School-level Predictors Research Articles

The Relative Performance of Different Types of Primary Schools in Bangladesh: A Multilevel Modeling Approach

This study aims to compare the performance of public primary schools with private primary schools and ebtedayee madrasahs, and identify the significant predictors associated with school performance applying the multilevel model. Using the dataset collected (2015-2016) from 1230 fifth-grade students and 60 teachers of 60 primary schools of three different types (public, private, and madrasah) in the northern part of Bangladesh, we find that the performance of public primary schools is lower than that of private primary schools but higher than ebtedayee madrasahs. But after adjusting for student- and school-level predictors, the better effectiveness between public primary schools and private primary schools or public primary schools and ebtedayee madrasahs is disappeared. Finally, we find that the schools having optimum levels of teachers’ belief, school academic atmosphere and learners’ prior achievement, learning time; time needed to complete the homework, home academic atmosphere, self-educational expectation, and self-educational confidence are likely to achieve better performance. Recommendations are drawn to maintain the quality of primary education, one of the most important policy agendas, under the National Education Policy 2010 of Bangladesh or the policies of other countries that would ultimately enhance the probability of attaining the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4).

Exploring Predictors of Highly Effective Teachers Through Multilevel Model

This paper explored significant teacher and school level predictors of the status of highly effective teachers based on Florida teacher evaluation system employing a two-level multilevel analysis approach known as hierarchical generalized linear model (HGLM). The analysis used 3,895 teachers who taught students in Kindergarten to Grade 12 and 210 schools from one of the largest urban school districts in United States of America. In this study, teacher and school level data are used at level-1 and level-2 models, respectively. At teacher level, the results showed significant effects of percentage of student level demographic, academic, and disciplinary variables aggregated at teacher level as well as teacher’s experience and educational degree level. At school level, percentages of Black and percentage of Hispanic students showed significant effects on the status of highly effective teachers. The percentage of variance explained at school level is found 19.5% with an effect size of 0.44 which is determined as a “medium” size of school effect.

School-level predictors of conduct problems in adolescence: a longitudinal analysis of UK data

BackgroundConduct problems, which include aggression, lying, and stealing, can differ in terms of continuity and desistence across different stages of life, such as childhood and adolescence. Although several research efforts have investigated individual-level factors associated with continuity and desistence of conduct problems in adolescence, less is known about school-level factors that might underlie such patterns. MethodsWe undertook longitudinal latent class analysis to identify trajectories of conduct problems across adolescence (age 11–15 years) using the Learning Together study dataset (n=3901, 50·7% female), which includes adolescents in 40 state schools within Greater London, UK. We then investigated the role of several school-level factors (such as Ofsted rating, gender of students, school deprivation, school type, and school atmosphere, according to information gathered through the government website or through self-reported questionnaire) in predicting class membership using multinomial logistic regression. On the basis of the Bayesian Information Criterion and entropy, we selected the best fit model with two classes of conduct problems using three data points: a stable low and a moderate-high class across male and female students. A multi-level model was employed to account for school-level clustering. FindingsSeveral school-level factors predicted persistent patterns of conduct problems in male and female students separately, even after controlling for family-level confounders such as socio-economic status and family structure. However, positive school atmosphere was the factor that was most strongly associated with reduced risk of persistent conduct problems across male and female students. More specifically, a better school atmosphere at baseline was associated with lower risk of being in the moderate-high class for conduct problems in both female (OR 0·365, 95% CI 0·253–0·527) and male students (0·290, 0·186–0·451). InterpretationRelationships between teachers and students, sense of belonging to the school, and participation in school activities are aspects that researchers and schools should consider when implementing prevention and intervention programs for youth with conduct problems and antisocial behaviour. A strength of this study was that it included a large sample of adolescents. A limitation was that we did not investigate causality, which should be addressed in future research. FundingPartly supported by the NIHR through a funded intervention study called Learning Together (ISRCTN10751359).

Investigation of Change in Reading-Math-Science Literacy Scores in PISA Applications with Multivariate-Multilevel Model

The aim of this study is to determine the variables of school and student level that significantly affect the math-reading-science performance of Turkish students participating in PISA 2009-2012-2015 applications. Within the scope of this aim, gender, type of program, educational status of parents, educational opportunities at home, educational resources at home, educational facilities at home, economic-social-cultural status index were used. Regarding school level, school size, computer usability index, teacher-student ratio were included in the model. For the purpose of the study, data of PISA 2009-2012-2015 Turkish students were analyzed using the Multilevel-Multivariate Regression Model. According to the findings, it was observed that there were differences in math-reading-science scores among the schools. PISA 2009-2012 Turkey application of students' math-reading and science scores together predictor as revealing the student level, respectively, parental education status of variables, home educational resources, and in PISA 2015 application maternal education level, it is determined that the economic-social-cultural situation is. In all three applications, it was found that gender was the variable that predicted mathematics and reading performance significantly. PISA 2009 school-level predictors of Turkey as meaningful to the students of math-reading and science scores along with the application variables were found to be the teacher-student ratio. For PISA 2012 and PISA 2015, it was found that the school level variable which predicted academic achievement significantly was the usability index of computers. Based on the findings of the research, it may be suggested to reduce the disparity in student achievement among schools. Studies can be done to regulate the students' educational environments at home. Keywords: PISA, multivariate-multilevel model, academic achievement. DOI: 10.7176/JSTR/5-11-10

Student- and School-Level Predictors of High School Students’ Perceptions of School Climate: Implications for School Counselors

Assessing school climate provides schools and school counselors with critical information about the social and physical health of a school. Researchers have examined predictors of students’ perceptions of school climate, but most studies have included only a few school-climate domains, convenience samples, and excluded student disability status. To extend knowledge about predictors of school climate, we conducted a study of student- and school-level predictors of students’ perceptions of overall school climate and eight school-climate domains. Using student responses from 353,280 high school students in 440 high schools in Georgia and multilevel modeling, we found that students with disabilities report lower levels of peer social support, school safety, and peer victimization. We also found that students in racially homogenous schools have lower perceptions of school climate, particularly cultural acceptance. The results are then contextualized for school counselors to identify prevention and intervention programs to address students at-risk for lower perceptions of school climate.

Correlates of Overweight in Children and Adolescents Living at Different Altitudes: The Peruvian Health and Optimist Growth Study.

Background and Aim Overweight prevalence in children and adolescents shows great variability which is related to individual-level and environmental-level factors. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with overweight in Peruvian children and adolescents living at different altitudes. Methods 8568 subjects, aged 6–16 y, from the sea level, Amazon, and high-altitude regions were sampled. Overweight was identified using BMI; biological maturation and physical fitness were measured; school characteristics were assessed via an objective audit. Results Overweight prevalence decreased with age (28.3% at 6 y to 13.9% at 16 y); it was higher in girls (21.7%) than boys (19.8%) and was higher at the sea level (41.3%), compared with Amazon (18.8%) and high-altitude (6.3%) regions. Approximately 79% of the variance in overweight was explained by child-level characteristics. In Model 1, all child-level predictors were significant (p < 0.001); in Model 2, six out of nine added school-level predictors (number of students, existence of policies and practices for physical activity, multisports-roofed, duration of Physical Education classes, and extracurricular activities) were significant (p < 0.001); in Model 3, subjects living at high altitudes were less likely to be overweight than those living at the sea level. Conclusions Child- and school-level variables played important roles in explaining overweight variation. This information should be taken into account when designing more efficient strategies to combat the overweight and obesity epidemic.

National ethnic and racial disparities in disciplinary practices: A contextual analysis in American secondary schools

Previous research has documented ethnic/racial disparities in the implementation of school discipline, including exclusionary practices. The current study focused on ethnic/racial disparities in four types of school exclusionary policies through the Civil Rights Data Collection (2013–2014) based on 15,901 middle and 18,303 high schools from the United States. Consistent with an ecological model of multi-contextual influences, school- and region-level characteristics were tested in a multi-level analytic model. Sex, disability status, and ethnicity/race were estimated at level 1, with the following school-level predictors at level 2: proportion of youth eligible for free or reduced lunch, school size, diversity (percentage of students of different ethnicities/races in school), urban/suburban/rural locale, and region (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West). Findings provided robust evidence of persistent discrepancies in disciplinary practices across ethnic/racial groups. Specifically, African American students and students self-identifying as two or more races were found to be at greater risk for school discipline actions across all disciplinary measures in both middle and high schools. Regarding school-level variables, students from lower SES schools and smaller schools were at greater risk for some disciplinary measures. Unexpected findings were found for regional differences, as Midwestern schools had significantly higher rates for most disciplinary measures as compared to Southern schools. Moreover, ethnic/racial discrepancies were moderated by school-level characteristics, such that African American students and students self-identifying with two or more races were more likely to be disciplined at low SES schools and at schools with greater diversity.

청소년기 생애목표지향의 종단적 변화 탐색 : 학생 · 학교수준 예측변인과 진로성숙도 결과변인을 중심으로

청소년기 생애목표지향의 종단적 변화 탐색 : 학생 · 학교수준 예측변인과 진로성숙도 결과변인을 중심으로

Teacher victimization by students in China: A multilevel analysis.

The goal of this study is to examine individual-level and school-level predictors of teacher victimization (TV) by students in China based upon the multilevel social-ecological framework. A sample of 1711 teachers (7-12th grade) from 58 schools from eight provinces in mainland China completed measures of teacher victimization (i.e., physical TV, verbal TV, social TV, cyber TV, sexual harassment, and personal property offenses) by students, school-wide bullying and disciplinary practices, and demographics. In the present sample, 25.1% of teachers reported that they experienced at least one of the six forms of victimization from students in the past school year. Prevalence of teacher victimization ranged from 4.0% (physical victimization) to 16.8% (social victimization). Male teachers were more likely to experience all forms of TV and homeroom teachers were more likely than non-homeroom teachers to experience social TV. Schools with fewer students, but higher number of teachers, also had higher levels of TV. Student bullying and punitive disciplinary practices at the teacher level were associated with higher levels of most forms of TV. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Exploring the Predictors of College Readiness for Low Achieving High School Graduates Through Multilevel Modeling

For low achieving (at-risk) high school graduates, this article identified significant student and school level predictors of college readiness in reading and mathematics. This study employed a two-level hierarchical generalized linear model (HGLM) to explore the fixed and random effects. The study included 36 high schools where 3,784 students in reading and 2,903 students in mathematics with achievement levels 1 and 2 in both subjects were selected from one of the largest school districts in the United States. At the student level, grade point average (GPA), exceptional student education (ESE), English language learner (ELL), and Hispanic status of students were significant. At the school level, percentage of teachers with National Board certification, percentage of teacher effectiveness and advance degrees as well as average years of teaching experience were significant in predicting college readiness. The effect sizes, which ranged from .29 to .37, were determined to be small.

Examining individual- and school-level predictors of principal adaptation to teacher evaluation reform in the United States: A two-year perspective

New teacher evaluation reform efforts in the United States hold principals accountable for improving teaching and learning. Yet little is known about how effective principals are at these instructional leadership tasks or how principals experience and adapt to the demands of teacher evaluation reform over time. In the current study, principals ( n = 78) in a Race to the Top state—Illinois—completed an online survey after the first and second year of implementation of a new teacher evaluation system. Principals felt significantly more confident in how to conduct formal classroom observations, placed more value on student achievement data, and placed less value on additional artifacts over time. Individual- and school-level factors were related to some aspects of principals’ adaptations over time. Implications are discussed.

Individual- and school-level predictors of violence perpetration, victimization, and perceived safety in middle and high schools

ABSTRACTRelationships among individual- and school-level factors and students’ perpetration of violence, victimization, and safety were studied in two southeastern school districts (N = 26,160, Grades 6–12). Both student demographics (sex, ethnicity, and grade) and school level (high vs. middle school) were associated with perpetration, victimization, and perceived safety. After adjusting for only student demographics and school level, school poverty predicted more perpetration and poorer safety. After adjusting for all student- and school-level factors, school ethnic composition, absenteeism, and size were stronger predictors of perpetration and poor safety. Achievement predicted greater safety perceptions but more perpetration. Although larger schools had less perpetration, schools with fewer students per teacher were perceived as safer. Future research should examine constructs such as school climate and connectedness and student–teacher relationships.

Failure to meet aerobic fitness standards among urban elementary students.

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship of aerobic fitness with the elementary school environment and student characteristics among 4th and 5th grade children attending urban public schools in St. Louis, MO, USA. This cross-sectional study was conducted during 2012–2015 and included 2381 children (mean age 10.5 y) who completed the FITNESSGRAM® 20-m Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run. Healthy Fitness Zone (HFZ) was defined according to FITNESSGRAM® aerobic capacity criteria. Other student-level variables included age, race, National School Lunch Program eligibility, BMI z-score, weight status, and daily pedometer steps. School environment variables included playground features and playground safety, physical education and recess practices, and school census tract data on vacant houses and median household income. Bivariate analyses with sex stratification were used to identify student-level and school-level predictors of failure to achieve the aerobic HFZ; predictors were then included in a multivariable logistic regression model. Failure to meet the aerobic HFZ was observed among 33% of boys and 57% of girls. School environment was not predictive, but higher age and fewer daily steps were: each additional year of age was associated with 41% higher odds of failing to meet the aerobic HFZ among boys and 100% higher odds among girls. Conversely, each additional 1000 daily steps was associated with 15% (boys) and 13% (girls) lower odds of failure. Obesity posed a 60% higher risk of failure to meet HFZ among girls. These results highlight the importance of childhood physical activity opportunities, especially for girls residing in low-resource areas.

Adjustment outcomes of victims of cyberbullying: The role of personal and contextual factors

With many of today's youth utilizing technology to bully their peers, there is a need to better understand both predictors and consequences of cybervictimization. However, few researchers have employed a multi-level approach to jointly identify potential individual (e.g., gender) and school-level (e.g., urbanicity) predictors of cybervictimization, or examined a range of psycho-social and adjustment outcomes. The current study used survey data from 28,583 students from 58 high schools to explore the risk factors associated with cybervictimization. We also examined the association between cybervictimization and adjustment outcomes (e.g., psychological, academic), as well as a possible moderators (e.g., student connectedness) that may buffer youth from these negative outcomes. Self-report measures assessed experiences with cybervictimization, adjustment problems, and student connectedness using previously validated measures. A series of two-level hierarchical linear modeling analyses revealed that females, underclassman, and those who are traditionally victimized or were perpetrators of cyberbullying were at significantly increased risk of cybervictimization. Cybervictimization was also associated with an increased risk of psychological (internalizing problems, sleep problems, stress problems) and academic (truancy, poor grades) adjustment problems. However, student connectedness buffered the internalizing problems experienced by victims of cyberbullying. These findings extend prior research on cybervictimization predictors, outcomes, and buffers, and in turn inform the potential use of school-based efforts aimed at preventing cyberbullying.

Positive mental health and supportive school environments: A population-level longitudinal study of dispositional optimism and school relationships in early adolescence

ObjectivesThe present study examined the degree to which early adolescents' relationship experiences in school (i.e., peer group belonging, peer victimization, and supportive relationships with adults)—at the individual level and at the school-level—were associated with their dispositional optimism, concurrently and over time. MethodSelf-report data from over 4000 4th and 7th graders were obtained via a population-level measure designed to assess students' supportive relationships, well-being, and resilience (i.e., the Middle Years Development Instrument). An indicator for family income (SES) was obtained through tax filer information. ResultsMultilevel modeling revealed that in Grade 4, greater peer belonging, fewer experiences of peer victimization, and higher levels of adult support in school were linked to higher optimism, above and beyond the effects of sex, age, English as a Second Language (ESL), and SES. Additionally, school-wide levels of peer belonging and adult support (i.e., indicators of a supportive social school climate) were significant positive school-level predictors of optimism. Longitudinally, school-wide peer belonging in Grade 4 was associated to increases in students' optimism from 4th to 7th grade. ConclusionsThe findings suggest that positive relationship experiences in school are key contributors to positive mental health, over and above the absence of negative relationship experiences (i.e., victimization). These findings also suggest that being embedded in a school with a positive social relational climate contributes to students' current and future positive mental health, over and above individual relationships with peers and adults. The present research extends previous research by identifying contextual assets that are linked to dispositional optimism and can be applied in the context of school-based intervention programs to promote positive mental health in schools.

Compliance of Adolescent Girls to Repeated Deployments of Wrist-Worn Accelerometers.

This study aimed to determine the cross-sectional and cumulative compliance of adolescent girls to accelerometer wear at three deployment points and to identify variables associated with compliance. Girls from 20 secondary schools were recruited: 10 schools were participating in the "Girls Active" intervention and 10 were control schools. Physical activity was measured using the GENEActiv accelerometer worn on the nondominant wrist 24 h·d for up to 7 d at baseline, 7 months, and 14 months. Demographic and anthropometric characteristics were recorded. Seven valid days (≥16 h) of accelerometer wear was obtained from 83%, 77%, and 68% of girls at baseline (n = 1734), 7 months (n = 1381), and 14 months (n = 1326), respectively. Sixty-eight percent provided 7 valid days for both baseline and 7 months, 59% for baseline and 14 months, and 52% for all three deployment points. Estimates of physical activity level from 3 d of measurement could be considered equivalent to a 7-d measure (i.e., they fell within a ±5% equivalence zone). Cross sectionally, 3 valid days was obtained from at least 91% of girls; cumulatively, this was obtained from ≥88% of girls across any two deployment points and 84% of girls across all three deployment points. When controlling for clustering at school level and other potential predictors, physical activity level, being South Asian, being in the intervention group, and prior compliance were positively associated with monitor wear. Compliance reduced across deployment points, with the reduction increasing as the deployment points got further apart. High prior compliance and high physical activity level were associated with the most additional wear time.

Student Mobility in Multilevel Growth Modeling: A Multiple Membership Piecewise Growth Model

ABSTRACT This study proposes a new model, termed the multiple membership piecewise growth model (MM-PGM), to handle individual mobility across clusters frequently encountered in longitudinal studies, especially in educational research wherein some students could attend multiple schools during the course of the study. A real data set containing some students who switched elementary schools was used to demonstrate and explain the MM-PGM. Parameter and model fit differences were compared between the MM-PGM and two other techniques for handling student mobility: the first school-PGM, which only used school membership at the first measurement occasion, and the delete-PGM, which removed mobile students from the analysis. Results indicated that the three approaches of handling mobile students led to different conclusions about the impact of school-level predictors of growth parameters and the school-level variability in the growth rates. Furthermore, deleting mobile students altered the impact of student-level predictors compared to the other two approaches.

An examination of student reading outcomes following tier II exit decisions

The current study examined reading skills at two distal time-points for 6828 students who received support from a tier II reading intervention program in the 2015 and 2016 school years. The first follow-up assessment occurred at the end of the year in which intervention was provided and the second assessment occurred at the beginning of the next year. Multilevel models were fit to the data to predict the log odds that a student would meet spring and fall reading benchmarks depending on a variety of student- and school-level predictors. Of most interest was the probability of future success as a function of whether students met intervention exit criteria, defined as consistent grade-level performance on a progress monitoring measure. Meeting intervention exit criteria was a statistically and practically significant predictor of scoring above the spring and fall benchmark the following school year. Yet despite improved outcomes relative to students not exited from the intervention, many students who met exit criteria due to grade-level performance failed to meet spring and fall benchmarks. The proportion of students meeting state-defined proficiency criteria, duration of intervention, and proportion of students receiving free or reduced lunch at the school-level did not influence the association between meeting exit criteria and scoring above benchmark at either screening period. Results suggest that future research is needed to evaluate and guide “downward movement” in an RtI model (i.e., ensuring gains made during tier II intervention are maintained after that support is removed).

Creating Democratic Class Rooms in Asian Contexts: The Influences of Individual and School Level Factors on Open Classroom Climate

Purpose: Literature indicates that open classroom climate (OCC) is a positive influence on civic outcomes. Few studies have explored factors that appear to facilitate OCC. Most research on OCC has focused on Western countries. The emphasis has been on individual student characteristics related to OCC with little attention made to school level effects. The purpose of the present study was to investigate both individual and school level influences on OCC using Asian student samples. Methodology: Data were drawn from the five Asian societies that participated in the 2009 International Civics and Citizenship Education Study. Multilevel regression analysis was used to test individual and school level relationships in the data. Findings: There were significant differences among the five societies with regard to student perceptions of OCC. At the individual level, results showed the importance of good student-teacher relationships, students’ discussion experiences outside school, and civic participating at school for promoting OCC. Civic knowledge and self-efficacy were positively related to OCC in four Asian societies. The roles of school level predictors differed from society to society, some predictors even working in the opposite direction. Different cultural contexts, local policies, and school system characteristics might account for these differences.

A multilevel study of position effects in PISA achievement tests: student- and school-level predictors in the German tracked school system

Position effects (PE) cause decreasing probabilities of correct item responses towards the end of a test. We analysed PEs in science, mathematics and reading tests administered in the German extension to the PISA 2006 study with respect to their variability at the student- and school-level. PEs were strongest in reading and weakest in mathematics. Variability in PEs was found at both levels of analysis. PEs were stronger for male students, for students with a migration background (science and mathematics), and for students with a less favourable socio-economic background (reading). At the school level, PEs were stronger in lower school tracks and in schools with a high proportion of students with a migration background. The relationships of the test scores with the covariates partly reflected the covariates’ relationships with PEs. Our findings suggest that PEs should be taken seriously in large-scale assessments as they have an undesirable impact on the results.