Using a Robust Moderated Mediation Approach to Understand Associations Between Classroom Quality, Mindset Beliefs, Engagement, and Student Achievement in Math and Science

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI)

İlköğretim Okullarında Örgütsel Sağlık İle Öğrenci Başarısı Arasındaki İlişki

Erie Arts & Culture (formerly ArtsErie), in partnership with the Union City Area School District, Crawford Central School District, Penncrest School District and Edinboro University in Pennsylvania received Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination Grant from the U.S. Department of Education in 2010. This grant provided the opportunity to design and implement Arts Integration: From Vision to Implementation,a four-year project that integrated dance, music, visual arts, and drama into existing curriculum. Arts Integrationprovided professional development for classroom teachers and teaching artists and established avenues for their collaboration to design and implement arts-integrated classroom-based learning through an artist-in-residence experience. The purpose of the project was to improve lesson planning and the quality of teaching; student engagement in the learning process and their learning habits associated with the arts; and ultimately, students’ achievement in math and reading. This project reached approximately 900 students annually in participating schools. Student data presented were collected only for students in participating and control classrooms, whose teachers agreed to be included in the evaluation. Included participating, or treatment, classrooms were selected from three schools that experienced arts-integrated learning. Included control classrooms were selected from two schools of similar demographic composition, where the project was not implemented. The data were collected from 54 treatment and 50 control classrooms. The total number of students in treatment classrooms was 969, and, in control classrooms, 962 students. The total of 35 participating classroom teachers, 32 control classroom teachers, and 16 teaching artists participated in the evaluation part of the project. Arts Integrationproduced a number of positive outcomes for the participating students, as well as teachers and teaching artists, who participated in the program. This evaluation documented a number of positive outcomes related to quality of teaching, student engagement and learning habits. At the same time, because the program was time-limited and the level of exposure for individual students was not long-term, the impact of arts-integration on student achievement in math and reading could not be definitively determined. This article provides a number of recommendations that would enhance the design and implementation of similar arts-integration programs, as well as offers lessons learned with respect to its evaluation.

The importance of math achievement in the early grades has been well documented. Two variables that have independently been found to be strong predictors of math achievement are student-teacher relationships (STR) and socioeconomic status (SES). The present study investigates the interaction between STR and SES on student math achievement using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, a nationally representative data set. The participants included approximately 8,380 first-grade students, 2,930 teachers, and 860 schools, representing a weighted sample of approximately 3.15 million students or 90% of the population. Multilevel modeling, controlling for student-, teacher-, and school-level factors, found that both STR and SES had a strong relationship with student math achievement. There was also a statistically significant moderation effect between close STR and SES on math achievement, suggesting that close STR are beneficial for all students, but are especially beneficial for students from low SES backgrounds. Further, educational implications for research, policy, and practice are provided. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Growth mindsets can play an important role in student academic motivation and achievement.However, recent research has revealed that the achievement benefits of growth mindsets vary across cultures, such that students in some Asian societies may not gain much from growth mindsets.Focusing on Southeast Asia, this study sought to answer whether workmastery may potentially strengthen the benefits of growth mindsets on student achievement in reading, math, and science, particularly among socioeconomically disadvantaged students.This study used the PISA 2018 database including large and representative samples of 15-year-old students in Southeast Asian countries (total N = 47,579).Multilevel modeling was utilized to test the two-way interaction between growth mindset and workmastery, as well as the three-way interaction between growth mindsets, workmastery, and socioeconomic status.The results showed that the two-way interaction was significant, suggesting that Southeast Asian students with high workmastery were more likely to benefit from growth mindsets than those with low workmastery.Moreover, the results showed a significant three-way interaction, suggesting that the achievement benefits of growth mindsets for disadvantaged students were nearly the same as for their advantaged peers when disadvantaged students had high workmastery.This study generally indicates that growth mindsets can be beneficial for student achievement in Southeast Asia, particularly in the appropriate context.One key implication is that promoting growth mindsets at scale may be more effective than previous research in Asia suggests.

We reassess the relation between students’ socioeconomic status (SES) and their achievement by treating SES as multidimensional instead of unidimensional. We use data from almost 600,000 students in 77 countries participating in the 2018 PISA assessment of student achievement in math, science, and reading. The composite measure of SES that PISA uses can be broken down into six component variables that we here use as simultaneous predictors of achievement. This analysis yields several new insights. First, in the typical society, two predictors (books at home and parents’ highest occupational status) clearly outperform the rest. Second, a new composite measure based only on these two components often reveals substantially larger achievement gaps than those reported by PISA. Third, the analysis revealed remarkable differences between societies in the relation between achievement and wealth possessions. In most societies, the independent effect of wealth possessions on student achievement was zero or even slightly negative—but in the least developed societies it was strongly positive. These findings have implications for how SES achievement gaps should be measured and interpreted.

The future of maths and science school teaching in the United States is considered. Three "Partnership" projects represent collaborative efforts between Xavier University (XU) of Louisiana, Southern University of New Orleans (SUNG), Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Stennis Space Center (SSC), to enhance student achievement in math and science. These "Partnerships" are focused on students and teachers in federally designated rural empowerment zones and urban enterprise communities. XU and SUNG are located in New Orleans, Louisiana which is designated as an urban enterprise community. The potential for reaching at-risk students is almost unlimited. These partnerships provide this student population with needed opportunities to encourage self-improvement and assist them in discovering their talents, recognizing their potential and challenging their ability for achievement at a very early stage. MSVU, Itta Bena, MS, is located in the Mississippi Delta, which is designated as a Rural Empowerment Zone. The Delta is primarily a rural agricultural farming region, producing crops such as catfish, cotton, soybeans, and corn. Students in this region historically perform poorly on standardized math and science tests. Teachers in this area have limited classroom resources but have been expected to face the difficult task of developing innovative methods for reaching these students. The general population served by these universities is socially and economically disadvantaged.

The present study was aimed to investigate whether Finnish and Danish students’ math achievement differed and which student-level factors, if any, explained the achievement gaps and whether teacher participation in decision making and teacher morale, among the school-level factors, explained the achievement gaps in Finland and Denmark. To this end, this study used both student- and school-level datasets of two countries from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 study and employed hierarchical linear models (HLM) – a fully unconditional, a partially unconditional, and a fully conditional model to address the hierarchical structure of research units and importance of predictors of math achievement at each level. Results indicated that Finnish students outperformed Danish peers in math achievement and that between-school homogeneity and gender equity were more salient in Finland than in Denmark. However, the findings of HLM showed that neither teacher participation in decision making nor teacher morale was associated with student math achievement in Finland and Denmark. The findings indicated that neither teacher participation in decision making nor teacher morale translated directly into improved student achievement among Finnish and Danish 15-year-old students, when adjusting for various student and school-level factors. Implications and future studies related to database linking and potential mechanisms, such as school principals’ leadership traits and practices, in the relationships between teacher participation in decision making, teacher morale, and student achievement were briefly discussed.

Schools as Complex Host Environments: Understanding Aspects of Schools that May Influence Clinical Practice and Research

The United States educational system continues to cut back on art programing; however, international statistics report countries with a stronger art presence continuously perform at higher academic levels. Art integration provides multiple pathways through curriculums and enables engaging learning environment. Art integration refers to three forms of art collaboration: learning in core subjects with and through the arts, creating interdisciplinary connections throughout curriculums and collaboration engagement. When all three of these forms are combined, casual relationships with increased student achievement and higher levels of engagement are formed. This study examined the effects of art integration on math achievement on male middle school students. The control and experimental group completed a pre- and post-test to assess academic achievement. The control group received math instruction from the math teacher using textbooks, teacher created problems, and only math content, while the experimental group received math instruction with art integration. Student engagement was also measured for both groups. It was hypothesized that art integration would increase academic achievement and student engagement in math for 6th grade boys. Results from four independent sample t-tests supported the hypothesis.

There is evidence showing that the triarchic model of grit and its dimensions (i.e., perseverance of effort, consistency of interests, and adaptability to situations) predict engagement and well-being outcomes in high school and undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. However, there has been limited research on how this model of grit relates to engagement and optimal psychological outcomes in primary school students. This research investigates the association of grit's dimensions with academic engagement in math and science as well as well-being outcomes (i.e., positive emotions, negative emotions, and flourishing) in primary school students. Participants were primary school students (Mage = 10.42; SDage = 1.26) from Hong Kong (n = 279) and Macau (n = 124). Results showed that perseverance of effort positively predicted cognitive and behavioral engagement in math as well as positive emotions even after controlling for demographic covariates (i.e., age, gender, setting, and year level), conscientiousness, and achievement goal orientations. Adaptability to situations positively predicted cognitive and social engagement in math and flourishing. Consistency of interests negatively predicted both cognitive engagement in science and negative emotions. Indeed, this study indicates that perseverance and adaptability may facilitate children's positive academic and psychological functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

This study was designed to determine the effects of teacher leadership on student achievement in middle school math and science. Participants were 173 8th grade students, and eight teachers — four of whom were identifed as teacher leaders. The experimental groups were comprised of students who were instructed by teachers identifed as teacher leaders; and the control groups were comprised of students instructed by teachers not identifed as teacher leaders. Each experimental and control group was compared using the Explorer test results to determine equivalence between groups. An ANOVA performed on End of Quarter Test data in advanced and non-advanced math and science revealed a signifcant difference in both the advanced science and math groups; teacher leaders are positively correlated with higher scores of the advanced math and science groups. No signifcant difference was found between the experimental groups and control groups in either non-advanced math or science classes; teacher leaders did not signifcantly impact the scores of the non-advanced math and science groups. Keywords : Teacher leadership, Middle school, Math, Student achievement. References ACT. Explorer Test . 2013. Retrieved from http://www.act.org/explorestudent/ ANDREWS, D.; CROWTHER, F. Parallel leadership: A clue to the contents of the “black box” of school reform. International Journal of Educational Management , 16,152-159, 2002. doi:10.1108/09513540210432128 BASS, B. M.; RIGGIO, R. E. Transformational leadership (2 nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2006. BEACHUM, F.; DENTITH, A. M. Teacher leaders creating cultures of school renewal and transformation. The Educational Forum , 68, 276-286, 2004. doi:10.1080/00131720408984639 BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION. 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One of the most widely implemented educational reform efforts of the last two decades has been the adoption of increased high school graduation requirements, especially in mathematics and science. The present study examines the effect of that reform. More particularly, this article first investigates the extent to which a commonly adopted requirement that students complete three credits in mathematics and science was implemented at schools. Using multilevel regression analysis, the study then examines the relationship between three-course requirements in mathematics and science and three expected outcomes: increases in the number of credits students earned in mathematics and science, increases in the level of mathematics and science classes completed by students, and increases in student achievement in math and science, as measured by 8th- to 12th-grade test score gains. To test this relationship, the author drew a nationally representative sample of 1992 public high school graduates from the National Educational Longitudinal Study conducted in 1988. Analysis of these data indicates that many schools that required students to complete three courses in math or science in order to graduate did not strictly enforce this policy, allowing a substantial percentage of the students to graduate without earning three credits in these subjects. Nevertheless, three-course requirements influenced students to earn more credits in mathematics and science; however, only some students completed this additional coursework in advanced classes. In addition, student test score gains did not vary by high school graduation requirement policy. These findings suggest that increasing the number of credits students have to earn in mathematics and science to graduate from high school by itself may not be sufficient to improve student proficiency in these subjects.

Math anxiety, the discomfort or fear of math, spans the globe and affects a wide range of ages, from early childhood to adulthood. Teachers and students may experience math anxiety in a variety of contexts. Teachers who suffer from math anxiety often express negative attitudes about math and lack confidence in their pedagogical content knowledge of mathematics, which influences the instructional practices they choose to implement in their classrooms. Student math anxiety adversely affects student engagement and achievement in math. School leadership is fundamental to effective teaching and student learning and plays a vital role in teacher and student math anxiety. By identifying teachers and students who suffer from math anxiety, leaders can create the conditions to reduce and prevent this anxiety. Leading this work will involve the integration of both instructional and transformational leadership to develop a school culture that is open to sharing and strengthening their knowledge of instructional practices focused on math improvement. To address anxiety concerns and advance student achievement in mathematics, it is beneficial for school leaders to adopt some of the characteristics of a learning organization. To be a learning organization requires leadership to cultivate a climate of trust among members of the school community to develop collective efficacy. It entails school leaders and staff participating in professional learning and coaching opportunities to build the collective capacity of evidence-informed instructional practices in math. Using self-reflection, teachers can acknowledge their own feelings and potential biases towards mathematics and seek support to deepen their understanding of math concepts and pedagogy. The engagement of colleagues in the acquirement of best practices in math instruction will develop positive classroom environments that immerse students in the learning of math. By changing how leaders and teachers approach mathematics, math anxiety will decrease, and student achievement will improve.

Students who perceive their instructors to endorse growth (vs. fixed) mindset beliefs report better classroom experiences (e.g., greater belonging, fewer evaluative concerns) and, in turn, engage in more behaviors that promote academic success (e.g., class attendance and engagement). Although many instructors personally endorse growth (vs. fixed) mindset beliefs, their students often perceive their beliefs quite differently. And, to date, little is known about how students come to perceive their instructors as growth-minded or as fixed-minded. To address this, the present research employs a social cognitive classification paradigm to identify teaching behaviors that students perceive as communicating instructors’ mindset beliefs. College students (NStudents = 186) categorized specific teaching behaviors (NBehaviors = 119) as signaling either fixed or growth mindset beliefs. Even after controlling for students’ personal mindset beliefs and the warmth of the teaching behavior, we found that when instructors suggest everyone can learn, offer opportunities for feedback, respond to struggling students with additional support and attention, and place value on learning it signals to students that their instructor endorses more growth mindset beliefs. Conversely, when instructors suggest that some students are incapable, fail to provide opportunities for feedback, respond to students’ struggle with frustration and/or resignation, and place value on performance and brilliance it signals to students that their instructor endorses fixed mindset beliefs.