Variance In Mathematics Achievement Research Articles

Mathematics Achievement as a Function of Within- and Between-School Differences

Achievement in mathematics of eighth-grade students is modeled as a function of within-school, between-school and cross-country differences. The data were obtained from 217,728 students, within 7,216 secondary schools, in 48 countries, who participated in the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. Multilevel analysis showed that out of the total variance in mathematics achievement, 40.39%, 20.61%, and 38.99% were accounted for within-school, between-school-within-country, and cross-country differences, respectively. Mathematics self-concept followed by socioeconomic status was the strongest predictor of achievement at the student level. At the school level, school location yielded the strongest link to achievement, while at the country level socioeconomic status was the main predictor of national mathematics average.

Modeling achievement in mathematics: the role of learner and learning environment characteristics

This study examined a structural model of mathematics achievement among Druze 8th graders in Israel. The model integrates 2 psychosocial theories: goal theory and social learning theory. Variables in the model included gender, father's and mother's education, classroom mastery and performance goal orientation, mathematics self-efficacy and self-regulated learning, mastery and performance goals, and mathematics achievement. Data on learner and learning environment variables and achievement in mathematics were collected from 273 boys and girls. Results indicate appropriate fit of the model for the entire sample. Invariance analysis across gender indicated that only 2 of the 11 path coefficients, mother's education on mathematics achievement and classroom mastery goal orientation on self-regulation, were not invariant across gender. The same pattern of relationships accounted for different amounts of variance in mathematics achievement for boys and girls.

Explaining learning gaps in Namibia: The role of language proficiency

In a multilingual context, this study investigates the role on mathematics achievement of the provision of instruction in the home language. It compares characteristics of 5048 Grade 6 learners in 275 Namibian schools. The outcome variable is the standardized SACMEQ mathematics score collected in year 2000. Hierarchical linear modeling is used to partition the total variance in mathematics achievement into its within- and between-school components. The results do confirm the significant role of low language skills on the overall low mathematics scores, which may question the effectiveness and equity of the current bilingual policy.

Parental Involvement as a Correlate of Pupils' Achievement in Mathematics and Science in Ogun State, Nigeria.

This study investigated the achievement of pupils in the public and private primary schools in mathematics and science. The descriptive survey research design was employed to carry out this study. Four hundred and eighty (480) pupils from thirty primary schools in Ogun State, Nigeria were randomly selected for this study. From the results of this study, parental involvement accounts for 16.1% of the total variance in mathematics achievement of primary school pupils (R2 = 0.161, p < 0.05) and 13.5% of the total variance in pupils’ achievement in science (R2 = .057, p < 0.05) .These percentages are significant at 0.05 level of confidence. It shows that parental involvement is an important predictor of mathematics and science achievement. There exists a significant difference in the parental involvement of public and private primary school pupils (t = -9.68, p < 0.05). Private school pupils enjoy more parental involvement than their counterparts in the public schools. Teachers and Counsellors need to enlighten parents on the need to personally get involved in the academic activities of their children. Key words: Parental involvement, science, achievement, mathematics achievement, teacher, pupils

The importance of number sense to mathematics achievement in first and third grades

Children's symbolic number sense was examined at the beginning of first grade with a short screen of competencies related to counting, number knowledge, and arithmetic operations. Conventional mathematics achievement was then assessed at the end of both first and third grades. Controlling for age and cognitive abilities (i.e., language, spatial, and memory), number sense made a unique and meaningful contribution to the variance in mathematics achievement at both first and third grades. Furthermore, the strength of the predictions did not weaken over time. Number sense was most strongly related to the ability to solve applied mathematics problems presented in various contexts. The number sense screen taps important intermediate skills that should be considered in the development of early mathematics assessments and interventions.

Study Orientation and Causal Attribution in Mathematics Achievement

The empirical relationship between study orientation as measured by the Study Orientation in Mathematics Questionnaire (SOM) and achievement in mathematics was investigated for Grade 9 learners from five racially integrated, secondary schools in the Northern Cape province in South Africa. A series of hierarchical regression analyses was performed to determine the percentage of the criterion (mathematics achievement) variance that could be explained by study orientation in mathematics. This investigation was augmented by the further exploration of learners' attributions regarding the causes of their achievement in mathematics. The results emphasised the importance of the set of study orientation variables as predictors of achievement in mathematics for both genders and all three race groups (i.e., black, white and coloured students). Study milieu and problem-solving behaviour appeared to be the most significant individual predictors of mathematics achievement for both genders, and both black and white Grade 9 learners. The causal attribution of achievement scales jointly contributed significantly to the explanation of the variance in mathematics achievement for the following groups: male, white and coloured learners with positive perceptions of their achievement; and male, white and black learners with negative perceptions of their achievement in mathematics

Differences between secondary schools: A study about school context, group composition, school practice, and school effects with special attention to public and Catholic schools and types of schools

The results indicate that in Flanders secondary schools of different denomination and of different school type (based on their curriculum offerings) differ with respect to several characteristics. With respect to the educational framework, learning environment and learning climate differences between schools are small and differences are more situated within schools. Multilevel analysis reveals that almost 19% of the variance in mathematics achievement is at school level. The effect of denomination is small and disappears when student background (which is related to school practice) is taken into account. The effect of school type remains important when controlled for student background and denomination. Group composition, the social and learning climate, and the opportunity to learn seem to matter and explain almost 90% of the school effect. They also explain more than four fifths of the effect of school type (and denomination together) which accounts for 65% of the school level variance.

Modeling Mathematics Achievement of Jewish and Arab Eighth Graders in Israel: The Effects of Learner-Related Variables

This study examined a structural model of mathematics achievement of 2 culturally different groups of Jewish and Arab 8th graders in terms of 5 learner-related variables, namely, gender, epistemological beliefs, self-efficacy, attitudes, and mathematics anxiety. Multigroup structural modeling analysis indicated that the goodness of fit of the hypothesized structural model and the total effects of mathematics self-efficacy and epistemological beliefs were comparable in both groups. The 2 groups differed in the effects that gender, attitudes toward mathematics, and mathematics anxiety exerted on mathematics achievement. They also diverged in terms of the amount of variance in mathematics achievement that the 5 learner-related variables accounted for.

Explaining mathematics achievement of mature internal and external students at the University of Papua New Guinea

This paper explains the variance in matriculation mathematics achievement of mature internal and external students at the University of Papua New Guinea. The 1984 and 1985 intakes of the Preliminary Year and Matriculation Studies were taken as samples. Six instruments were developed and administered. Data were analysed using path analysis. Over 40% variance in mathematics achievement was explained both for internal and external students. Background variables seem to be more important in the learning of mathematics compared to mediatory variables for external students than the internal students.

A Structural Model of High School Mathematics Outcomes

Abstract A recent structural model suggests that nine factors exert both indirect and direct effects on seventh-grade mathematics achievement and attitude. The model was further tested with a national probability sample of about 2,500 high school sophomore mathematics students. A three-wave longitudinal design incorporated data from students, teachers, and parents. The structural model, evolved and cross-validated with the younger sample, significantly and substantially accounted for variance in mathematics achievement and attitudes toward mathematics. Although the magnitude of effects differed in some cases from the previous model, all structural correlations of achievement and attitudes with the productivity factors, 15 of 15 total effects and 18 of 18 structural effects, conformed to theoretical expectations of the model. Corroborating previous findings, home environment and previous achievement had the largest effects on achievement, perhaps because they cumulate during the preschool and elementary sc...

Formal operational reasoning modes: Predictors of critical thinking abilities and grades assigned by teachers in science and mathematics for students in grades nine through twelve

AbstractTo test the hypothesis that formal operational reasoning modes are predictors of critical thinking abilities and grades assigned by teachers in science and mathematics, in September 1986 the Group Assessment of Logical Thinking (GALT) and in December 1986 the Watson‐Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) were administered to 101 rural students in Grades 9 through 12. The grades assigned by teachers were collected in May 1987. Construct and criterion‐related validities and internal‐consistency reliability using Cronbach's alpha method were established on the GALT. On the WGCTA, content and construct validities and internal consistency reliability using the split‐half procedure, coefficient of stability, and coefficient of equivalence were established. The five formal operational reasoning modes in the GALT were found to be significant predictors of critical thinking abilities and grades assigned by teachers in science and mathematics. The variance in the five critical thinking abilities attributable to the five formal operational reasoning modes ranged between 28% and 70%. The five formal operational reasoning modes explained 29% of the variance in mathematics achievement and 62% of the variance in science achievement.

Attributional and performance effects of competitive and individualistic feedback in computer-assisted mathematics instruction

This research is concerned with the effects of individualistic and competitive goal structures in a computer-assisted mathematics program. Fifty-two fourth and fifth grade students received either competitive feedback, individualistic feedback, or no feedback over a six week period. Data concerning students' attributions, locus of control, mathematics achievement, and rate of progress were collected. Results from this experiment show that males receiving competitive feedback performed better than females receiving competitive feedback, and females receiving individualistic feedback performed better than females receiving competitive feedback. Although the treatment did not have an effect on students' attributions, the attribution measures were found to account for a moderate portion of the variance in mathematics achievement and rate of progress. Results from the experiment were discussed in the context of instructional software inadvertently designed to stimulate the performance of males while inhibiting the performance of females.