating a high concurrence. Effect sizes were calculated using Hedges’ and both fixed-effect and random-effects models were applied. Heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran’s and statistics, while potential publication bias was examined using funnel plot analysis and Egger’s regression test. The random-effects model produced a significant overall effect size of (95% CI [0.46, 0.85], ), indicating that gamification has a moderate positive effect on mathematics learning outcomes. The study concludes that gamification is an effective strategy for enhancing student engagement and achievement in mathematics. However, its impact varies depending on the quality of implementation and other factors. It is therefore recommended that mathematics educators adopt gamification approaches that promote intrinsic motivation and that teacher training programmes incorporate guidance on the effective integration of gamified learning. Future research should explore long-term effects influencing the success of gamification in mathematics education.

The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of teaching practices and student motivation on student achievement in mathematics. Two principal component analyses (PCA) were conducted. The first PCA was conducted to cluster 22 items related to teaching practices, in which the items were selected from a teacher questionnaire. The second PCA was conducted to cluster 11 items related to student motivation, in which the items were selected from a student questionnaire. Results from the first PCA revealed that the extraction of four components was found to be related to several frameworks found in the literature on teaching strategies. For the second PCA, two components were extracted which were related to student motivation. These extracted components were then used as two sets of independent variables in a hierarchical regression analysis in order to study their impact on student achievement in mathematics. The study revealed that four teaching practice components and the two student motivation components were significantly related to student academic achievement in mathematics on the large-scale assessment.

Climate change refers to variations in the weather pattern of a place over some time, which may lead to flooding, drought, or wildfire. In the River Niger Basin of the South-South Zone of Nigeria, climate change has resulted in flooding, which led to disruption in communication, commerce, economy, agriculture, and education. It also resulted in an interruption in academic activities in schools and thereafter, the consequential implication on the academic achievement of students which followed. This paper is a report of a causal-comparative or ex-post factor research into the effect of flooding on the achievement of secondary school students in mathematics in Ogba, Egbema, and Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria. Ten out of twenty-seven secondary schools were randomly sampled for the study. Five hundred students in their Senior Secondary Class Two (SS2) were randomly selected for the study. This comprised 250 boys and 250 girls. Fifty students (25 boys and 25 girls) were randomly selected from each of the ten schools. The students’ examination results used for the study for three terms were collected from the examination result master sheets and their achievement scores in mathematics were extracted and used for the analysis. The findings revealed that there exist significant differences in the achievement in mathematics of the students before, during, and after flooding. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Scheffe’s test and t-test. The result shows that achievement in mathematics was higher before and after flooding than during the flooding. The effect of climate change (flooding) on gender and achievement in mathematics was also studied. It was discovered that the gender gap in mathematics achievement of secondary school students widened during the flooding. This indicated that the effects of climate change on girls are worse than on boys educationally. The use of palliative to mitigate the effect of climate change–flooding, on the achievement of students in mathematics and, most importantly, the achievement of the girl child is recommended.