International Study Of Achievement Research Articles

How robust are socio‐economic achievement gradients using PISA data? A case study from Germany

AbstractLarge‐scale international achievement studies such as PISA have been widely used to study how educational inequality compares across countries. Yet the various different biases that may affect these estimates are often not considered or are poorly understood. In this paper we draw upon the total survey error framework to provide a case study of the potential biases affecting estimates of the socio‐economic achievement gaps using PISA data from Germany. The results illustrate how procedural and measurement errors have a substantial impact upon estimates of socio‐economic achievement gradients in Germany, including how it compares with other countries. This leads us to conclude that estimates of socio‐economic achievement gaps using the PISA data for Germany do not seem to be particularly robust. More generally, we argue that better articulation and reporting of such challenges with comparing socio‐economic achievement gaps using large‐scale international assessment data such as PISA are needed.

Disentangling the individual and contextual effects of math anxiety: A global perspective

Math anxiety is a common affective disorder in students that is characterized by intrusive thoughts that disrupt critical cognitive resources required for math problem-solving. Consistent associations between math anxiety and math achievement have been observed across countries and age groups, placing math anxiety among other important correlates of math achievement, such as socioeconomic status and magnitude representation ability. However, studies examining math anxiety's relation to achievement have largely focused on the effect of students' own math anxiety (individual effect), while little is known regarding the effect of math anxiety in students' educational context (contextual effect). Using three international studies of achievement (n = 1,175,515), we estimated both the individual and contextual effects of math anxiety across the globe. Results suggest that while there are consistent individual effects in virtually all countries examined, the contextual effects are varied, with only approximately half of the countries exhibiting a contextual effect. Additionally, we reveal that teacher confidence in teaching math is associated with a reduction of the individual effect, and country's level of uncertainty avoidance is related to a lessening of the contextual effect. Finally, we uncovered multiple predictors of math anxiety; notably, student perception of teacher competence was negative related with math anxiety, and parental homework involvement was positively related with math anxiety. Taken together, these results suggest that there are significant between-country differences in how math anxiety may be related with math achievement and suggest that education and cultural contexts as important considerations in understanding math anxiety's effects on achievement.

On processes of coloniality and decoloniality of knowledge: notions for analysing the international history of mathematics teaching

The aspiration of this paper is to develop a novel approach towards investigating the socio-political history of mathematics teaching in educational systems. Traditionally, historical studies are confined to just one country, the author’s country. Broader approaches address international developments by confronting and comparing global and local aspects—revealing general patterns and more specific ‘local’ structures and characteristics. Yet, already in antiquity and medieval times, the specific characteristic of mathematics teaching, namely to operate at the crossroads of general education and vocational training, proved to be intimately tied to the functioning of the particular political system. In pre-modern times, however, a truly international pattern emerged for the first time: European powers conquered, occupied and colonised overseas regions. Given that educational systems were emerging at the same time within these states, they often transmitted elements of these structures to their colonies. This phenomenon included mathematics, and the history of its teaching is analysed here as a part of coloniality. It is shown that this was not a uniform process, and the differences between the various colonial powers are discussed. The involvement of mathematics in the process of decolonisation is addressed, as well as its role in the tension between continued coloniality and movements of decoloniality. Finally, the general framework provided for studying socio-political processes connected with establishing mathematics teaching within public educational systems is applied, in order to analyse recent coloniality practices effected by international achievement studies.

Characteristics of a secondary school with improved NAPLAN results

According to international studies of achievement in mathematics amongst Australian secondary school students, results have declined over time when compared with other countries. The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an Australian government initiative to measure whether students have the knowledge, understanding, skills and values required for a productive and rewarding life. This paper presents a case study of a school with improved NAPLAN numeracy results to provide insights into factors that influenced student performance. The findings are structured according to themes evident in the data. The discussion explores these themes in relation to Hattie’s areas of influence on success in students’ learning: the school, the student, the home, the curriculum, the teacher, and the approaches to teaching. Through the analysis of data collected from a variety of stakeholders in the school, this case study highlights the importance of school-wide policies towards learning mathematics and adopting effective approaches to teaching it. These insights have implications for teachers, school leaders and systems who are working towards improving numeracy results.

The (mis)use of the Finnish teacher education model: ‘policy-based evidence-making’?

Background: International achievement studies such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) have an increasing influence on education policy worldwide. The use of such data can provide a basis for evidence-based policy-making to initiate educational reform. Finland, a high performer in PISA, is often cited as an example of both efficient and equitable education. Finland’s teachers and teacher education have not only garnered much attention for their role in the country’s PISA successes, but have also influenced education policy change in England.Main argument: This article argues that the Finnish model of teacher education has been borrowed uncritically by UK policy-makers. Finnish and English philosophies of teacher preparation differ greatly, and the borrowing of the Finnish teacher education model does not fit within the teacher training viewpoint of England. The borrowed policies, thus, were decontextualised from the wider values and underpinnings of Finnish education. This piecemeal, ‘pick “n” mix’ approach to education policy reform ignores the fact that educational policies and ‘practices exist in ecological relationships with one another and in whole ecosystems of interrelated practices’. Thus, these borrowed teacher preparation policies will not necessarily lead to the outcomes outlined by policy-makers in the reforms.Sources of evidence: Two teacher preparation reforms in England, the University Training Schools (outlined in the UK Government’s 2010 Schools White Paper, The Importance of Teaching) and the Master’s in Teaching and Learning (MTL), are used to illustrate the problematic nature of uncritical policy borrowing. This article juxtaposes these policies with the Finnish model of teacher education, a research-based programme where all candidates are required to complete a Master’s degree. The contradictions exposed from this analysis further highlight the divergent practices of teacher preparation in England and Finland, or the disparate ‘ecosystems’. Evidence of educational policy borrowing in other settings is also considered.Conclusions: Both the MTL and the White Paper reforms overlook the ‘ecosystem’ surrounding Finnish teacher education. The school-based MTL contrasts with the research-based Finnish teachers’ MA. Similarly, the University Training Schools scheme, based on Finnish university-affiliated, teaching practice schools, contrasts heavily with the rest of the White Paper reforms, which contradict the philosophies and ethos behind Finnish teacher education by proposing the move of English teacher preparation away from the universities. The analysis highlights the uncritical eye through which politicians may view international survey results, looking for ‘quick fix’ options instead of utilising academic evidence for investigation on education and education reform.

Threats to validity when using open-ended items in international achievement studies: Coding responses to the PISA 2012 problem-solving test in Finland

ABSTRACTOpen-ended (OE) items are widely used to gather data on student performance in international achievement studies. However, several factors may threaten validity when using such items. This study examined Finnish coders’ opinions about threats to validity when coding responses to OE items in the PISA 2012 problem-solving test. A total of 6 discussions during 6 coder practice sessions (on 6 OE items) and an interview between 5 coders were audiorecorded and analyzed by means of content analysis, and 3 main threats to validity were found: (1) unclear and complex questions; (2) arbitrary and illogical coding rubrics; and (3) unclear and ambiguous responses. Suggestions are given as to how to respond to these threats in order to improve the validity of international achievement studies.

Social origin and success in answering mathematical word problems: The role of everyday knowledge

International achievement studies have repeatedly shown that working class children are less successful in mathematics than service class children. This study aims to contribute to an explanation for the achievement gap in mathematics. Based on the theoretical work of Bourdieu (1987) we investigate whether reference to everyday knowledge in mathematical items is linked to differences in the response behavior of working class and service class children. We develop a classification system to classify 31 TIMSS 2007 (primary school) items of average item difficulty as either “realistic” (i.e. the math problem is embedded in an everyday setting) or “pure” (i.e. the problem is not). The single item analyses of the correct response behavior showed that, net of cognitive ability and sex, class differences were more likely to occur in the group of realistic items than in the group of pure items. Other characteristics, such as item complexity, number of words (“wordiness”), mode of response, and cognitive/content domain, did not deliver a more systematic explanation of class related differences within or beyond the characteristic “realistic”/”pure”. The limitations of the study are discussed, as well as the study's implications for further research.

Household Possessions Indices as Wealth Measures: A Validity Evaluation

In international achievement studies, questionnaires typically ask about the presence of particular household assets in students' homes. Responses to the assets questions are used to compute a total score, which is intended to represent household wealth in models of test performance. This study uses item analysis and confirmatory factor analysis to assess the validity of assets indices as wealth measures in three educational surveys of primary or secondary school students. We find that scores generated from binary household asset items can reasonably be interpreted as predominantly measuring a single wealth factor, but some scores are imprecise, with between one-third and one-half of their variability attributable to measurement error. Our study illustrates the potential of psychometric analyses to contribute to improvement of the household wealth items administered in similar international achievement assessments.

Unwanted Literal Translation: An Underdiscussed Problem in International Achievement Studies

In international achievement studies, a common test is typically used which is translated into the languages of the participating countries. For the test to be valid, all the translations and different-language test versions need to be equally difficult to read and answer. An underestimated and underdiscussed threat to this validity is unwanted literal translation. This paper discusses the problem of unwanted literal translation in international achievement studies. It defines what is meant by unwanted literal translation and explains why it is a threat to the validity of international achievement studies and why it is so difficult to avoid. It also discusses problems there have been when translating these tests which may have promoted unwanted literal translation and provides suggestions on how to improve the translation practices so as to ensure that the translations are in as natural and idiomatic language as possible.

Globalization and the Growth of International Educational Testing and National Assessment

Education has long been characterized as a central requirement for national economic development and political democratization in the contemporary world. Moreover, international benchmarking has been identified as the “basis for improvement. . . . It is only through such benchmarking that countries can understand relative strengths and weaknesses of their education systems and identify best practices and ways forward” (OECD 2006, 18). Statements such as this example signal an international consensus that has emerged— at least among “developed” countries—about the legitimacy and, even more so, the necessity of international testing and national assessment. As David P. Baker and Gerald K. LeTendre (2005) observe, both international testing and national assessment are linked to efforts to reform educational systems and are often themselves stimuli for further cycles of reform. The results of international testing, they note, will fuel further interest in national assessment. Here we develop an argument about the global forces that have led to the explosive growth of national educational assessment and international testing. In particular, we argue that the international acceptance of testing comes from key ideological forces in the world polity that are associated with the accelerating globalization of national and international cultural, economic, and political structures. As we develop and warrant this argument, we also qualify it by pointing out that national adaptations to this larger world culture may vary depending on the presence and capacities of international organizations and regional associations that act to mediate and adapt these changes to conditions in individual countries. In addition, we consider the effects of subnational movements in introducing pressures for change that may favor more national assessment.

The Politics of Educational Borrowing: Reopening the Case of Achimota in British Ghana

Reflexion theorique sur Achimota, symbole du transfert pedagogique effectue entre les Etats-Unis, l'education industrielle des africains americains et le continent africain. Les auteurs reflechissent a la raison de ce transfert et aussi au mode d'implementation et de realisation du transfert en fonction des contextes economiques, geographiques et historiques.

International Study of Achievement in Mathematics— A Reanalysis

International Study of Achievement in Mathematics— A Reanalysis

The Use and Abuse of Comparative Education

The Use and Abuse of Comparative Education

The Complexities in the Learning of Mathematics

A few years ago, the academic community around the world focused its attention on an immense international attempt to study on the one hand the differences among the school systems of twelve countries and, on the other, their effect on ach ievement, interests. and attitudes of certain groups of school-attendi ng youngsters. Those objectives and their findings were reported through many publications, most notable in International Study of Achievement in Mathematics (Husén, 1967). These publications have motivated me to raise some serious questions.

Editorial Comment

One of the early decisions of the JRME Editorial Board (December 1968) was to occasionally devote a special issue of the journal to a review and analysis of a major research project. The first project chosen for discussion in a special issue was the International Study of Achievement in Mathematics.

On The Value of Status Studies in Education

A number of questions arose when one of my doctoral students reported on “The International Study of Achievement in Mathematics” in our research seminar. In light of the concerns expressed there and in thinking about the study, I feel that a few remarks might be helpful in pu tting this type of research in to better perspective.

Some Implications of the International Study of Achievement in Mathematics for Mathematics Educators

The report of the International Study of Achievement in Mathematics has been around for almost four years. During that time it has been damned and defended, distorted and dismissed. Now that the rest of the parade has moved on—the lEA to other curriculum subjects, the book reviewers to other books, the editorial writers and their readers to other diversionsit seems appropriate for mathematics educators to take stock of the study and its findings. In this article, I discuss some of the implications of the study in the hope that the reader will be moved to look at the report more closely, with a greater appreciation of what it does and docs not say.

Critiques of the International Study of Achievement in Mathematics: The Problem of Perspective

The International Study of Achievement in Mathematics is a truly magnificent accomplishment. The task of international comparison is difficult at best. The refinements of technique applied to the task were many and were generally well done, as might have been expected of the caliber of the research staff assembled. One must be impressed with the outcomes and with the wisdom shown in interpreting them. One may also properly rejoice in the establishment and continuation of a competent team in this area of research.

The Relevance of the Study to Teacher-Education Programs

The purpose of this article is to examine the relevance of the International Study of Achievement in Mathematics to those mathematics educators in volved in the preparation of teachers. While the explicit purpose of the Study is not to provide directions for teacher-education programs, the Study nevertheless examines questions which indirectly involve the training of mathematics teachers. While all of the hypotheses in the Study deal with some aspect of education as they relate to mathematics, some hypotheses, namely Hypotheses 12–26, arc involved with probl ems more directly related to the mathematics education community. In particular, Hypotheses 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, and 20. in the opinion of the writer, take on added significance when considering the preparation of mathematics teachers.

Some Implications of the International Study of Achievement in Mathematics for Mathematics Educators

Some Implications of the International Study of Achievement in Mathematics for Mathematics Educators