IEA Study Research Articles

Comparative Civic Education: An Introduction

In recent years there has been an explosion of new scholarship in comparative civic education, which is reflected in this special issue of Research in Comparative and International Education (RCIE). The current scholars build on the early work of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, known as IEA. In 1975 IEA published the first crossnational study of civic education, which was based on a survey of students in nine countries (Torney et al., 1975). Almost 25 years passed before IEA again undertook a cross-national study in civic education (Torney-Purta et al., 2001; Torney-Purta et al., 1999). In the meantime, only a few researchers conducted studies that spanned multiple countries. The second IEA study, referred to as CivEd, was instrumental in bringing scholars from approximately 30 nations together on a regular basis over an eight-year period. The CivEd meetings not only produced an important study; they also stimulated cross-national conversations about research in education for citizenship and democracy. Further, as many countries and regional associations, such as the European Union, were experiencing increased interest in democratic civic education, scholars shared information about the existing research base within countries and regions. New organizations formed around comparative civic education research, such as CitizED and the Citizenship and Democracy Education (CANDE) special interest group of the Comparative and International Education Society. A growing number of individuals and teams of scholars presented new research at annual conferences of these organizations. Consequently, both the quality and quantity of research in comparative civic education has increased dramatically over the past decade. The editorial board of RCIE decided that it was time to feature this active subfield of comparative education in a special issue of the journal on comparative civic education research. Our goal was to illustrate the diversity of research methods employed and the varied types of questions explored by researchers. We sought to highlight work from a wide range of countries and regions and from both senior scholars and new scholars. In the past, other than the large-scale IEA studies, much of the research in civic education has been nation-specific, and published articles most often focused on civic education within a single country. In this issue, we sought research

Definizione di una procedura di codifica delle domande aperte basata sui modelli delle indagini internazionali

Definition of a Coding Procedure of Open-ended Questions Based on the Models of International Studies The paper presents an in-depth study within the «Problem-solving and geographical skills» project funded by Sapienza University of Rome in 2011. The main research instrument consists of open-ended items which was used as a basis for designing a coding procedure of student responses in order to maximise coding and coder control and reliability. Bearing in mind that when analyzing open answers, the margins of the assessor’s subjective interpretation are certainly greater than with classic structured items, the adoption of strict encoding and coding control procedures allows us to steer this type of semi-structured questions toward objectivity, thereby significantly reducing errors of interpretation. The main reference is the procedure used in the OECD-PISA for openended questions, but also the assessment of written tests established in the IEA study on «Written composition». The aim is to improve the quality of the dataset of the study, with the least possible burden on resources. The results confirmed the effectiveness of the procedure in terms of reliability of coding, with the estimation of a low-level error. It was also possible to provide timely feedback to each coder, thereby enabling an improvement in coding ability.

Citizenship education in Turkey: inclusive or exclusive

This paper scrutinises citizenship education in Turkey from the foundation of the Turkish Republic (1923) to the present and explores the extent to which it encourages inclusive or exclusive concepts of national identity and citizenship. In Turkey, where there are citizens belonging to ethnic and religious minorities, civic education plays a prominent role for promoting tolerance among citizens. Using framing questions from phase one of the International Association for the Educational Achievement’s (IEA) research of Civic Education Across Countries, the civic education textbooks of Turkey are examined to determine the extent to which they promote democracy and human rights, make positive references to ethnic and religious minorities, and promote social cohesion. As Turkey was not included in phase one of the IEA study, the paper provides original information for comparative studies, reconsideration of citizenship education in multicultural societies and promoting an active national citizenry in Turkey.

The Perils and Promises of International Surveys of School Achievement: A Response to Howard Russell’s “Connections among Factors in Education”

tional research community well, has again made a valuable contribution to the discourse by sharing some of his observations on the perils, as well as some of the promise, of surveying school achievement around the world. In the incubative stages of the Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS) in the mid 1970s, Howard Russell made it clear that an emphasis on analyzing student performance at the item level should be an essential component of such a project. Concurrently, James Wilson, University of Georgia, had written a paper commissioned by the U.S. National Institute of Education (unpublished, 1975) on the topic, If There Is to Be a Second IEA Study of Mathematics, What Should It Be Like? A major thesis of the Wilson paper, whose recommendations went far in providing the conceptual basis for SIMS, was that a major thrust of such a study should be curricular, and that in order to be of maximal value to curriculum and instructional specialists, the study must be fine-grained, offering detailed data at the item level, with relatively little attention and/or importance ascribed to subscores (and no interest accorded a total test score). To be sure, for a topic like geometry, where the curricular content and, hence, the match with the test items, varies wildly from country to country (see Travers & Westbury, 1989), constructing a valid, informative subscore is extremely problematic.

Syntroleum in GTL study

The conversion of natural gas at its source to higher-valued liquid fuels is an alternative to the pipeline transportation of treated gas and the dedicated tanker shipping of LNG. This IEA study investigated the effects of reducing carbon emissions from gas-to-liquid (GTL) plants for such remote applications. Three different Fischer-Tropsch GTL plant configurations with characteristics similar to those of Sasol, Shell, and Syntroleum were examined. These three configurations are selected because they cover the major types of GTL technologies currently considered to be either commercially viable or under development.The design of each of these FT- based GTL plants was based on published information. The purity of the captured CO2 was better than 95% and is suitable for on-site injection. Plant investment and operating costs were developed from the Bechtel in-house database. The licensors were asked to comment on the results of this study and their comments were included in the Appendix of the study report.Three steps are generally taken in the task of carbon-emissions abatement: (1) select appropriate carbon-capture technology, (2) identify the location in the process configuration for optimum carbon removal, and (3) modify the process configuration to maximize carbon utilization in liquid fuel products and minimize carbon emission. For each GTL technology, a base case was developed to determine the baseline carbon emissions and the capital and operating cost, prior to CO2 abatement. The plant was then redesigned to achieve at least 85% reduction in CO2 emissions, with the capital and operating cost determined as before.The CO2 capture technologies investigated here were limited to the commercially-proven processes, such as chemical absorption (amine solutions, etc.), physical adsorption (molecular sieve), and cryogenic separation. Combustion of hydrocarbon fuels in process heating or flaring was minimized to limit CO2 emissions from the GTL plant.

Democratic values and citizen action: a view from US ninth graders

As part of the IEA study of civic education, US ninth graders were assessed for their civic knowledge, concepts, attitudes, and experiences. The study yielded information about the development of democratic attitudes and dispositions toward social action. US ninth graders rated free expression and free elections as most important for democracy. They were less sure about the importance of peaceful protests. US ninth graders were above the international average in their support of rights for both women and immigrants. However, not all groups of students were willing to extend rights to “the other.” Additionally, students were most likely to have experienced social actions to help the community; far fewer were likely to engage in more politically oriented actions. Socio-economic variables and race/ethnicity were related to civic knowledge.

Book Review: The IEA Study of Reading Literacy: Achievement and Literacy Instruction in Thirty-Two School Systems

Book Review: The IEA Study of Reading Literacy: Achievement and Literacy Instruction in Thirty-Two School Systems

Quality of School Life in the Finnish Comprehensive School: a comparative view

Abstract The article attempts to answer the questions of how Finnish students experience the quality of school life as a whole and how students’ well‐being and social interaction in the Finnish comprehensive school compare with some other countries on the basis of extensive international comparative data. First, the concept ‘quality of school life’ and the self‐assessment instrument are described. Second, the validity of the instrument is explored. Next, the results of the assessment are first discussed from the national and then from the international perspective, comparing the data collected as a sub‐survey of the IEA Study of Reading Literacy in March 1991. The Finnish school is contrasted with Nordic as well as with German and American schools. Finally, using multivariate analyses the various aspects of the quality of Finnish school life are related to each other, to some background variables and to variables describing school achievement and educational aspiration. The findings are discussed from the comparative perspective.

Book reviews

Book reviewed in this article:READ, GAVIN (1994) Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia): A handbook for study and practice.EDWARDS, JANICE (1994) The Scars of Dyslexia.HATCHER, P. J. (1994) Sound Linkage.MILES, T.R. (1993) Dyslexia: The Pattern of Difficulties.COOKE, A. (1993) Tackling Dyslexia: The Bangor Way.WILLOWS, D., KRUK, R.S. and CORCOS, E. (Eds.) (1993) Visual Processes in Reading and Reading Disabilities.GOODWYN, A. (ed.) (1995) English and Ability.HULME, CHARLES, and SNOWLING, MARGARET (eds) (1994) Reading Development and Dyslexia.ELLEY, WARWICK B. (ed.) (1994) The IEA Study of Reading Literacy:CHAUDRON, MARTINE and DE SINGLY, FRANCOIS (eds) (1993) Zdentitk, Lecture, Ecriture.

Book Review: The IEA Study of Reading Literacy: Achievement and Instruction in Thirty-Two School Systems

Book Review: The IEA Study of Reading Literacy: Achievement and Instruction in Thirty-Two School Systems

The IEA Study of Reading Literacy: Achievement and Instruction in Thirty-Two School Systems. Warwick B. Elley

Previous articleNext article No AccessBook ReviewsThe IEA Study of Reading Literacy: Achievement and Instruction in Thirty-Two School Systems. Warwick B. Elley Steven A. StahlSteven A. Stahl Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Comparative Education Review Volume 39, Number 2May, 1995 Sponsored by the Comparative and International Education Society Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/447318 Views: 1Total views on this site Citations: 1Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright 1995 The Comparative and International Education SocietyPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Amna Mirza, Alexandra Gottardo The effects of second language literacy instruction on first language literacy: a comparison between Hindi–English and Urdu–English Canadian bilinguals, Journal of Cultural Cognitive Science 16 (Apr 2022).https://doi.org/10.1007/s41809-022-00100-4

The IEA Study of Written Composition II: Education and Performance in Fourteen Countries

The IEA Study of Written Composition II: Education and Performance in Fourteen Countries

The IEA study of written composition II: education and performance in fourteen countries

The IEA study of written composition II: education and performance in fourteen countries

The IEA Classroom Environment Study. Lorin W. Anderson, Doris W. Ryan, Bernard J. ShapiroThe IEA Study of Mathematics I: Analysis of Mathematics Curricula. Kenneth J. Travers, Ian Westbury

Previous articleNext article No AccessBook ReviewsThe IEA Classroom Environment Study. Lorin W. Anderson, Doris W. Ryan, Bernard J. Shapiro The IEA Study of Mathematics I: Analysis of Mathematics Curricula. Kenneth J. Travers, Ian WestburyDesmond L. NuttallDesmond L. Nuttall Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Comparative Education Review Volume 36, Number 4Nov., 1992 Sponsored by the Comparative and International Education Society Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/447155 Views: 2Total views on this site Citations: 1Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright 1992 The Comparative and International Education SocietyPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Alison Wolf, Hilary Steedman Basic Competence in Mathematics: Swedish and English 16-year-olds, SSRN Electronic Journal (Jan 1998).https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.104362

Preliminary Findings of the IEA Reading Literacy Study: New Zealand achievement in the national and international context

Abstract This paper focuses on the preliminary reading literacy test scores for New Zealand, of students in the grade levels where most 9‐ (Standard 3) and 14‐ (Form 4) year‐olds were to be found. In addition to some within country analyses, New Zealand results are compared with the results for the probability samples of students in 32 systems of education which participated in the IEA study of Reading Literacy. Within country comparisons by gender and ethnicity reveal large differences in favour of Pakeha students at both levels, and gender differences in favour of girls particularly at the Standard 3 level. Between country comparisons of results suggest high levels of reading competence among the New Zealand students in the target age groups.

The IEA study of mathematics II: Contexts and outcomes of school mathematics

The IEA study of mathematics II: Contexts and outcomes of school mathematics

Gender Differences in Mathematics: An International Perspective

Gender-related differences on measures of quantitative and problem-solving abilities consistently appear in national assessments (e.g., Dossey, Mullis, Lindquist, & Chambers, 1988; Fennema & Carpenter, 1981; National Assessment of Educational Progress, 1975, 1983; Wilson, 1972). Using variety of measures, investigators have examined the nature of these differences and the factors associated with them for subjects varying in age from elementary school to undergraduates in college. From these studies, it is generally concluded that no gender differences are evidenced at the elementary school level, but beginning at approximately the seventh grade, any differences that appear, such as those found in spatial problem-solving tasks and tasks requiring mathematical reasoning, favor males. (See Fennema, 1974, 1980 and Leder, 1985, for review of this literature.) However, gender differences in mathematics achievement have not been found to be consistent across countries. After controlling for productivity factors, Walberg, Harnisch, & Tsai (1986) found differences favoring males in eight of the twelve countries studied and no gender differences in the remaining four. In the first IEA study, Husen (1967) found differences in overall achievement to generally favor males, but differences within countries were not always significant. Husen noted, however, that gender differences were within-country phenomenon and that across countries, females may be superior to males. These between-country differences would be attributable to curricular and instructional differences, which mirror cultural values. It is such findings that lend support to the suggestion made by Leder (1986) that a clear recognition of the values, expectations and beliefs of the wider society within which learning takes place is required for full appreciation of the currently found sex differences in mathematics participation and performance (p. 6). Just as higher by males on measures of overall mathematics achievement have not been consistent across countries, another body of research notes that the size and direction of gender differences in quantitative vary according to problem type. These studies have been conducted with subjects of varying ages and educational backgrounds and have resulted in reasonably consistent conclusions. Several types of problems have been identified in which gender differences appear. Males have been found to excel in problems dealing

The IEA Study of Written Composition I: The International Writing Tasks and Scoring Scales

The IEA Study of Written Composition I: The International Writing Tasks and Scoring Scales

The Second IEA Mathematics Study

Education systems throughout the world place high importance on the teaching and learning of mathematics, and a high level of resource allocation is devoted to maintaining and improving efficiency and effectiveness in these activities. It is, therefore, not surprising that there was widespread interest in and support for a study that was to examine each system's curricula, teaching practices, and student outcomes in mathematics in relation to those of a variety of other systems. In the early 1960s, the IEA conducted the First International Mathematics Study (FIMS), a cross-national study involving 12 countries.' The subsequent 2 decades saw extensive and, in the case of some systems, radical curriculum innovation in school mathematics. A further motive

Women, Nazis and Universities: Female University Students in the Third Reich, 1933-1945. Jacques R. Pauwels

Previous articleNext article No AccessBook NotesWomen, Nazis and Universities: Female University Students in the Third Reich, 1933-1945. Jacques R. Pauwels Philip G. AltbachPhilip G. Altbach Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Comparative Education Review Volume 31, Number 1Feb., 1987Special Issue on the Second IEA Study Sponsored by the Comparative and International Education Society Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/446676 Copyright 1987 The Comparative and International Education SocietyPDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.