Individual Student Achievement Research Articles

К ВОПРОСУ ОБ ЭФФЕКТИВНОСТИ НАКОПИТЕЛЬНОЙ СИСТЕМЫ ОЦЕНИВАНИЯ ИНДИВИДУАЛЬНЫХ ДОСТИЖЕНИЙ СТУДЕНТОВ

The article describes one of the possible ways to solve the most important problem of modern higher education in Russia – the low motivation of students to acquire the knowledge, skills and abilities they need in their future professional activities. According to the author, the implementation of a cumulative system for evaluating individual achievements of students in the educational process can contribute to the solution of this problem. Such an assessment system makes it possible to transform the student's desire to get a high grade into an awareness of the need for conscientious and systematic work throughout the semester, increases the objectivity of the teacher's assessment, improves the quality of training and the level of formation of professional competencies. The paper provides a conditional example of the distribution of points of the current and final control in one semester of studying mathematics by students of construction specialties at the Samara State University of Railways. To identify the students' opinion on the effectiveness of the applied cumulative assessment system, the author developed a questionnaire. The survey was conducted anonymously, 243 people took part in it. The analysis of its results suggests that the majority of respondents (about 70%) recognize the effectiveness of the cumulative evaluation system described in the work.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN MASTER’S PROGRAMS

The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the need for successful digital transformation in master's programs, particularly in the realm of e-learning. This article explores the importance of a needs-centered approach in navigating this transformational journey amidst the challenges posed by the pandemic. By understanding and addressing the evolving needs of students in a remote learning environment, educational institutions can effectively leverage digital technologies to deliver high-quality education. The article presents a comprehensive framework for digital transformation, emphasizing the evaluation of student needs and objectives as the starting point. Strategic planning, resource allocation, and timeline development are crucial for the seamless integration of digital tools into the curriculum, taking into account the unique challenges imposed by the pandemic. Faculty and staff training and development play a pivotal role in equipping educators with the skills necessary to facilitate effective online instruction. The adoption of suitable technologies and platforms is explored within the context of e-learning, considering factors such as scalability, security, and user experience. The needs-centered approach highlights the importance of personalized learning experiences to cater to individual student requirements, ensuring engagement and achievement in the virtual classroom. Continuous monitoring, evaluation, and improvement are paramount during the digital transformation process, particularly in the context of the pandemic. Gathering feedback from students and educators allows institutions to adapt and refine their digital initiatives to optimize learning outcomes. Effective change management strategies, including clear communication, robust support systems, and stakeholder engagement, help navigate the challenges presented by the sudden shift to remote learning. In conclusion, a needs-centered approach is crucial for successful digital transformation in master's programs, especially in the face of the covid-19 pandemic. By prioritizing student needs, aligning strategies with remote learning requirements, and leveraging digital tools effectively, educational institutions can ensure the continuity and quality of education. This article provides insights and guidance for institutions seeking to navigate the digital transformation journey in the context of Covid-19, empowering them to deliver exceptional e-learning experiences and prepare students for the future of education.

Gender Differences in Math and Science Academic Self-Concepts and the Association With Female Climate in 8th Grade Classrooms

Although women’s representation in STEM fields and occupations has increased, science and math continue to be stereotyped as male domains. This paper links psychological and sociological explanations for gendered disparities in STEM by examining the relationship between the local “micro-situational” female learning environment and the gender gap in academic self-concept in math and science. We applied hybrid models to TIMSS 2015 data comprised of a pseudo-panel of repeated measures for individual student and peer achievement, academic self-concept, utility value, and interest-enjoyment value in math/science (at age 14). We analyzed data from three countries, including a subsample of students who were taught by the same teacher in both math and science, thus eliminating unobserved teacher heterogeneity. Results indicate that female peer climate in the classroom is important for understanding how girls’ self-concept in math/science is formed, even though it was unrelated to the gender gap.

EXPERIMENTAL VERIFICATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TEACHING METHODS USING ADAPTIVE MATHEMATICS TEACHING

The article presents theoretical and empirical results of the study of the advantages of adaptive learning. The practice of creating and organizing adaptive learning for students using the «Moodle» platform is considered, and the results of the application of the adaptive learning model in the preparation of first and second-year students in secondary vocational education are presented. The article presents the results of the input, intermediate, and control measures that the control and experimental groups took. The results are presented both in tabular form, indicating the individual achievements of students in points, and in the form of bar charts. Based on the data obtained, it is possible to quantify the progress in the study of the discipline of mathematics and to compare the individual achievements of students. Thanks to a detailed assessment of various aspects of the results of experimental tasks, it is possible to identify with high accuracy the strengths and weaknesses in the preparation of each of the students, to give individual recommendations for further training. The verification of the validity of the coincidences and differences in the characteristics of the control and experimental groups was carried out by using the Kramer–Welch statistical criterion, which demonstrated, on the one hand, the equality of the training levels of the control and experimental groups at the beginning of the pedagogical experiment under consideration, and on the other hand, the significance of the difference in the level of training at the end of the training process through the application of the proposed methodology.

Modern methods of evaluating individual achievements of students outside of academic activities

The state of modern education is characterized by itsreliance on experimental pedagogy, which uses not only pedagogical research methods but also neighboring social and natural sciences methods extensively. This article outlines modern pedagogical theory and modern methods of obtaining individual achievements of students in addition to their academic activities.

Диагностический инструментарий оценки уровней математической образованности обучающихся общеобразовательных организаций

The acceleration of civilization development imposes new requirements on mathematical education. Its special role is caused by the fact that mathematics is used worldwide in all spheres of life. Secondary general mathematical education in the current environment is becoming increasingly more significant for the educational policy of the society and the state. Measurable educational results, in this case, are the indicators of the personal achievements of students when studying mathematics. The research aims to give the reasons why among the existing terminological variety, the definition of mathematical erudition is selected as the assessment of personal achievements of students of general educational institutions in the subject area of Mathematics, to describe the developed and approved diagnostic tools for assessing mathematical erudition of the students of general educational institutions. The research is based on the qualitative approach to studying scientific-pedagogical literature and the analysis of pedagogical practice, which allowed working out the author’s position in identifying the individual educational achievements of students when learning mathematics. The author proposes using the concept of mathematical erudition as a result of learning mathematics treated as a personal achievement. The paper presents the author’s interpretation of this concept. The author considers a three-level model of mathematical erudition, which includes elementary mathematical literacy, functional mathematical literacy, and mathematical competence. The author developed a structural-functional model of mathematical erudition, consisting of four components: 1) motivational-axiological; 2) conceptual-regulative; 3) procedural; 4) subject-and-activity-based. The diagnostic toolkit for assessing the mathematical erudition of students of general education institutions has been developed and tested. It is possible to use these tools to assess subject learning results. The author notes that it is possible to improve mathematical erudition at all steps of school mathematical education in the general education institutions through designing mathematical education, which will allow creating the conditions for the students’ temptations and needs fulfilment.

In search of quality and equity: The United Kingdom and Germany in the struggle for PISA scores

School reforms aiming at improving educational performance (quality), closing achievement gaps and reducing the impact of family background on performance (equity) have been on the agenda worldwide for three decades. These reforms converge in a common core which puts emphasis on school autonomy, free school choice, competition between schools, managerial school leadership, high teacher quality and test-based accountability of schools. We investigate how far these reforms have been associated with improvements in quality and equity in two countries following their own developmental path: the United Kingdom and Germany. Despite all insights provided by the existing literature, we still do not sufficiently know how far the application of governance tools following the global reform agenda does make a difference between schools. For closing this research gap, we conduct multi-level linear regression analyses to test the association of governance tools of the reform agenda with individual student performance and achievement gaps based on family background. We make use of data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and look at the test years 2000, 2009 and 2015 to see how far there has been improvement over time along with advancing reforms. The results show that the reforms have failed so far.

Sociodemographic variations in the association between indoor environmental quality in school buildings and student performance

Environmental and building characteristics of educational facilities are associated with student learning and achievement. We examined the effect of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in schools on standardized test scores, accounting for individual and community-level sociodemographic factors.We explored data from a Colorado school district which included individual student achievement metrics (reading and math test scores), and IEQ characteristics of school buildings measured by Operation Report Card scores (ORC). We estimated associations between ORC increase and changes in test scores using mean-based and quantile regression (QR) models, and examined heterogeneity of associations within sex and racial/ethnic subgroups.Confounder-adjusted QR models revealed differences across test distributions suggesting overall that improved IEQ may mitigate negative effects on academic achievement among students who experience social and economic risks. For example, a one unit increase in ORC for Latinx students was associated with up to a 2.7% (95%CI: 0.4%, 5.1%) increase in math score at the 90th percentile of the score distribution but a 0.4% (95%CI: 3.1%, 2.2%) decrease at the same percentile for White students.Our observations provide evidence not only on the overall importance of school IEQ on academic achievement, but also suggests a greater vulnerability or response to improved IEQ among socioeconomically disadvantaged students.

Load reduction instruction in science and students’ science engagement and science achievement.

Among a sample of 2,071 Australian high school students nested within 188 science classrooms, the present study explored the role of science teachers’ “load reduction instruction” (LRI; instruction that seeks to reduce cognitive load by appropriately balancing explicit instruction with guided autonomy) in student- and classroom-level science engagement and the role of engagement in student- and classroom-level science achievement. Using doubly latent multilevel structural equation modeling, results showed that, at the student- and classroom-level, student reports of their teacher’s LRI was significantly and positively associated with self-reported engagement, and engagement was significantly and positively associated with achievement. Thus, (a) LRI was associated with greater individual student engagement, that in turn was associated with greater individual student achievement in science, and (b) beyond student-level effects, LRI was associated with greater classroom engagement that in turn was associated with greater classroom achievement. We also found that the association between LRI and achievement was mediated by engagement. Implications for educational practice in science are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

MOTIVATING STUDENTS FOR ORAL FOREIGN LANGUAGE COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITY IN THE PROCESS OF DISTANCE LEARNING OF A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

The article analyzes the necessity of forming the motivation of students for oral foreign language communicative activity in the process of distance learning. The importance of motivation and self-motivation for learning in conditions of physical isolation is proved by numerous studies of modern scholars.The purpose of the article is to search for approaches to creating feedback between students and their motivation for foreign language communication in the context of distance learning. Such approaches, according to the author's conclusion are: attracting students to professional research activities, providing students with the initiative to create online collaboration groups, collaborating according to a well-coordinated plan, and identifying individual achievements of students. The effectiveness of the communicative method is defined in view of the applied didactical principle of conscious approach in the process of study a foreign language and practical implementation of this principle as teaching a foreign language based on the native language support.The significance of the students’ scientific work for the growth of their creativity, self-fulfillment, formation of creative critical thinking and the development of individual abilities in solving practical problems, identifying the initiative, expanding the theoretical world outlook and scientific erudition, and the conscious use of theoretical knowledge in future practical activities is obvious. Thus being one of the most important motivating factors for oral foreign language communicative activity in the process of distance learning students’ scientific research work is aimed at forming a culture of foreign language broadcasting, the formation of students’ reflective and research culture to interactively cooperate in the process of performing problem-oriented professional tasks,in the process of cooperation in small groups and creating public speaking skills. The purpose of involving students in research activities was to form a positive motive for learning, awareness of future psychologists about theoretical and practical significance of knowledge gained during the search and processing of professional information. It should be noted that the selection, approval of individual findings of each student by the teacher will help to form their motivation for further exploration and the need to share experiences with other students in the group.
 Keywords: distance learning, communication, foreign, motivation, self-motivation, cooperation, research activities, self-fulfillment.

Academic stars and Energy Stars, an assessment of student academic achievement and school building energy efficiency

Considerable efforts have been made to increase the energy efficiency of school buildings across the country. Despite this, limited research examines the relationship between energy efficiency and student productivity. We use a unique panel dataset from a suburban school district that includes information on school building energy efficiency, measured by Energy Star scores, and other environmental attributes of buildings, as well as measures of individual student achievement, measured by standardized test scores. The empirical analysis controls for student and school fixed effects and evaluates the relationship between school characteristics and achievement. Separate models also evaluate how school characteristics impact student health and behavioral outcomes and the how these outcomes influence student test scores. We find no evidence that Energy Star scores have an impact on the indoor school environment or student performance on standardized tests, suggesting that building energy performance does not come at a cost to the performance of building inhabitants. We also find positive relationships between building thermal comfort and visual quality and standard test scores. Overall, the results highlight the importance of considering both the environmental and human capital impacts associated with decisions about investments in school infrastructure.

CRITERIA-BASED ASSESSMENT AS THE WAY OF FORMING STUDENTS FUNCTIONAL LITERACY IN COMPUTER SCIENCE

For a long time, the primary approach to assessment was the normative approach when the individual achievements of students were compared with a particular norm (the results of most students). Recently, domestic pedagogical research has been developing a criteria-based approach to assessing academic achievement when students' achievements are compared with the amount of knowledge that needs to be acquired at a particular stage of training. This study aimed to determine the role of criteria-based assessment in the formation of students functional literacy in computer science and to build a criteria-based assessment model in the development of functional literacy beyond to demonstrate the effectiveness of the methods of formation of students functional literacy in computer science. The leading research methods were the criteria-based assessment methodology developed by the authors and the method of formative assessment. Some elements of the methodology of forming evaluation were considered. For further development of the methods for the formation of students functional literacy in computer science, a criteria-based assessment model has been built. The introduction of criteria-based assessment will allow to switch to a formative evaluation aimed at developing student competence. The evaluation, consisting of criteria that a student understands, stimulates him and makes the learning process meaningful. Based on practical experiments and the proposed criteria-based assessment, the effectiveness of methods for the formation of students functional literacy in computer science has been proved.

Matching between students and universities: What are the sources of inequalities of access to higher education?

AbstractIt is assumed that a perfect balance between student academic achievement and the quality of the university they attend is beneficial both for students and higher education institutions (HEIs). Matching theory predicts the existence of perfect match between the two groups in the absence of transaction costs associated with university enrolment. However, in this study we show cases of mismatch situations in Russia under the Unified State Exam—the standardised student admission mechanism. The reasons for minimal transaction costs and the emergence of unequal access to HEIs were studied. Based on data on Moscow high school graduates who entered university, the determinants of the mismatch between the quality of universities and applicant abilities were assessed. Whilst overall favourable matching results are established, we show that individual student achievement results are subject to the influence of school and family characteristics. Thus, inequality of access can be formed at stages preceding higher education enrolment.

Automation of multicriteria ranking of students using ePortfolio

Introduction. The paper considers improving the management quality of an educational organization through automating the personalized data collection, storage and ranking. The authors have developed a module of the university corporate system, an ePortfolio of students, which implements a multicriteria optimization method for calculating the students’ rating on the basis of the collected and stored data. The study object is multicriteria ranking methods. The subject of the study is the automated calculation of student’s rating within the electronic portfolio. The study objective is to develop tools for collecting, storing and processing data on individual achievements of students and the implementation of the mathematical method of multicriteria optimization for ranking students on the basis of the portfolio data. Practical implications include development of a tool for an effective management of the educational process.Materials and Methods. A prototype module of the university corporate system “ePortfolio” on the platform of 1C: Enterprise 8.3 is presented. To rank students, a special case of the alternative ranking method is implemented in the block of the data analysis module – pairwise comparison in order of their relative importance. At that, a unified scale of relations was used.Research Results. The authors described the scheme of the information system (IS) operation “ePortfolio”, presented a process interaction pattern for the portfolio formation, as well as a diagram of business processes under calculating an individual rating. A fragment of the sample is shown on which the performance of the multicriteria optimization block has been tested. The criteria of the calculations are described, as well as the rule of screening alternatives for solving for the optimum.Discussion and Conclusion. The paper presents the results of the IS block operation on ranking a list of students. The calculation results coincide with the practical data.

Exploring the Pygmalion effect: The role of teacher expectations, academic self-concept, and class context in students’ math achievement

Teacher expectancy effect (TEE) also known as the Pygmalion effect is a classic, yet still controversial phenomenon within educational psychology. In this paper, we examine TEE in a longitudinal study on a large sample (N = 1488) of Polish middle-school students and their teachers. Consistent with TEE, teachers’ higher expectations were positively related to students’ math achievement three semesters later, even after controlling for initial achievement. Students’ academic self-concept in math partially mediated the observed effect: teachers’ higher expectations translated into higher students’ academic self-concept, which consequently predicted their higher math achievement. Importantly, TEE was observed not only on the level of individual students, but also on class level. Higher expectations of the entire class improved individual achievements of students in these classes. Teachers’ higher expectations in relation to the potential of classes were observed in classes with higher average socioeconomic status and those without or with only very few students with disabilities. We discuss these findings in light of the mechanisms of TEE.

Environmental education of students by means of hydrobotany

Currently, environmental education is considered as a key principle of sustainable development of society and nature. It represents the uniform continuous educational process directed on development of a system of ecological knowledge, abilities, skills, valuable installations, experience of activity and competence of the careful attitude to environment and rational nature management. Hydrobotany has great opportunities in terms of environmental education of students. We consider hydrobotanics to be the science of aquatic plants, their communities, processes of overgrowing of ponds and streams. It studies the features of external and internal water macrophytes structure, their life processes, the relationship between them and the environment, diversity, distribution, introduction, role in nature and human life (outecology); composition and structure of aquatic phytocenoses, their production and destruction, as well as the processes of formation of aquatic vegetation and its dynamics (synecology). Hydrobotany has its purpose and objectives, object, subject and methods of research, open laws, special conceptual apparatus, history of development. It occupies a certain place in the system of sciences. In Samara State University of Social Sciences and Education Hydrobotany is included in the curriculum of the main professional educational programs of the bachelors degree Pedagogical education (majors Biology and Geography, Biology and Chemistry, Biology) as a discipline for students choice. We have developed a model of environmental education of students in the process of teaching Hydrobotany. It consists of four components: targeted, substantive, procedural, monitoring and evaluation. The target component-includes the purpose and objectives of the discipline Hydrobotany in the field of environmental education of students. Content component-covers the system of environmental knowledge on Hydrobotany; skills and experience of activities on the ecology of aquatic plants; value systems for aquatic plants and their communities; special competence of aquatic plants ecology study, their protection, careful and rational use. Procedural component-contains forms, methods, tools and technologies of environmental education. Control and evaluation component includes educational results; forms, types and methods of control, as well as a system of evaluation of individual achievements of students.

Class Composition and Student Achievement: Evidence from Portugal

We analyze the effects of several class compositional dimensions on individual student achievement. We make use of a rich dataset that allows tackling major endogeneity concerns stemming from non-random allocation of students between and within schools. We find that increasing the percentage of high achievers in a 6th grade class has a negative effect on student performance, while in a 9th grade class the effect is in general non-significant. Students with no past retentions do better with an increasing proportion of this same type of classmate. Larger shares of low-income classmates hurt performance in general. Apart from the past retention dimension in which there is evidence supporting students’ tracking, along all other compositional dimensions each class should reflect the respective school-grade population heterogeneity. Class composition rearrangements are estimated to provide a larger increment to performance than comparable reductions of class size. JEL codes: I21

Особливості застосування інтерактивних технологій навчання вищої математики в закладах вищої технічної освіти

The current state of mathematical preparation of students of engineering specialties can be characterized as not satisfying the basic level for successful mastery of special disciplines. In addition, the teaching of fundamental disciplines is carried out by outdated methods (75% of our anonymous teachers are reading their "own" courses academically). The question of finding ways to improve learning activities has been considered by many scholars at different times. Various methods were suggested: an increase in the amount of educational information; the introduction of specific psychological and didactic conditions of learning; use of educational technologies, etc. The study of modern concepts of training specialists led us to believe that creating an adequate learning environment that would provide the necessary conditions for the formation of cognitive-creative competence of future graduates of technical specialties in the process of higher mathematics education can be achieved through the use of: methods of predictive modeling of the professional activity of a future specialist; interdisciplinary connections and replenishment of the content of discipline with applied tasks in specialty; modular rating model of training; the newest person-oriented pedagogical technologies. Based on the identification of the requirements of the teachers of general technical and special disciplines for the knowledge of higher mathematics, we have developed a technology for forming the cognitive and creative competence of future specialists in technical specialties, which is to create an interactive, in combination with a traditional, learning environment, taking into account the individual achievements of students, implemented in the process of their training and future professional activities.

Matching between Students and Universities: What are the Sources of Inequalities of Access to Higher Education?

It is assumed that a perfect balance between student academic achievement and university quality is beneficial both for students and higher education institutions (HEIs). Matching theory predicts the existence of perfect matching between the two groups in the absence of transaction costs associated with university enrollment. However, in this study we show cases of mismatch situations in Russia under the Unified State Exam (USE) – the standardized student admission mechanism. This research studies the reasons for this phenomenon for minimal transaction costs and the emergence of unequal access to HEIs. Based on data on Moscow high school graduates who entered university, the determinants of the mismatch between the quality of universities and applicant abilities are assessed. It is shown that although in most cases favorable matching results are established, the individual student achievement results themselves are subject to the influence of school and family characteristics. Thus, inequality of access can be formed at stages preceding HEI enrollment.

The big-fish-little-pond effect on mathematics self-concept: Evidence from the United Arab Emirates

This study examined the big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE; Marsh, 1987) on mathematics self-concept of 7404 adolescents (female = 3767 [51%], male = 3637 [49%]; Mage = 15.85 years, SD = 0.28) from 456 schools in the United Arab Emirates, one of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. The results of multilevel regression analyses indicated good support for the BFLPE's theoretical predictions: the effect of individual student mathematics achievement on individual student mathematics self-concept was positive and statistically significant, whereas the effect of school-average mathematics achievement on individual student mathematics self-concept was negative and statistically significant. Moreover, the interaction between school-average mathematics achievement and individual student mathematics achievement was small and non-significant. Implications of the findings for policy and practice are briefly discussed.