Abstract
The association between frequent use of certain instructional practices in mathematics and science and learning outcomes in schools in low-, medium-, and high-achieving countries is the focus of this study. It not only looks at teaching practices "that work" (positively associated with achievement) but whether they "work" similarly in the three groups of countries. Hierarchical multilevel regressions analysis was employed to explore the relationships between frequent use ofcertain instructional practices in mathematics and science and schools' learning outcomes in these areas, in low-, medium-, and high- achieving countries. In both school subjects, traditional modes of instruction (teacher-centered) were found to be positively and significantly associated with achievement in all countries, while more constructive modes of instruction (student-centered) showed a differential effect. The frequent implementation of more student-centered modes was found to be positively associated with learning outcomes in high- and medium-achieving countries, but negatively associated in low-achieving countries. The findings confirm conclusions in other studies that replacing teacher-centered traditional practices with more student-centered practices will not necessarily result in more learning for all students. Constructivist practices will be more beneficial for students only in high-achieving countries.
Highlights
The association between frequent use of certain instructional practices in mathematics and science and learning outcomes in schools in low, medium, and high-achieving countries is the focus of this study
Instructional modes in mathematics Student perception of the frequency of using 17 modes of instruction common in mathematics classrooms were aggregated on the school level
A similar association might support the idea of an existing comprehensive instructional theory about "what works" and "what does not work."
Summary
The association between frequent use of certain instructional practices in mathematics and science and learning outcomes in schools in low-, medium-, and high-achieving countries is the focus of this study. Facing an educational reality in which variability exceeds similarity, the goal of constructing a comprehensive educational theory was relinquished, and instead of searching for similarities, researchers favored examining the differences that distinguished one country from another. Attempts to follow this line using data from all participating countries are rare. Among the studies that dealt with all participating countries are ones conducted by Schmidt et al (1997a, b), Schmidt et al (2001), and Houang et al (2004), which aimed to identify differences and similarities that underlie the intended and implemented curricula of science and mathematics in all the countries that participated in the first cycle of Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)
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