Science Achievement Scores Research Articles

Instructional Clarity in Science Lessons: High-Achieving Students’ Motivation to Learn Science and Perception of Science Utility Value

The study deals with the relevance of instructional clarity in science lessons to eighth-grade school students’ motivation and perceptions of science utility value. A secondary analysis of data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) was carried out for countries whose students' science achievement scores were higher than the TIMSS 2019 scale center point. The results revealed that instructional clarity increases high-achieving students’ motivation and perception of science utility value.

Looking beyond enrollment rates: The long-term influence of preschool science curricula on children’s science achievement

This study provides evidence that what happens in preschool (i.e., preschool curriculum) can have long-term consequences years later. In the current study, we seek to answer the question of whether the inclusion of science in the preschool curriculum is associated with fourth- and eighth grade science achievement scores. Based on science achievement data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 2015 and 2019 cycles), the quality of preschool science learning opportunities showed long-term impacts on science achievement at the fourth grade level. Even after controlling for enrollment rates, the quality of the preschool curricula was a statistically significant predictor of fourth grade science scores with a high effect size (d=0.74). The observed impacts, however, appeared to diminish by eighth grade. Results from this study suggest that science concepts and skills should be an integral part of preschool curricula and curricular frameworks, and policy makers should allocate resources to provide well-designed preschool education programs with high quality curricula.

Gender Gap in STEM Pathways: The Role of Gender-Segregated Schooling in Mathematics and Science Performance

According to the World Economic Forum, the occupational gender gap with men dominating well-remunerated STEM careers is a key factor in the gender pay gap. However, the problem of underrepresentation of women in STEM fields is mitigated or reversed in some Eastern European and Islamic countries. This disparity suggests that cultural factors are at play. Gender-segregated schooling, which is commonly practiced in Islamic countries, is often seen as a contributing factor. However, the issue of gender-segregated education sparks much controversy. Critics argue evidence is lacking, and segregation may foster sexism and hinder social skills.In New Zealand, there is a significant opportunity to conduct research on gender segregation, as approximately 14.43% of girls and 14.35% of boys attend single-gender schools for their secondary (high school) education. In contrast to the USA and Australia, where single-gender schooling is predominantly offered by private and/or Catholic schools, the majority of New Zealand gender-segregated schools are state schools.Utilising the TIMSS 2019 dataset, our analysis revealed that girls from low socio-economic backgrounds and boys from higher socio-economic backgrounds who attend single-gender schools exhibit significantly higher mathematics and science achievement scores compared to their counterparts in co-educational settings. This success is particularly striking for girls in low socio-economic settings. Given mixed international evidence, this suggests that there must be protective factors at single-gender New Zealand schools, positively influencing these students. We examine potential factors setting apart girls-only schools to provide an explanation of our results: (1) a mitigated influence of gender socialisation practices and stereotype threat and (2) explicit messaging aimed at challenging stereotypes and empowering girls to actively engage in STEM fields.

Understanding the relation between socioeconomic status and elementary science achievement: A quantile regression approach

AbstractA student's socioeconomic status (SES) has a significant relation to their academic achievement. Much of this work has explored this in math and reading, but less is known about how SES relates to science achievement, particularly in the early grades. Using quantile regression with nationally representative data, we explored this relation in 12,676 kindergarten students (51.2% boys, 52.2% White, 21.8% Hispanic, 12.7% Black and 6.6% Asian) and 10,339 fifth‐grade students (51.3% boys, 49.4 White, 27.2% Hispanic, 9.4% Black and 8.2% Asian). We found less variability in science achievement scores for those high on SES than those low on SES. The scores of the high SES students cluster together on the high end of science achievement, whilst those from low SES score across the distribution. These findings highlight the need to explore what can mitigate the relation between SES and science achievement and where resources to support science achievement are most needed.

Predicting science achievement scores with machine learning algorithms: a case study of OECD PISA 2015–2018 data

Predicting science achievement scores with machine learning algorithms: a case study of OECD PISA 2015–2018 data

Exploring Impact of Demographic Variables on Science Achievement of 8th and 9th Grade Students

Quality of science education is under consideration by educationists and researchers.Achievement in science subjects, as an indicator of the quality of science education, not only determines the students' performance but helps the teachers to evaluate their teaching strategies. This study is an effort to explore the factors related to scientific achievement from a Pakistani perspective. A sample of1149 students from 37 public schools of 8th and 9th grades was taken. Results show that parental qualification and maternal job status effect significantly on students' science achievement. Female students were significantly higher than male students, and grade 8 students were significantly higher than grade 9 students in their science achievement scores. The students whose parents were involved indifferent occupations differ significantly in their achievement in a science subject(s). Parental education and their occupational profile are associated with students' science achievement scores. Hence the more responsible role of teachers, parents and school is recommended.

Comparability of Feedback in PISA 2015 across Culturally Diverse Countries

The aim of this study was to investigate the comparability of feedback across culturally diverse countries by assessing the measurement invariance in PISA 2015 data. A multi-group confirmatory factor analysis showed that the feedback scale implemented in PISA 2015 was not invariant across countries. The intercepts and residuals of the factor model were clearly not the same, and the factor loadings also differed. Model fit slightly improved when the more individualism-oriented countries were separated from the more collectivism-oriented countries, but not to an acceptable level. This implies that the feedback results from PISA 2015 have a different meaning across countries, and it is necessary to be careful when making cross-cultural comparisons. However, the absence of measurement invariance did not affect the relationship between feedback and science achievement scores. This means that feedback, as measured by PISA 2015, can be compared across culturally different countries, although the current form of this scale lacks important, culturally specific elements.

EVALUATION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 4 ON GENDER AND PUPILS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN BASIC SCIENCE IN SOKOTO STATE, NIGERIA

This study is on evaluation of sustainable development goal 4 on gender and pupils’ academic achievement in basic science in Sokoto State, Nigeria. It is a descriptive study in which a survey research design is employed. The population for this study was 256 pupils (105 males and 151 females). One research question and one hypothesis was stated and analyzed. Achievement Test Questionnaire (ATQ) was the instrument used for data collection. Mean and Standard Deviations were used to answer research question while hypothesis was analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The finding revealed a significant difference between the mean Basic Science achievement scores of male and female pupils taught by teachers trained under SDG and those not trained under SDG in Sokoto State. It could be concluded that SDGs teachers retraining programme is an important exercise for teacher professional development and pupil academic achievement in Basic Science with respect to gender.. It is therefore recommendation that government, NGOs and other stakeholders in education should lay emphasis on pedagogical skills assessment and follow-up evaluation after the training to ensure effective and efficient implementation and achievement the goal 4 of SDG before the expiration time.

EVALUATION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 4 ON BASIC SCIENCE AND PUPILS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN SOKOTO STATE, NIGERIA

This study is on evaluation of sustainable development goal 4 on pupils’ academic achievement in basic science in Sokoto State, Nigeria. It is a descriptive study in which a survey research design is employed. One research question and one null hypothesis was stated and analyzed. The sample pupils for this study were 256. There instruments used to collect data for the study is Basic Science Examination Questionnaire (BSEQ). The research question was answered using means and standard deviations while the hypothesis was tested using t-test at p≤0.05 level of significance. The result revealed a significant difference between the mean Basic Science achievement scores of pupils taught by teachers trained under SDG and that of pupils taught by teachers not trained under SDG in Sokoto State. It was therefore recommended that professional bodies such as Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN) and NGO’s should focus on assessment of pedagogical skills as well as follow up evaluation procedure for on the spot observation of teachers’ competence.

Determination of the Characteristics Predicting Science Achievement through the Classification and Regression Tree (CART) Method: The Case of TIMSS 2015 Turkey

In the current study, it was aimed to determine student, teacher and school characteristics that predict science achievement of eight grade students in Turkey. In the study, the data of TIMMS 2015 were used and the study group was comprised of a total of 6079 students and 220 teachers from 218 different schools. As the data collection tools, the eighth grade science achievement test used in TIMMS 2015 and the scales administered to students and teachers and reflecting student, teacher and school characteristics were used. Since there was a multi-level data structure where students were nested in schools, the created model was analyzed by using the RE-EM algorithm, which enables multi-level data structures to be analyzed through the classification and regression tree (CART) method. The predicted variable of the model was students’ science achievement scores and the predictor variables were the seventeen student, teacher and school characteristics expressed in the scales. According to the results obtained, it was determined that five of the seventeen predictor variables predicted the students’ science achievement, which are students confident in science, student bullying, teaching limited by student needs, school discipline problems and school emphasis on academic success. It has been observed that students who have students confidence in science, level of bullying they are exposed to, emphasis on academic success in their schools, school discipline problems in their schools are more, and whose teachers stated that they have more teaching limited by student needs, are more successful.

Science Learning Through Interactive Teaching Method: An Experimental Study

An experimental study was conducted to find the impact of interactive teaching methods on science learning. 70 students from seventh grade were selected to participate in this study. A control group with 35 randomly assigned students was taught by the traditional lecture method and an experimental group with another 35 students was taught by an interactive teaching method. A pre-test was conducted before implementing the intervention to measure the baseline score while a post-test was administered to measure the impact of the intervention. An ANCOVA (Analysis of Covariance) was used to find the significant difference in science achievement scores of students between the traditional teaching method and interactive teaching method after controlling the effect of pre-test scores. There was a significant difference in students' science achievement scores between students in the traditional teaching group and students in the interactive teaching group, F (2, 67) = 153.47, p <.001 h2 = .82. It was concluded that the interactive teaching method significantly improves student science learning.

Identifying Turkish students’ profiles of using information and communication technologies and its relationship with their academic achievement: A latent class analysis approach

In this study, 15-year-old Turkish students’ profiles of using ICT at home and at school were identified, and the extent to which these profiles were associated with their academic achievement was determined. Moreover, the study investigated the effects of the students’ age of first usage of digital device and internet, their gender and their parents’ education level on the students’ ICT usage profiles. In the study, by using Latent Class Analysis, Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 Turkey data were analyzed ( n = 6890). According to the findings obtained in the study, it was revealed that the students who used ICT resources at high level at home and at school constituted the smallest class (8% of the sample). The students whose mothers’ levels of education were high and those who were male had a higher probability of being a member of the high-level ICT user class. In addition, the students who started using their first digital devices and the Internet at later ages were less likely to be a member of the class using high-level ICT. Finally, the students in the high-level ICT user class had low mathematics, reading, and science achievement scores.

Multilevel Effects of Student Qualifications and In-Classroom Variables on Science Achievement

This research aims to determine the effects of student qualifications and some in-classroom variables related to the school teaching process on the TIMSS science achievement of 4th-grade students in Turkey. It was also aimed to determine the variables that contributed the most to explaining the achievement differences between schools at the student and classroom levels in this study, which was conducted with a causal comparison pattern. The sample of the study consists of 6378 students and classroom teachers of these students. The data of this group was analyzed using the Two-Level Hierarchical Linear Model (HLM). The effects of absenteeism, not having breakfast, use of technology in school, use of technology outside school and home on science achievement scores were found to be statistically significant as a result of HLM analysis. Teachers’ perceptions of the inadequacy of the school's facilities and resources, giving feedback on homework, discussing homework in the classroom, and explaining the answers given by the students in the classroom have significant effects on science achievement at the classroom level. These results are related to students in improving the academic performance of primary school students and reveal the importance of a number of psychological and physical characteristics that may affect the teaching process positively or negatively.

Investigating the Interrelationships among Science and Mathematics Achievement, Attitudes towards STEM, and Gender

This study aimed to investigate the interrelationships among high school students’ science and mathematics achievement, attitudes towards STEM and gender. The participants of the study were 446 public high school students (240 females, 206 males) from two cities in Turkey. They were 10th, 11th, and 12th grade level students selected from two different kinds of schools which are Anatolian Religious High School and Anatolian High School. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to determine the relationships among the variables of the study. It was found that mathematics achievement and science achievement are significantly and positively associated with students’ mathematics attitudes, and science attitudes, but negatively related to students’ attitudes towards engineering and technology. On the other hand, 21st-century skills were not found to be significantly associated with both mathematics achievement and science achievement. The results also indicated that female students had higher mathematics and science achievement scores than male students. However, male students had more interest in engineering departments. The results of the study also imply the importance of the indirect effect of attitudes towards STEM on the relationship between students’ achievement and gender.

Teacher-Directed Learning Approaches and Science Achievement: Investigating the Importance of Instructional Explanations in Australian Schools

This study investigated the relationships of teacher-directed approaches with science achievement in Australian schools. The data for this study were drawn from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 database and analysed using multilevel modelling (MLM). MLMs were estimated to test the contribution of each item to students’ science achievement scores and to estimate the mediation effect of teacher explanations on these relationships. Only explicit, teacher-directed practices demonstrated a significant, positive association with science achievement. The positive, significant nature of the item ‘the teacher explains scientific ideas’ (B = 29.61, p < 0.001) suggested that this practice should take place in all science lessons. In the mediation model, the explicit, teacher-directed approaches in the inquiry scale revealed a significant indirect effect on science achievement, through the process of the teacher explaining scientific ideas. This indicated that effective explanations also underpin other instructional approaches such as contextualised science learning. These findings, accompanied by an analysis of the teacher-directed items and their relationships to science outcomes, give teachers and policymakers clear guidance regarding the effective use of instructional explanations in the science classroom.

Students’ epistemological beliefs from grade level perspective and relationship with science achievement in Kenya

ABSTRACT This study investigated the influence of grade level on the development of science epistemological beliefs and the relationship between science epistemological beliefs and science achievement among co-educational secondary schools of Homa Bay County, Kenya. The study employed cross-sectional and correlational survey designs with purposive sampling. Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ) was used to measure science epistemological beliefs. The instrument was administered to 214 students from 2 co-educational schools (Grade 9, n = 116, Grade 12, n = 98). Students’ achievement in Biology, Chemistry and Physics were computed for Science Achievement Scores (SAS). The data were analysed by grade level using independent sample t-tests and by dimensions and achievement scores using multiple regression analysis. The findings indicate statistically significant grade level differences in terms of source, certainty and development and non-significant grade level differences in terms of justification. The findings also indicate that certainty and justification dimensions were significant predictors of science achievement. It is concluded that grade level has an influence on development of epistemological beliefs (source, certainty and development) and certainty and justification dimensions were predictors of science achievement. Implications for practice and further research are herein explained.

Teacher characteristic as predictors of performance of mathematics and science in junior secondary grades in Batticaloa zone, Sri Lanka

This study was carried out the teacher characteristics as predictors of performance of mathematics and science subject in junior secondary grades. The sample was selected 400 students who were studied in grades 6, 7, 8, and 9 and 80 mathematics and science teachers who were taught in their classes selected from 40 secondary type II School in the Batticaloa district. The schools in Batticaloa district were stratified into semi-urban and rural schools. The following research instruments were selected and used in the study. The questionnaire consists of two sections. The section A has measured the teacher’s qualification and their experience. The section Bhas measured the other three characteristics of the teacher. The part I contains items that measured the teacher’s attitudetowards the teaching of mathematics and science. While part II has measured the self-efficacy and part III has measured interest of the teacher towards the teaching of the subject. Mathematics and Science Achievement Scores (MSAS) was used to gather student’s academic achievement of mathematics and science. Two null hypotheses were postulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance to theimpact of teacher characteristics on students’ achievement in mathematics and science. The data collected were analysed using Pearson’s Product Movement Correlation statistical procedure and simple regressions analysis was used to this study for analysed. The criterion measure or dependent variable was academic achievement in mathematics and science while the predictor or independent variables were teacher self-efficacy, interest, attitude, qualification and experience. The result showed that, there are significant relationship between self-efficacy, interest and attitude and their student’s performance. The R2 of the above independent variables are 0.236, 0.156 and 0.075 respectively. Therefore, the results confirm that teacher self-efficacy is the best predictor of student’s achievement of mathematics and science. The predictor variables taken against the criterion-variables yielded a coefficient of correlation ( r ) of 0.396 and coefficient of determination (R2) is 0.156. The value of 84.4%. of the variance in mathematics and science achievement is accounted for by other variables unexplained by the data.

Teacher characteristic as predictors of performance of mathematics and science in junior secondary grades in batticaloa zone, Sri Lanka

This study was carried out the teacher characteristics as predictors of performance of mathematics and science subject in junior secondary grades. The sample was selected 400 students who were studied in grades 6, 7, 8, and 9 and 80 mathematics and science teachers who were taught in their classes selected from 40 secondary type II School in the Batticaloa district. The schools in Batticaloa district were stratified into semi-urban and rural schools. The following research instruments were selected and used in the study. The questionnaire consists of two sections. The section A has measured the teacher's qualification and their experience. The section Bhas measured the other three characteristics of the teacher. The part I contains items that measured the teacher's attitudetowards the teaching of mathematics and science. While part II has measured the self-efficacy and part III has measured interest of the teacher towards the teaching of the subject. Mathematics and Science Achievement Scores (MSAS) was used to gather student's academic achievement of mathematics and science.

IDENTIFYING THE CONNECT BETWEEN STUDENTS’ SCIENCE ANXIETY LEVELS AND THEIR ACHIEVEMENT IN SCIENCE

This study aims to explore the effect of an affective variable 'science anxiety' on students' achievement in science subject. By affective we refer to the learners' affect such as emotions, feelings, moods and attitudes involved in teaching-learning process. The chosen sample comprised of 1134 students (532 boys and 602 girls) of class X from 34 schools of Aizawl district of Mizoram. An adapted version of 'Science Anxiety Questionnaire' was used with some indigenous modifications to assess the level of science anxiety amongst the sample. The science anxiety scores of students were correlated with their science achievement scores obtained in class X board examination. Past researches have recognized 'science anxiety' as a negative affect responsible for student's underperformance in science. However, in the present finding the correlation coefficient value was found to be 0.1 indicating a very low but statistically significant positive relationship. This suggested that a minimum threshold level of science anxiety positively becomes the achievement in science. Anxiety levels were found to differ significantly between high and low science achievers, interestingly the high achievers (upper 27%) were found to be more science anxious suggesting that the very low positive relationship between the science anxiety and science achievement of students was contributed more from the high achievers. The findings revealed a significant difference between science anxiety levels of boys and girls, the latter being more science anxious. The chi-square analysis also supported that science anxiety is not independent of gender. KEYWORDS: Achievement in Science, Affect and Science, Science Anxiety, Secondary School Students

A promising science and literacy instructional model with Hispanic fifth grade students

This study evaluated the Science and Literacy Instructional Model aimed at helping primarily Hispanic bilingual/English Learners (ELs) and economically disadvantaged fifth grade students with science achievement as measured by high-stakes standardized science achievement scores. The model combined purposeful planning, innovative academic vocabulary instruction, and a Lesson Design Lab. Difference-in proportions tests were used to determine if students at two school campuses showed positive achievement gains on a state science test. This study found statistically significant results with medium to large effect sizes at both campuses. Findings contribute to much needed research, practice, and policy in the area of effective models to assist both teachers and students in an era of high-stakes testing.