This document summarizes a study that examines changes in the relationship between student self-concept and mathematics achievement in Hong Kong during its political transition from British to Chinese rule using TIMSS data from 1995, 1999, and 2003. It identifies two indicators of self-concept - how well students feel they do in math (internal comparison) and how difficult math is for them compared to others (external social comparison). It also discusses how parental education, a factor influenced by population migration during the transition, relates to both self-concept and achievement and may have shown a non-monotonic trend over the time period examined. The study aims to investigate how parental education changes relate to self-concept and achievement development and examine whether the reciprocal relationship model between
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention (IJHSSI)inventionjournals
This document summarizes a study that examined the applicability of the Perceptions of Organizational Politics Scale (POPS) in classroom settings. The study explored whether POPS, which measures perceptions of politics in work organizations, could also capture student perceptions of politics in the classroom. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the validity of a modified 3-factor POPS structure for classrooms. Regression analysis found relationships between POPS scores and antecedents like instructor support and outcomes like class stress, providing initial evidence that POPS can be applied to understand the political nature of classroom environments.
Psychosocial Factors which Influence College Student’s Academic PathwayINFOGAIN PUBLICATION
This research purpose is to identify psychosocial factors, which influence students decision for academic field. In this research there were used motivational questionnaire (identifying respondent’s portrait), Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) and Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). These instruments were applied on a sample of 170 students of both sexes from the faculties located in Bucharest. The data are introduced and operationalized with the Microsoft Excel (2007) and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM SPSS Statistics, v.20). The research results identifies that family, personal skills influenced students’ academic filed. Also, it show that high self-esteem is correlated with high academic motivation and high motivation for earning. This is also confirmed by other studies where high self-esteem and strength is an important factor in the prediction of academic achievement in students (Mohammad, A. 2010).
Cosee manuscript for national journal on teacher learningWilliam Kritsonis
Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, PhD - Editor-in-Chief, NATIONAL FORUM JOURNALS (Established 1982). Dr. Kritsonis earned his PhD from The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; M.Ed., Seattle Pacific University; Seattle, Washington; BA Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington. He was also named as the Distinguished Alumnus for the College of Education and Professional Studies at Central Washington University.
The Potential Effects Neoliberal Ideology brought to the Student Engagement i...inventionjournals
The student engagement of Ideological and Political Theories Curriculum (IPTC) is a contemporary China-based research ‘hot topic’ in higher education, which is effected by a movement of Neoliberal Ideology (NI). This paper seeks to investigate the relationship between NI and the student engagement of IPTC and then highlights the potential effects of NI brought to IPTC. Within the context of China’s education organizations, the paper stated the current understanding on IPTC from college students’ perspective with phenomenography interview. Furthermore, the potential effects of NI on student engagement, which included the decline of cognitive engagement decline, behavior engagement and affection engagement were illustrated in detail in the result and discussion section. Finally, the paper ends with the reflection of China’s higher education and suggestions for IPTC teaching in the future
This article discusses assessment methods used by middle school science teachers. It asserts that:
1) A teacher's views on knowledge and learning (i.e. objectivism vs. constructivism) influence their approach to assessment.
2) Current teacher assessment practices may not validly measure student understanding, instead rewarding task completion.
3) A major threat to assessment validity is whether students and teachers can construct the intended meanings from tasks and responses.
NATIONAL FORUM JOURNALS are a group of national and international refereed, blind-reviewed academic journals. NFJ publishes articles academic intellectual diversity, multicultural issues, management, business, administration, issues focusing on colleges, universities, and schools, all aspects of schooling, special education, counseling and addiction, international issues of education, organizational behavior, theory and development, and much more. DR. WILLIAM ALLAN KRITSONIS is Editor-in-Chief (Since 1982). See: www.nationalforum.com
Constructivist Learning in University Undergraduate Programmes. Has Constructivism been Fully Embraced?
Is there Clear Evidence that Constructivist Principles have been
Applied to all Aspects of Contemporary University Undergraduate Study?
This conceptual paper provides an overview of constructivist education and the development and
use of constructivist principles in contemporary higher education, outlining constructivism and
some specific facets of student-centered learning. Drawing from first-hand experience and using two
examples of current university assessment practice, reflective learning, and learning outcomes, the
author argues that, despite claims constructivist pedagogical approaches have become normative
practice when it comes to assessment processes, constructivism has not been fully embraced. The question ‘is there clear evidence that constructivist principles have been applied to all aspects of university undergraduate study?’ is considered. This is important and significant and should be of concern to all educators who espouse constructivist principles in higher education.
Final Project draft with Dongmei & OnesimoOnesimo Banda
This document provides background information on high-stakes testing policies in Texas from 1994 to 2010. It discusses the implementation of the TAAS (Texas Assessment of Academic Skills) from 1994 to 2002 and the TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) from 2003 to 2010. The document also examines discrepancies between official Texas dropout rates and those reported by private entities, as well as how Texas students performed on the NAEP compared to national trends.
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention (IJHSSI)inventionjournals
This document summarizes a study that examined the applicability of the Perceptions of Organizational Politics Scale (POPS) in classroom settings. The study explored whether POPS, which measures perceptions of politics in work organizations, could also capture student perceptions of politics in the classroom. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the validity of a modified 3-factor POPS structure for classrooms. Regression analysis found relationships between POPS scores and antecedents like instructor support and outcomes like class stress, providing initial evidence that POPS can be applied to understand the political nature of classroom environments.
Psychosocial Factors which Influence College Student’s Academic PathwayINFOGAIN PUBLICATION
This research purpose is to identify psychosocial factors, which influence students decision for academic field. In this research there were used motivational questionnaire (identifying respondent’s portrait), Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) and Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). These instruments were applied on a sample of 170 students of both sexes from the faculties located in Bucharest. The data are introduced and operationalized with the Microsoft Excel (2007) and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM SPSS Statistics, v.20). The research results identifies that family, personal skills influenced students’ academic filed. Also, it show that high self-esteem is correlated with high academic motivation and high motivation for earning. This is also confirmed by other studies where high self-esteem and strength is an important factor in the prediction of academic achievement in students (Mohammad, A. 2010).
Cosee manuscript for national journal on teacher learningWilliam Kritsonis
Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, PhD - Editor-in-Chief, NATIONAL FORUM JOURNALS (Established 1982). Dr. Kritsonis earned his PhD from The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; M.Ed., Seattle Pacific University; Seattle, Washington; BA Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington. He was also named as the Distinguished Alumnus for the College of Education and Professional Studies at Central Washington University.
The Potential Effects Neoliberal Ideology brought to the Student Engagement i...inventionjournals
The student engagement of Ideological and Political Theories Curriculum (IPTC) is a contemporary China-based research ‘hot topic’ in higher education, which is effected by a movement of Neoliberal Ideology (NI). This paper seeks to investigate the relationship between NI and the student engagement of IPTC and then highlights the potential effects of NI brought to IPTC. Within the context of China’s education organizations, the paper stated the current understanding on IPTC from college students’ perspective with phenomenography interview. Furthermore, the potential effects of NI on student engagement, which included the decline of cognitive engagement decline, behavior engagement and affection engagement were illustrated in detail in the result and discussion section. Finally, the paper ends with the reflection of China’s higher education and suggestions for IPTC teaching in the future
This article discusses assessment methods used by middle school science teachers. It asserts that:
1) A teacher's views on knowledge and learning (i.e. objectivism vs. constructivism) influence their approach to assessment.
2) Current teacher assessment practices may not validly measure student understanding, instead rewarding task completion.
3) A major threat to assessment validity is whether students and teachers can construct the intended meanings from tasks and responses.
NATIONAL FORUM JOURNALS are a group of national and international refereed, blind-reviewed academic journals. NFJ publishes articles academic intellectual diversity, multicultural issues, management, business, administration, issues focusing on colleges, universities, and schools, all aspects of schooling, special education, counseling and addiction, international issues of education, organizational behavior, theory and development, and much more. DR. WILLIAM ALLAN KRITSONIS is Editor-in-Chief (Since 1982). See: www.nationalforum.com
Constructivist Learning in University Undergraduate Programmes. Has Constructivism been Fully Embraced?
Is there Clear Evidence that Constructivist Principles have been
Applied to all Aspects of Contemporary University Undergraduate Study?
This conceptual paper provides an overview of constructivist education and the development and
use of constructivist principles in contemporary higher education, outlining constructivism and
some specific facets of student-centered learning. Drawing from first-hand experience and using two
examples of current university assessment practice, reflective learning, and learning outcomes, the
author argues that, despite claims constructivist pedagogical approaches have become normative
practice when it comes to assessment processes, constructivism has not been fully embraced. The question ‘is there clear evidence that constructivist principles have been applied to all aspects of university undergraduate study?’ is considered. This is important and significant and should be of concern to all educators who espouse constructivist principles in higher education.
Final Project draft with Dongmei & OnesimoOnesimo Banda
This document provides background information on high-stakes testing policies in Texas from 1994 to 2010. It discusses the implementation of the TAAS (Texas Assessment of Academic Skills) from 1994 to 2002 and the TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) from 2003 to 2010. The document also examines discrepancies between official Texas dropout rates and those reported by private entities, as well as how Texas students performed on the NAEP compared to national trends.
Learning outcomes a good idea yet with problems and lost opportunitiesThe University of Hull
Learning outcomes are used throughout assessment processes in higher education. In many countries their use is mandatory, with a frequent assumption that they bring many positive benefits to educational processes. Yet, there are tensions associated with them and their current mode of use has far less flexibility than they should provide. This paper considers from a conceptual basis some of the tensions associated with the use of prescribed pre-articulated learning outcomes and the question of whether learning outcomes, as currently operationalized, provide the benefits they were meant to deliver. This is of significance to educators throughout higher
education.
16 action research study reportinsert your naabhi353063
This document summarizes an action research study that implemented Lesson Study in a secondary mathematics methods course to better prepare preservice teachers. The researcher/instructor aimed to provide more opportunities for students to practice teaching lessons before their field experience placements. Students collaborated in teams to plan, teach, observe and revise mathematics lessons, which were then taught in their field placements. Data analysis found that Lesson Study improved students' efficacy and confidence in transitioning between the methods classroom and their field placements. The study demonstrated the benefits of collaborative lesson planning and practice teaching for preservice teacher preparation.
This document summarizes research on how students' level of interest and enjoyment in a topic impacts their approach to learning. The research found that students were more likely to adopt a deep approach, actively trying to understand the material, when they had a high level of interest and enjoyment in the topic. Conversely, students tended to take a surface approach, focusing only on memorization, when they had little interest or enjoyment. While previous research established that assessment requirements influence a student's approach, this study suggests interest and enjoyment are also important factors that can determine whether a student utilizes a deep or surface learning approach. The findings highlight the need for educators to consider how to engage student interest in order to encourage deep learning.
THE INFLUENCE OF PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING COMMUNITIES ON RESEARCH LITERACY AND ...ijejournal
The current study investigates two Problem-Based Learning (PBL) processes that were carried out in two different Online Learning Communities of 62 pre-service teachers who took a Research Literacy course as a part of their academic obligation. The first one was combined with the moderator based learning
scaffoldings (OLC+M), and the other one with the social based learning scaffoldings (OLC+S). The study seeks to map the differences between these two OLCs in terms of Achievement Goal Motivation and Research Literacy skills as a result of the PBL intervention, and the correlation between these aspects as is expressed in each group. The findings indicated that PBL had a significant positive effect on AGM in both groups, while only the OLC+S showed the significant outperforming in some of the Research Literacy skills, as well as the positive correlation between them and the Mastery Approach component of AGM. The discussion raises possible interpretations of theoretical and practical relationships between Research Literacy skills in the educational field and motivational factors among adult students, as they are expressed in online communication environments.
Analysis of gender related differential item functioning in mathematics multi...Alexander Decker
The document analyzes gender-related differential item functioning in mathematics multiple choice items administered by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) in 2011 in Nigeria. The study found that 39 of the 50 test items showed statistically significant differences in performance between male and female examinees, indicating those items were functioning differently based on gender. The results suggest the need for examination bodies like WAEC to develop test items that do not show such differential functioning and are fair to both male and female examinees.
This document discusses student engagement with school. It notes that while student engagement is recognized as important by educators, there is no consensus on how to define or measure the construct. The document reviews different conceptualizations of engagement that have been used in research. It identifies engagement as a multidimensional construct involving behavioral, emotional, and cognitive components. The document emphasizes that engagement is malleable and can predict outcomes like school dropout and completion. It concludes that conceptual clarity around student engagement is needed to advance research and interventions aimed at promoting engagement.
This document discusses a study that investigated how individual differences in thinking dispositions may affect student learning from multiple-document science inquiry tasks. Middle school students were given documents about global temperature patterns and asked to understand how and why recent patterns differ from the past. Understanding was assessed through an essay and verification tasks. The study found that reading skills and commitment to logic, evidence, and reasoning uniquely predicted understanding, even after accounting for prior knowledge and interest. This suggests these thinking dispositions and reading ability independently influence how students learn from multiple documents during science inquiries.
This document provides an overview of a dissertation prospectus on exploring the influence of cross-cultural experience on student leadership development and academic achievement in culturally diverse K-12 schools. It is a qualitative study that aims to address the gap in literature regarding approaches to improve student outcomes in these schools. The prospectus describes the background problem of lack of focus on student leadership in diverse schools and discusses the theoretical foundations of applying models like the Boundary-Breaking Leadership Development Model to promote diversity and collaboration among students.
www.nationalforum.com - Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, Editor-in-ChiefWilliam Kritsonis
This document summarizes a classroom activity designed to help education students visualize how Stanovich's four factors of reading development - cognitive consequences, developmental change, reciprocal causation, and organism-environment correlation - differently influence each student's reading history. Students used play dough to represent the four factors around "history circles" on a paper, creating a "flower garden" visualization of diverse student histories. The activity helped students see each student as a unique "flower" requiring individualized support to develop reading skills.
This article summarizes research on the effects of labeling students as learning disabled. The author reviewed 34 studies from 1970 to 2000 that addressed the impact of the learning disabled label. Four key themes emerged from the literature: 1) Labels can influence the expectations, stereotypes and attitudes of teachers and peers towards students; 2) Labels may lead to stigmatization, rejection and social distance from others; 3) There is a disconnect between expressed attitudes towards labeled students and actual treatment of them; 4) The influence of a label depends on other salient information provided about the student. The author aims to synthesize both qualitative and quantitative research on this topic.
The uk's key information set was it really needed and what was its real purposeThe University of Hull
An Unnecessary KIS? The UK’s Key Information Set, was it Really needed and What was its Real Purpose?
This paper provides a critical analysis of the United Kingdom’s higher education Key Information
Set (KIS), which was implemented following the 2011 UK White Paper ‘Students at the Heart of the System’. It argues that one of the central tenets of the KIS – providing information that
students within a free market can make an informed choice and, through this process of consumer choice improve the quality of teaching, is untenable because a central component of the KIS, the National Student Survey (NSS), is unreliable when used for comparing university courses. Further,it argues that the KIS reified a neoliberal perspective about the worth and value of higher education qualification, positioning it as a commodity of value only to the paying individual rather than being
something of value to society as a whole. It will be of particular interest to academics and policy
makers from outside of the United Kingdom, where governmental and regulatory agencies may be implementing similar policies
Lester, derek a review of the student engagement literature focus v7 n1 2013William Kritsonis
William Allan Kritsonis, Editor-in-Chief, NATIONAL FORUM JOURNALS (Founded 1982). Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, Distinguished Alumnus, Central Washington University, College of Education and Professional Studies, Ellensburg, Washington; Invited Guest Lecturer, Oxford Round Table, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; Hall of Honor, Prairie View A&M University/Member of the Texas A&M University System. Professor of Educational Leadership, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin.
Do Holland’s Personality Types RIASEC Predict Students’ Choice of Academic Pr...YogeshIJTSRD
Students’ choice of major field of study in universities in Cameroon continues to be influenced by a variety of factors including personality factors, home and parental factors, socio economic factors, environmental factors, and cultural factors. This study was carried out to investigate whether Holland’s personality types RIASEC predict students’ choice of academic programs in Cameroon’s State Universities. The universities studied were the University of Bamenda and the University of Buea. The correlational survey design was used for this study to determine whether or not students’ personality typologies predicted their choice of major fields of study. The sample size for this study comprised 399 male and female second and fourth year students in the Universities of Buea and Bamenda. Out of the sample size of 369 students, 264 of them came from the University of Buea and 132 from the University of Bamenda. Out of 264 students sampled from the University of Buea, 90 were male and 174 were female while for University of Bamenda, 72 were male and 60 were female, giving a total male student respondent population of 162 and a total female student respondent population of 264. The sample was selected both purposively and randomly. Findings from the study revealed that 28.3 of the students actually changed their program of study to more congruent ones. Statistically, findings showed that students’ personality type significantly predict their choice of program Chi Square=1038.237, df=255, P=0.000, 0.05 with a high explanatory power of the model 93.3 Cox and Snell =0.933 . analysis showed that Realistic personality, Investigative personality, Artistic personality, Social personality, Enterprising personality and Conventional personality significantly influenced students’ choice of program with P values all 0.05. Therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected and the alternative hypothesis that states that Holland’s personality interest types significantly predict students’ choice of programs in Cameroon’s state universities was accepted. Eyombo Marie Ndzenge | Ngoran Mathew Banlanjo "Do Holland’s Personality Types (RIASEC) Predict Students’ Choice of Academic Programs in Cameroon’s State Universities?" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-5 | Issue-4 , June 2021, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.compapers/ijtsrd41163.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.comhumanities-and-the-arts/psychology/41163/do-holland’s-personality-types-riasec-predict-students’-choice-of-academic-programs-in-cameroon’s-state-universities/eyombo-marie-ndzenge
Developing staff understanding and implementation of maths-rich tasksFiona Henchley
Fiona Henchley is conducting practitioner research to investigate the impact of developing staff understanding and implementation of mathematics-rich tasks on pupils' mathematical resilience. The research was prompted by an Ofsted report identifying a need to improve girls' problem solving skills in mathematics. The research will involve training teachers in mathematics-rich tasks and measuring the impact on pupils' perseverance and approaches to challenges through observations. Qualitative data from teacher questionnaires and interviews will also be collected to understand changes in teacher understanding and practice. The research aims to enhance practice in line with improving pupils' resilience in problem solving.
Problems With Assessing Student Autonomy in Higher Education, an Alternative Perspective and a Role For Mentoring.
https://www.edupij.com/files/1/articles/article_123/EDUPIJ_123_article_5a91aa7fe0490.pdf
This list of resources is one of the outputs of the HEA Social Sciences funded project 'The role of assessment in teaching research methods' led by Anesa Hosein (University of Surrey) and Namrata Rao (Liverpool Hope University).
For further details of this project, please see HEA Social Sciences blog post:
This document summarizes the results of a small-scale research project that investigated how university students use prescribed learning outcomes in their everyday learning and when producing assessed work. The study found that students did not refer to learning outcomes in their daily learning but typically did so when producing assessed work. There were also differences found between first-year and third-year students, with third-years making greater use of learning outcomes as they progressed in their degree program. However, no clear differences were seen between higher-achieving and lower-achieving students in their use of learning outcomes.
This document provides a summary and critical analysis of a research article that examined the relationship between students' learning style preferences, teachers' instructional strategies, and academic achievement. The research found no significant correlation between these variables. It suggests that teachers primarily used visual and auditory instructional approaches that did not align with the predominantly kinesthetic learning styles of the students. As a result, the study was unable to demonstrate that matching instructional strategies to learning styles improves academic outcomes. The analysis discusses implications for incorporating greater awareness of individual student learning differences into educational practices.
The document reviews literature on personality traits, teaching skills, instructional materials, interest, and study habits. It discusses several theories of personality from prominent researchers like Myers-Briggs, Cattell, Allport, and Eysenck. It also examines research on effective teaching strategies like differentiation, facilitation, and assessment. Studies investigate factors influencing student achievement, attitudes, and development, as well as the role of media, technology, and literature in learning.
Hetty Dekkers, Roel Bosker & Geert Driessen (2000) ERE Complex Inequalities o...Driessen Research
Complex Inequalities of Educational Opportunities
A Large-Scale Longitudinal Study on the Relation
Between Gender, Social Class, Ethnicity and School Success
A Bibliometrics Study On Homework From 1977 To 2020Amy Roman
This document summarizes a bibliometric study on homework literature from 1977 to 2020. It analyzed 429 documents from the Clarivate Web of Science database. The key findings were:
1) The volume of homework literature has grown steadily over time, with a significant increase since 2015. The United States publishes the most homework research, followed by Spain, China, Germany, and Portugal.
2) The most influential authors are Cooper, Xu, and Trautwein. Cooper's 1989 definition of homework as tasks assigned outside of school is highly cited.
3) Research topics include the effect of homework on achievement, the homework environment, tasks and feedback, family involvement, and time spent on homework. Understanding trends and topics
An Analysis Of Research Trends In Dissertations And Theses Studying Blended L...Don Dooley
This document analyzes 205 doctoral dissertations and master's theses about blended learning from the past decade. It finds:
- Research on blended learning has increased over the past 10 years, mostly in higher education.
- Studies commonly use qualitative research, inferential statistics, or descriptive statistics for data analysis.
- Research topics include learner outcomes, instructional design, interaction, comparisons to other formats, demographics, technology use, professional development, and other issues.
- Analyzing graduate research trends provides insight into the current state and future directions of blended learning research. Identifying topics, theories, methods, and gaps can highlight opportunities for further study.
Learning outcomes a good idea yet with problems and lost opportunitiesThe University of Hull
Learning outcomes are used throughout assessment processes in higher education. In many countries their use is mandatory, with a frequent assumption that they bring many positive benefits to educational processes. Yet, there are tensions associated with them and their current mode of use has far less flexibility than they should provide. This paper considers from a conceptual basis some of the tensions associated with the use of prescribed pre-articulated learning outcomes and the question of whether learning outcomes, as currently operationalized, provide the benefits they were meant to deliver. This is of significance to educators throughout higher
education.
16 action research study reportinsert your naabhi353063
This document summarizes an action research study that implemented Lesson Study in a secondary mathematics methods course to better prepare preservice teachers. The researcher/instructor aimed to provide more opportunities for students to practice teaching lessons before their field experience placements. Students collaborated in teams to plan, teach, observe and revise mathematics lessons, which were then taught in their field placements. Data analysis found that Lesson Study improved students' efficacy and confidence in transitioning between the methods classroom and their field placements. The study demonstrated the benefits of collaborative lesson planning and practice teaching for preservice teacher preparation.
This document summarizes research on how students' level of interest and enjoyment in a topic impacts their approach to learning. The research found that students were more likely to adopt a deep approach, actively trying to understand the material, when they had a high level of interest and enjoyment in the topic. Conversely, students tended to take a surface approach, focusing only on memorization, when they had little interest or enjoyment. While previous research established that assessment requirements influence a student's approach, this study suggests interest and enjoyment are also important factors that can determine whether a student utilizes a deep or surface learning approach. The findings highlight the need for educators to consider how to engage student interest in order to encourage deep learning.
THE INFLUENCE OF PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING COMMUNITIES ON RESEARCH LITERACY AND ...ijejournal
The current study investigates two Problem-Based Learning (PBL) processes that were carried out in two different Online Learning Communities of 62 pre-service teachers who took a Research Literacy course as a part of their academic obligation. The first one was combined with the moderator based learning
scaffoldings (OLC+M), and the other one with the social based learning scaffoldings (OLC+S). The study seeks to map the differences between these two OLCs in terms of Achievement Goal Motivation and Research Literacy skills as a result of the PBL intervention, and the correlation between these aspects as is expressed in each group. The findings indicated that PBL had a significant positive effect on AGM in both groups, while only the OLC+S showed the significant outperforming in some of the Research Literacy skills, as well as the positive correlation between them and the Mastery Approach component of AGM. The discussion raises possible interpretations of theoretical and practical relationships between Research Literacy skills in the educational field and motivational factors among adult students, as they are expressed in online communication environments.
Analysis of gender related differential item functioning in mathematics multi...Alexander Decker
The document analyzes gender-related differential item functioning in mathematics multiple choice items administered by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) in 2011 in Nigeria. The study found that 39 of the 50 test items showed statistically significant differences in performance between male and female examinees, indicating those items were functioning differently based on gender. The results suggest the need for examination bodies like WAEC to develop test items that do not show such differential functioning and are fair to both male and female examinees.
This document discusses student engagement with school. It notes that while student engagement is recognized as important by educators, there is no consensus on how to define or measure the construct. The document reviews different conceptualizations of engagement that have been used in research. It identifies engagement as a multidimensional construct involving behavioral, emotional, and cognitive components. The document emphasizes that engagement is malleable and can predict outcomes like school dropout and completion. It concludes that conceptual clarity around student engagement is needed to advance research and interventions aimed at promoting engagement.
This document discusses a study that investigated how individual differences in thinking dispositions may affect student learning from multiple-document science inquiry tasks. Middle school students were given documents about global temperature patterns and asked to understand how and why recent patterns differ from the past. Understanding was assessed through an essay and verification tasks. The study found that reading skills and commitment to logic, evidence, and reasoning uniquely predicted understanding, even after accounting for prior knowledge and interest. This suggests these thinking dispositions and reading ability independently influence how students learn from multiple documents during science inquiries.
This document provides an overview of a dissertation prospectus on exploring the influence of cross-cultural experience on student leadership development and academic achievement in culturally diverse K-12 schools. It is a qualitative study that aims to address the gap in literature regarding approaches to improve student outcomes in these schools. The prospectus describes the background problem of lack of focus on student leadership in diverse schools and discusses the theoretical foundations of applying models like the Boundary-Breaking Leadership Development Model to promote diversity and collaboration among students.
www.nationalforum.com - Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, Editor-in-ChiefWilliam Kritsonis
This document summarizes a classroom activity designed to help education students visualize how Stanovich's four factors of reading development - cognitive consequences, developmental change, reciprocal causation, and organism-environment correlation - differently influence each student's reading history. Students used play dough to represent the four factors around "history circles" on a paper, creating a "flower garden" visualization of diverse student histories. The activity helped students see each student as a unique "flower" requiring individualized support to develop reading skills.
This article summarizes research on the effects of labeling students as learning disabled. The author reviewed 34 studies from 1970 to 2000 that addressed the impact of the learning disabled label. Four key themes emerged from the literature: 1) Labels can influence the expectations, stereotypes and attitudes of teachers and peers towards students; 2) Labels may lead to stigmatization, rejection and social distance from others; 3) There is a disconnect between expressed attitudes towards labeled students and actual treatment of them; 4) The influence of a label depends on other salient information provided about the student. The author aims to synthesize both qualitative and quantitative research on this topic.
The uk's key information set was it really needed and what was its real purposeThe University of Hull
An Unnecessary KIS? The UK’s Key Information Set, was it Really needed and What was its Real Purpose?
This paper provides a critical analysis of the United Kingdom’s higher education Key Information
Set (KIS), which was implemented following the 2011 UK White Paper ‘Students at the Heart of the System’. It argues that one of the central tenets of the KIS – providing information that
students within a free market can make an informed choice and, through this process of consumer choice improve the quality of teaching, is untenable because a central component of the KIS, the National Student Survey (NSS), is unreliable when used for comparing university courses. Further,it argues that the KIS reified a neoliberal perspective about the worth and value of higher education qualification, positioning it as a commodity of value only to the paying individual rather than being
something of value to society as a whole. It will be of particular interest to academics and policy
makers from outside of the United Kingdom, where governmental and regulatory agencies may be implementing similar policies
Lester, derek a review of the student engagement literature focus v7 n1 2013William Kritsonis
William Allan Kritsonis, Editor-in-Chief, NATIONAL FORUM JOURNALS (Founded 1982). Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, Distinguished Alumnus, Central Washington University, College of Education and Professional Studies, Ellensburg, Washington; Invited Guest Lecturer, Oxford Round Table, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; Hall of Honor, Prairie View A&M University/Member of the Texas A&M University System. Professor of Educational Leadership, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin.
Do Holland’s Personality Types RIASEC Predict Students’ Choice of Academic Pr...YogeshIJTSRD
Students’ choice of major field of study in universities in Cameroon continues to be influenced by a variety of factors including personality factors, home and parental factors, socio economic factors, environmental factors, and cultural factors. This study was carried out to investigate whether Holland’s personality types RIASEC predict students’ choice of academic programs in Cameroon’s State Universities. The universities studied were the University of Bamenda and the University of Buea. The correlational survey design was used for this study to determine whether or not students’ personality typologies predicted their choice of major fields of study. The sample size for this study comprised 399 male and female second and fourth year students in the Universities of Buea and Bamenda. Out of the sample size of 369 students, 264 of them came from the University of Buea and 132 from the University of Bamenda. Out of 264 students sampled from the University of Buea, 90 were male and 174 were female while for University of Bamenda, 72 were male and 60 were female, giving a total male student respondent population of 162 and a total female student respondent population of 264. The sample was selected both purposively and randomly. Findings from the study revealed that 28.3 of the students actually changed their program of study to more congruent ones. Statistically, findings showed that students’ personality type significantly predict their choice of program Chi Square=1038.237, df=255, P=0.000, 0.05 with a high explanatory power of the model 93.3 Cox and Snell =0.933 . analysis showed that Realistic personality, Investigative personality, Artistic personality, Social personality, Enterprising personality and Conventional personality significantly influenced students’ choice of program with P values all 0.05. Therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected and the alternative hypothesis that states that Holland’s personality interest types significantly predict students’ choice of programs in Cameroon’s state universities was accepted. Eyombo Marie Ndzenge | Ngoran Mathew Banlanjo "Do Holland’s Personality Types (RIASEC) Predict Students’ Choice of Academic Programs in Cameroon’s State Universities?" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-5 | Issue-4 , June 2021, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.compapers/ijtsrd41163.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.comhumanities-and-the-arts/psychology/41163/do-holland’s-personality-types-riasec-predict-students’-choice-of-academic-programs-in-cameroon’s-state-universities/eyombo-marie-ndzenge
Developing staff understanding and implementation of maths-rich tasksFiona Henchley
Fiona Henchley is conducting practitioner research to investigate the impact of developing staff understanding and implementation of mathematics-rich tasks on pupils' mathematical resilience. The research was prompted by an Ofsted report identifying a need to improve girls' problem solving skills in mathematics. The research will involve training teachers in mathematics-rich tasks and measuring the impact on pupils' perseverance and approaches to challenges through observations. Qualitative data from teacher questionnaires and interviews will also be collected to understand changes in teacher understanding and practice. The research aims to enhance practice in line with improving pupils' resilience in problem solving.
Problems With Assessing Student Autonomy in Higher Education, an Alternative Perspective and a Role For Mentoring.
https://www.edupij.com/files/1/articles/article_123/EDUPIJ_123_article_5a91aa7fe0490.pdf
This list of resources is one of the outputs of the HEA Social Sciences funded project 'The role of assessment in teaching research methods' led by Anesa Hosein (University of Surrey) and Namrata Rao (Liverpool Hope University).
For further details of this project, please see HEA Social Sciences blog post:
This document summarizes the results of a small-scale research project that investigated how university students use prescribed learning outcomes in their everyday learning and when producing assessed work. The study found that students did not refer to learning outcomes in their daily learning but typically did so when producing assessed work. There were also differences found between first-year and third-year students, with third-years making greater use of learning outcomes as they progressed in their degree program. However, no clear differences were seen between higher-achieving and lower-achieving students in their use of learning outcomes.
This document provides a summary and critical analysis of a research article that examined the relationship between students' learning style preferences, teachers' instructional strategies, and academic achievement. The research found no significant correlation between these variables. It suggests that teachers primarily used visual and auditory instructional approaches that did not align with the predominantly kinesthetic learning styles of the students. As a result, the study was unable to demonstrate that matching instructional strategies to learning styles improves academic outcomes. The analysis discusses implications for incorporating greater awareness of individual student learning differences into educational practices.
The document reviews literature on personality traits, teaching skills, instructional materials, interest, and study habits. It discusses several theories of personality from prominent researchers like Myers-Briggs, Cattell, Allport, and Eysenck. It also examines research on effective teaching strategies like differentiation, facilitation, and assessment. Studies investigate factors influencing student achievement, attitudes, and development, as well as the role of media, technology, and literature in learning.
Hetty Dekkers, Roel Bosker & Geert Driessen (2000) ERE Complex Inequalities o...Driessen Research
Complex Inequalities of Educational Opportunities
A Large-Scale Longitudinal Study on the Relation
Between Gender, Social Class, Ethnicity and School Success
A Bibliometrics Study On Homework From 1977 To 2020Amy Roman
This document summarizes a bibliometric study on homework literature from 1977 to 2020. It analyzed 429 documents from the Clarivate Web of Science database. The key findings were:
1) The volume of homework literature has grown steadily over time, with a significant increase since 2015. The United States publishes the most homework research, followed by Spain, China, Germany, and Portugal.
2) The most influential authors are Cooper, Xu, and Trautwein. Cooper's 1989 definition of homework as tasks assigned outside of school is highly cited.
3) Research topics include the effect of homework on achievement, the homework environment, tasks and feedback, family involvement, and time spent on homework. Understanding trends and topics
An Analysis Of Research Trends In Dissertations And Theses Studying Blended L...Don Dooley
This document analyzes 205 doctoral dissertations and master's theses about blended learning from the past decade. It finds:
- Research on blended learning has increased over the past 10 years, mostly in higher education.
- Studies commonly use qualitative research, inferential statistics, or descriptive statistics for data analysis.
- Research topics include learner outcomes, instructional design, interaction, comparisons to other formats, demographics, technology use, professional development, and other issues.
- Analyzing graduate research trends provides insight into the current state and future directions of blended learning research. Identifying topics, theories, methods, and gaps can highlight opportunities for further study.
This document summarizes research on typological differences between student affairs, academic affairs, and faculty subcultures in higher education. It reviews literature comparing these groups on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (LSI).
The research found that across all groups, the most common MBTI preferences were Extraversion, Intuition, Thinking, and Judging. However, there were some differences between the subcultures. Student affairs administrators more often preferred Sensing over Intuition compared to academic administrators. Faculty generally scored higher on Intuition and Thinking preferences. Regarding LSI, accommodators were the most common style for student affairs professionals, while assim
A Comparison Of Content Standards Documents For Geographical Tuition In China...Todd Turner
The document summarizes and compares geography education standards from China and the United States. Both countries publish national standards that outline the core knowledge, concepts, and skills students should learn. While the standards share some similarities, such as covering topics like physical and human geography, there are also differences in structure, focus areas, and level of detail between the two countries' documents.
Research on professional development in inclusive educationAlfredo Artiles
This article reviews research on professional development (PD) for inclusive education between 2000-2009. The review aimed to answer three questions: 1) How is inclusive education defined in the PD literature? 2) How is PD for inclusive education studied? 3) How is teacher learning examined in the PD research? The review found that most studies utilized a unitary view of difference/exclusion and that teacher learning was undertheorized. The authors recommend an intersectional approach to understand difference/exclusion and examining boundary practices to study teacher learning for inclusive education.
This quantitative critical review summarizes a study that examined the influence of parental involvement in primary school children's mathematics homework on academic performance. The original study used survey data from over 4000 Australian children and families to analyze the relationship between parental help with homework and math achievement. This review finds that the original study had a clear rationale, reviewed relevant prior literature, and appropriately used a correlational research design and statistical analysis methods to address its research questions. Some limitations noted include a lack of specificity regarding math achievement in the stated research questions and not describing the ethical procedures for the secondary data used.
Argumentation, critical thinking, nature of science and socioscientific issue...Luz Martinez
This document discusses a dialogue between two researchers, Hagop A. Yacoubian and Rola Khishfe, comparing two theoretical frameworks for addressing nature of science (NOS) and socioscientific issues (SSI) in science education - critical thinking (CT) and argumentation (AR). Yacoubian has pursued research using CT as a framework while Khishfe has used AR. The dialogue aims to elucidate the strengths and challenges of each framework, explore their overlap, and propose directions for future research integrating the two frameworks.
Definition and purpose of comparative education.mogana arumungam
1. The document provides an overview of comparative education, defining it as the analytical study of education systems across national borders to identify similarities and differences.
2. It discusses various definitions of comparative education provided by different scholars and the objectives and scope of comparative education, including description, understanding education systems, evaluation, and aiding education planning.
3. The rationale for comparative education includes using other countries' experiences to evaluate and improve one's own education system, and satisfying intellectual curiosity about other education systems.
Definition and purpose of comparative education.Iffat rafiq
Comparative education examines education systems across national borders to identify similarities and differences. It aims to describe educational practices, assist development, highlight relationships between education and society, and make generalized statements about education. Comparative education has been defined in various ways by scholars, but generally focuses on analyzing factors that influence different countries' education systems and how societal forces shape these systems over time. The field provides insights to improve one's own education system by studying variations in other societies.
This document summarizes a study on the ethics of multiple authorship in academic publications. It discusses how authorship is often determined more by hierarchical power relations than intellectual contribution. A survey was conducted of academics in Hong Kong to understand their perspectives on legitimate authorship. The results showed that power and status, such as that of research project leaders or doctoral supervisors, often override consideration of intellectual contribution when determining authorship. This normalizes a "gift economy" approach to authorship. The study suggests universities need better policies to ensure authorship accurately reflects intellectual contribution.
A comparative study of the classroom treatment of male and female students of...Alexander Decker
This study examined potential differences in how male and female students are treated in classrooms at the Federal Polytechnic in Ilaro, Nigeria. Surveys were administered to 102 male and 102 female final year students to assess their perceptions of classroom treatment. Interview were also conducted with 8 lecturers. The results found no significant differences between male and female students' perceptions of their classroom experiences. Additionally, there was a negative but weak relationship between males' and females' attitudes toward education. The study concluded that gender does not play a role in how students experience classrooms and that teachers should aim for gender-neutral practices to promote equal opportunities for all students.
Geert Driessen (2002) SEE School composition and achievement in primary educa...Driessen Research
This document summarizes a study that examines the effects of socio-ethnic school composition on language and math achievement among Dutch primary school students. The study uses large-scale data from over 14,000 4th grade and 12,000 8th grade students across 583 primary schools. It analyzes the relationships between student achievement, individual characteristics like ethnicity and parental education, and school-level factors like socio-economic composition and ethnic diversity. The results are intended to clarify inconsistent prior research on how school demographic characteristics influence educational outcomes.
Comparative education involves comparing educational philosophies and practices across countries. Harold Noah was a leading scholar in this field from the 1960s onward, advocating for the use of empirical social science methods. Some of Noah's most notable works analyzed the Soviet education system and its financing. He collaborated extensively with Max Eckstein on books that helped establish comparative education as a rigorous academic discipline. The objectives of comparative education include describing education systems, assisting other countries' development, highlighting links between education and society, and establishing cross-country generalizations about education.
This report summarizes research that analyzed the development of higher education studies through interviews with three generations of scholars. It found that many higher education researchers maintain affiliations with other disciplines in addition to their identity as higher education researchers. Differences between generations were noted, primarily relating to increasing pressures around academic performance over time. The continuing interdisciplinary nature of higher education studies and challenges in communicating with public audiences were also discussed.
This document summarizes a qualitative study that examined how two community college mathematics instructors engage their students in learning mathematics. The study involved initial interviews with each instructor followed by two classroom observations. It was found that both instructors used techniques like real-world examples, humor, connecting to prior knowledge, individual attention, student participation at the board, and interaction between student, teacher and subject matter. These strategies seemed effective at engaging students. The document provides background on the researcher and reviews some prior literature on student engagement related to school size, dropout rates, and teacher practices. It describes the original methodology of seeking consent from a high school and community college teacher but challenges obtaining approval from "gatekeepers" at the institutions.
Dr. W.A. Kritsonis, Dissertation Chair for Dr. Steven Norfleetguest2b32b2e
This dissertation examines practices that are important for improving African American student achievement. The study uses a mixed methods approach to understand student experiences with effective school practices. Quantitative data was collected through a survey of 98 African American students measuring their experiences across 7 correlates of effective schools. Qualitative data involved interviews with 34 students exploring their high school's efforts in areas like providing a safe environment, high expectations, instructional leadership, and home-school relations. The results provide insights into practices that resonate with African American learners and may help close achievement gaps.
2019 A Practical Guide To Implement Learner-Generated Digital Media (LGDM) A...Kate Campbell
This document contains summaries of multiple research papers related to science education. The summaries are:
1) A study examined the impact of a university program where pre-service teachers engaged with STEM industry through visits. It found the program significantly improved the teachers' science self-efficacy, motivation, and other dimensions based on surveys of the teachers and their students.
2) A study investigated how primary students' participation in online citizen science projects affected their scientific literacy. Students reported improved skills, understanding, and potential actions from learning. The projects offered opportunities to strengthen students' scientific literacy.
3) A multilevel analysis of 375,756 students across 65 countries found that both teacher-directed and inquiry-based science
Nucleophilic Addition of carbonyl compounds.pptxSSR02
Nucleophilic addition is the most important reaction of carbonyls. Not just aldehydes and ketones, but also carboxylic acid derivatives in general.
Carbonyls undergo addition reactions with a large range of nucleophiles.
Comparing the relative basicity of the nucleophile and the product is extremely helpful in determining how reversible the addition reaction is. Reactions with Grignards and hydrides are irreversible. Reactions with weak bases like halides and carboxylates generally don’t happen.
Electronic effects (inductive effects, electron donation) have a large impact on reactivity.
Large groups adjacent to the carbonyl will slow the rate of reaction.
Neutral nucleophiles can also add to carbonyls, although their additions are generally slower and more reversible. Acid catalysis is sometimes employed to increase the rate of addition.
Travis Hills' Endeavors in Minnesota: Fostering Environmental and Economic Pr...Travis Hills MN
Travis Hills of Minnesota developed a method to convert waste into high-value dry fertilizer, significantly enriching soil quality. By providing farmers with a valuable resource derived from waste, Travis Hills helps enhance farm profitability while promoting environmental stewardship. Travis Hills' sustainable practices lead to cost savings and increased revenue for farmers by improving resource efficiency and reducing waste.
EWOCS-I: The catalog of X-ray sources in Westerlund 1 from the Extended Weste...Sérgio Sacani
Context. With a mass exceeding several 104 M⊙ and a rich and dense population of massive stars, supermassive young star clusters
represent the most massive star-forming environment that is dominated by the feedback from massive stars and gravitational interactions
among stars.
Aims. In this paper we present the Extended Westerlund 1 and 2 Open Clusters Survey (EWOCS) project, which aims to investigate
the influence of the starburst environment on the formation of stars and planets, and on the evolution of both low and high mass stars.
The primary targets of this project are Westerlund 1 and 2, the closest supermassive star clusters to the Sun.
Methods. The project is based primarily on recent observations conducted with the Chandra and JWST observatories. Specifically,
the Chandra survey of Westerlund 1 consists of 36 new ACIS-I observations, nearly co-pointed, for a total exposure time of 1 Msec.
Additionally, we included 8 archival Chandra/ACIS-S observations. This paper presents the resulting catalog of X-ray sources within
and around Westerlund 1. Sources were detected by combining various existing methods, and photon extraction and source validation
were carried out using the ACIS-Extract software.
Results. The EWOCS X-ray catalog comprises 5963 validated sources out of the 9420 initially provided to ACIS-Extract, reaching a
photon flux threshold of approximately 2 × 10−8 photons cm−2
s
−1
. The X-ray sources exhibit a highly concentrated spatial distribution,
with 1075 sources located within the central 1 arcmin. We have successfully detected X-ray emissions from 126 out of the 166 known
massive stars of the cluster, and we have collected over 71 000 photons from the magnetar CXO J164710.20-455217.
BREEDING METHODS FOR DISEASE RESISTANCE.pptxRASHMI M G
Plant breeding for disease resistance is a strategy to reduce crop losses caused by disease. Plants have an innate immune system that allows them to recognize pathogens and provide resistance. However, breeding for long-lasting resistance often involves combining multiple resistance genes
ANAMOLOUS SECONDARY GROWTH IN DICOT ROOTS.pptxRASHMI M G
Abnormal or anomalous secondary growth in plants. It defines secondary growth as an increase in plant girth due to vascular cambium or cork cambium. Anomalous secondary growth does not follow the normal pattern of a single vascular cambium producing xylem internally and phloem externally.
Remote Sensing and Computational, Evolutionary, Supercomputing, and Intellige...University of Maribor
Slides from talk:
Aleš Zamuda: Remote Sensing and Computational, Evolutionary, Supercomputing, and Intelligent Systems.
11th International Conference on Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering (IcETRAN), Niš, 3-6 June 2024
Inter-Society Networking Panel GRSS/MTT-S/CIS Panel Session: Promoting Connection and Cooperation
https://www.etran.rs/2024/en/home-english/
ESR spectroscopy in liquid food and beverages.pptxPRIYANKA PATEL
With increasing population, people need to rely on packaged food stuffs. Packaging of food materials requires the preservation of food. There are various methods for the treatment of food to preserve them and irradiation treatment of food is one of them. It is the most common and the most harmless method for the food preservation as it does not alter the necessary micronutrients of food materials. Although irradiated food doesn’t cause any harm to the human health but still the quality assessment of food is required to provide consumers with necessary information about the food. ESR spectroscopy is the most sophisticated way to investigate the quality of the food and the free radicals induced during the processing of the food. ESR spin trapping technique is useful for the detection of highly unstable radicals in the food. The antioxidant capability of liquid food and beverages in mainly performed by spin trapping technique.
The binding of cosmological structures by massless topological defectsSérgio Sacani
Assuming spherical symmetry and weak field, it is shown that if one solves the Poisson equation or the Einstein field
equations sourced by a topological defect, i.e. a singularity of a very specific form, the result is a localized gravitational
field capable of driving flat rotation (i.e. Keplerian circular orbits at a constant speed for all radii) of test masses on a thin
spherical shell without any underlying mass. Moreover, a large-scale structure which exploits this solution by assembling
concentrically a number of such topological defects can establish a flat stellar or galactic rotation curve, and can also deflect
light in the same manner as an equipotential (isothermal) sphere. Thus, the need for dark matter or modified gravity theory is
mitigated, at least in part.
This presentation explores a brief idea about the structural and functional attributes of nucleotides, the structure and function of genetic materials along with the impact of UV rays and pH upon them.
Nucleic Acid-its structural and functional complexity.
Selft concept an math
1. A Trend Study of Self-Concept and Mathematics
Achievement in a Cross-Cultural Context
Jianjun Wang
California State University
The TIMSS 1995, 1999, and 2003 data have been gathered from Hong Kong before
and after its sovereignty switch from the United Kingdom to China in 1997. Built on
a reciprocal relation theory from the research literature, this investigation is designed
to examine models of student self-concept and mathematics achievement during the
political transition. Along with a perceived ‘brain drain’ from the population
migration, there was a non-monotonic change in the reciprocal relationship between
self-concept and mathematics achievement. In addition, indicators of mathematics
achievement and self-concept have demonstrated different linkages to the
permanent emigration of Hong Kong residents with valued or desirable skills and
qualifications. Interpretation of these empirical findings entails a need of enhancing
cross-cultural understanding in mathematics education.
Professional organisations of mathematics education have attached great
importance to affective factors (e.g., National Council of Teachers of Mathematics,
1998). Marsh and Craven (1997) maintain that “enhancing a child’s academic
self-concept is not only a desirable goal but is likely to result in improved
academic achievement as well” (p. 155). The anticipated improvement of student
performance is based on the existence of a reciprocal relationship between self-
concept and academic achievement (Marsh, Trautwein, Ludtke, Koller, &
Baumert, 2005). It has been noted that “[i]n academic self-concept research,
support for the main theoretical models has been based largely on responses by
students from Western countries, particularly English-speaking students in
Australia, Canada, and the United States” (Marsh, Hau, & Kong, 2002, p. 728).
To facilitate the development of new knowledge, the aim of this
investigation is to examine the reciprocal relation model through an analysis of
empirical data during a cross-cultural transition in Hong Kong. To date, the only
comparative project that has gathered large-scale data in mathematics and
science education is TIMSS, an acronym originally given to the Third International
Mathematics and Science Study in 1995 (TIMSS 1995), and the Trends in International
Mathematics and Science Study that includes TIMSS 1995, 1999, and 2003 projects.
The trend data were collected in a parallel pattern to ensure that the results are
comparable over the eight-year span (1995-2003). This study is focused on
mathematics education because of its universal importance in secondary schools.
Among the TIMSS participating nations, the only nation that has
experienced a dramatic political transition in this period is Hong Kong. When
the TIMSS data were first collected in 1995, Hong Kong was a British colony.
After Hong Kong’s handover to China in July 1997, follow-up data were
gathered twice in 1999 and 2003. The ongoing political change provides a unique
opportunity to examine whether models of the relationship between academic
Mathematics Education Research Journal 2007, Vol. 19, No. 3, 33–47
2. self-concept and achievement differ from the Western models. Accordingly, this
empirical investigation has incorporated both exploratory and confirmatory
inquiries. On the exploratory aspect, this investigation includes variables from
the Hong Kong context using the large-scale TIMSS database. In addition,
grounded in the current literature, this study is designed to
reconfirm/disconfirm generalisation of the reciprocal relation model during the
period of political transition.
Literature Review
Self-concept is an important construct in education because of its linkage to
academic achievement (Byrne, 1984; Valentine, Dubois, & Cooper, 2004).
Nonetheless, a general self-concept might not be solely confined in the academic
orientation (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2006). To facilitate research in education,
Shavelson, Hubner, and Stanton (1976) proposed a hierarchical model that
divided the general self-concept into academic and nonacademic components.
“Recent research has shown a causal relationship between [academic] self-
concept and subsequent achievement and that this relationship is reciprocal in
nature” (Lau, Yeung, & Jin, 1998, p. 1). Interpretation of the reciprocal
relationship has been delineated in the following way — while better student
achievement leads to improvement of self-concept, positive self-concept can help
increase student achievement concurrently (Byrne & Shavelson, 1986; Craven,
Marsh, & Burnett, 2003).
Paradox of the Empirical Evidence
Support for the reciprocal effects model has been found from meta-analyses (Ma
& Kishor, 1997; Valentine, Dubois, & Cooper 2004), but this literature was
primarily rooted in North American culture. Meanwhile, empirical
investigations in comparative education did not produce conclusive findings in
a multicultural context. Wilkins, Zembylas, and Travers (2002) analysed
international data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study
(TIMSS), and reported a positive relationship between self-concept and
mathematics achievement for 16 different countries. Kifer’s (2002) analysis
indicated that many of the highest performing countries had some of the lowest
overall beliefs in student self-ability. Given the involvement of various
confounding variables from different cultures, the lack of comparability becomes
a concern for cross-sectional comparisons across different nations (Bracey, 2006).
To confront this paradox, Hong Kong is a preferred choice of study because
of the dramatic social changes within the recent decade. The TIMSS data were
gathered during this transition period across the British and Chinese governance,
and thus, empirical investigations can be conducted to examine educational
outcomes that are sensitive to the cross-cultural transformation. Trend data
analysis at the same location not only reflects the need for reconfirming the
reciprocal relation model in Hong Kong, but also alleviates the comparability
issue undermining most international studies among different sites.
34 Wang
3. Identification of Self-Concept
When describing self, one may use words “I” and “me.” Naturally, the “I” and
“me” perspectives of self have played important roles in self-concept
identification (Mead, 1913). While the “I” perspective portrays the self as a doer,
the “me” standpoint is needed to gain an understanding of self as object (James,
1890). Because “individuals are capable of forming biased (optimistic or
pessimistic) appraisals of their competence” (Martin & Debus, 1998, p. 518),
indicators of self-concept from the doer and object aspects can help triangulate
the information from different viewpoints, and thus, avoid potential mistakes
using a single indicator from one perspective (Bennett & Sani, 2004; Breckler &
Greenwald, 1986; Greenwald, 1982).
Similar to the two-side view of self, Marsh (1990) suggested a two-point
framework to guide analyses of self-concept: (1) intra-individual comparisons
(internal frame of reference), in which students compared their own
achievements in one subject with their achievements in other subjects; and (2)
social comparisons (external frame of reference), in which students associated
their own achievements with those of their classmates. The internal and external
structures are closely aligned with identification of self-concept from the doer
and object aspects in this investigation.
As a doer, students may assess whether they are good at a subject area
according to the internal frame of reference. For instance, Wilkins (2004)
employed an item, ‘I usually do well in mathematics’, from TIMSS to indicate
self-concept. He asserted that “based on the operative definition of mathematics
and science self-concept, the statement ‘I usually do well in mathematics
(science)’ represents a substantively valid measure” (Wilkins, 2004, p. 345). Still,
the single item approach might be too simplistic because of missing indicators
from the object aspect.
To address this issue, the external frame of reference can be employed to
enrich the self-concept configuration. As Walshaw (2007) has pointed out,
“Identity is a social construct” (p. 93). Besides an individual impression of self-
strength, students could develop their academic self-concept externally through
a comparison with their classmates. During the TIMSS data gathering, students
had a chance to rank their acceptance of a statement, ‘Math is more difficult for
me than for others’ (Item name: BSBMTCLM). This external comparison has
portrayed self-concept from an object perspective, reflecting the relative
difficulty students endured from mathematics learning.
In summary, self-as-doer and self-as-object are two interrelated aspects that
fit the historical literature (e.g., James, 1890) and Marsh’s (1990) internal/external
framework. The doer indicator is based on past analyses of the TIMSS database
(Wilkins, 2004). The object indicator further incorporates an external social
comparison to facilitate the self appraisal. In support of this empirical
investigation, those indicators have been chosen from the TIMSS database to
gain both I- and me-perspectives of self-concept in relation to Hong Kong’s
specific circumstances.
Self-Concept and Mathematics Achievement in a Cross-Cultural Context 35
4. The Hong Kong Context
The cross-cultural context has made Hong Kong an ideal setting for investigating
the composition of self-concept (Marsh, Hau, & Kong, 2002; Hau, Kong, Marsh,
& Cheng, 2000). One of the intrinsic variables is the co-existence of English and
Chinese instruction in mathematics education. Nonetheless, based on the school
language labeling, Marsh, Hau, and Kong (2002) reported that “the inclusion of
the language-of-instruction variables had almost no effect on the support for the
reciprocal effects model” (p. 748). In part, this could be because “a substantial
proportion of schools which claimed to teach in English actually taught either in
Cantonese or in mixed code” (Bray, 1997, p. 163).
Instead of involving the subtle language factor, this new investigation has
designated its focus on substantial changes during the sovereignty switch from
Britain to China. Since an initial announcement of the Sino-Britain agreement on
Hong Kong’s future in 1984, many Hong Kong residents have decided to move
abroad (Kingsley & Shirley, 2000). “Because of its rapid growth and sheer magni-
tude, the effects of emigration from Hong Kong have attracted much attention in
recent years” (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
[UNESCO], 2003, p. 7). Although no researcher has summarised the total
emigrant numbers to all western countries, the massive emigration from Hong
Kong to Australia has been tracked in Mar’s (2002) doctoral thesis. At the peak
of the political change, the number of emigrants to Australia in 1994/95 and
1995/96 was 10 times larger than the figure for 1997/98 (Mar, 2002, p. 101). The
1996 census data from Australia further indicated that 32 per cent of Hong Kong
born people had ‘higher qualifications’, about twice the level for the total Australian
population (The Department of Immigration & Multicultural Affairs, 2000). “For
a brief time, Hong Kong became the number one source of Australian immigrants,
surpassing the United Kingdom” (Mar, 2002, p. 105). As a result, a more
profound issue behind the political transition was “the outmigration of doctors,
bankers and other professionals in a large-scale brain drain” (Mondejar, 2001, p. 1).
The impact of population migration was non-monotonic because of the
emigrant return between 1999 and 2003. Goldstein (1999) reported, “The Chinese
immigrants [to the western countries] of the past few years, I heard a lot of them
say that they will return to Hong Kong ...” (p. 116). Despite the initial drop of
parental education in 1999, the returned population tide could have reversed the
trend (Goldstein, 1999; Koo, Kam, & Choi, 2003; Rao & Yuen, 2001), resulting in
an increase of parental education levels in 2003.
Whereas two points on the time dimension are sufficient to determine a
monotonic, linear relationship, the non-monotonic trend is curvilinear in nature,
and requires more data points to describe the transition pattern. Therefore, the
TIMSS 2003 data are incorporated with the previous two waves of data from
TIMSS 1995 and 1999 to disentangle the non-monotonic trend of parental
education within the context of Hong Kong.
In summary, the importance of studying the reciprocal relation model in
Hong Kong has been recognised by several researchers (e.g., Marsh et al., 2002;
Wang, J., 2004; Wang, 2005; Wang, Oliver, & Garcia, 2004). The model examined
36 Wang
5. in this new investigation differentiates from the past models in at least two
distinct aspects: (1) It replaces the ambiguous school language labeling with a more
pertinent factor of parental education to better represent the Hong Kong context in
this period; (2) It incorporates the TIMSS 2003 data to support an analysis of the
non-monotonic trend that requires at least three waves of data on the time
dimension.
Besides the linkage between family background and self-concept (Orr &
Dinur, 1995), it has been generally reported that “better-educated parents have
children who score higher on tests” (Bracey, 1998, p. 629). Thus, parental
education is a profound factor influencing development of student self-concept
and academic achievement (Eccles & Harold, 1993; Nakagawa, 2000; Pena, 2000).
Because the TIMSS 2003 data were unavailable to the general public until the end
of May, 2005, previous studies could not examine this non-monotonic pattern
(e.g., Wang, J., 2004; Wang, 2005; Wang, Oliver, & Garcia, 2004; Wilkins, 2004). In
this regard, this investigation is built on a solid theoretical framework and
pertinent empirical data to enrich the existing knowledge base.
Research Questions
According to Marsh et al. (2002), “Previous research suggests that Chinese
students differ from Western students in ways that may be relevant to how they
construct their self-concepts” (p. 728). Hong Kong is the only Chinese region that
has participated in all three phases of the TIMSS data collection. The trend data
at the 8th grade provide a unique opportunity to investigate changes in the
relationship between student self-concept and mathematics achievement in light
of the fluctuation of parental education levels during the political transition.
Research questions that guide this investigation are:
1. How does the change of parental education relate to development of
student self-concept and mathematics achievement, respectively?
2. Given the ongoing change of parental education during the political
transition, what is the relationship pattern between self-concept and
mathematics achievement?
3. Has the statistical modeling been supported by the TIMSS 1995, 1999,
and 2003 data across the 8-year period?
Method
Indicator Selection
When variables are not directly observable, researchers tend to use indicators or
observed variables to identify features of the latent variables (see Loehlin, 1992). In
this study, self-concept is represented by indicators from the doer and object
aspects. The use of multiple indicators is designed to achieve a better
representation of the latent variable, and facilitates assessment of potential
measurement errors in the statistical computing. According to Schumacker and
Lomax (1996), “Today, it is commonly accepted that multiple observed variables
are preferred over a single variable in defining a latent variable” (p. 55).
Self-Concept and Mathematics Achievement in a Cross-Cultural Context 37
6. Based on the theoretical framework, self-concept can be disentangled on the
intra-individual and social comparison dimensions (Marsh, 1990). From the
intra-individual reflection, students answered a TIMSS item, ‘I usually do well in
mathematics’, with a response from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”
(Wilkins, 2004). In terms of the social comparison, students responded an item
‘math is more difficult for me than for others’ in the TIMSS 1999 and 2003 projects.
In the TIMSS 1995 questionnaire, however, the item was worded in reverse with
respect to whether mathematics was relatively easy for a student. To maintain
consistency in the result interpretation, the scale has been transformed so that a
higher ranking response corresponds to a lower difficulty level, and thus, a more
positive self-concept.
To represent mathematics achievement more adequately, indicators of
academic performance have been selected according to the original TIMSS
project design. In particular, each student took a subset of the mathematics test
to reduce the testing burden, and a total of five plausible scores have been
imputed to estimate the overall student achievement (Wang, 2001). TIMSS
researchers suggested that the results from the five plausible scores be averaged
for statistical reporting to decrease uncertainty from the multiple score
imputations (http://isc.bc.edu/timss1999i/pdf/T99_TR_Chap14.pdf). This
method has been adopted in other similar projects, such as the National
Assessment of Educational Progress (e.g., Allen, Carlson, & Zelenak, 1999). In this
investigation, the five plausible scores from TIMSS 1995, 1999, and 2003 projects
are employed as indicators of student mathematics achievement.
Statistical Modelling
“The representation of latent variables based on their relation to observed
indicator variables is one of the defining characteristics of SEM [Structural
Equation Modelling]” (Garson, 2005, p. 3). The SEM analysis can be handled by
a computer software package of the Linear Structure Relation (LISREL)
(Jöreskog, Sörbom, Toit, & Toit, 2000). More importantly, the LISREL software can
model the relationship using indicators on an ordinal scale (Jöreskog, 1990), such
as the ones involved in the self-concept identification.
The model of the relationship between student self-concept and
mathematics achievement has been depicted in Figure 1. Parental education is a
contextual factor reflecting the non-monotonic trend of ‘brain drain’ during the
transition period. Path coefficients (γ1 & γ2) are estimated to assess linkages from
parental education to student self-concept and mathematics achievement,
respectively (Question 1). A correlation coefficient (β) has been computed by the
LISREL software to assess the reciprocal relationship between self-concept and
mathematics achievement (Question 2). Like a regular correlation coefficient, a
strong relationship is represented by a β value near 1, and a weak relationship is
indicated by a β value close to zero. The model-fitting indices are calculated to
examine the model reconfirmation by the TIMSS 1995, 1999, and 2003 databases
(Question 3). To keep Figure 1 more readable, measurement errors considered in
38 Wang
7. Self-Concept and Mathematics Achievement in a Cross-Cultural Context 39
Figure
1.
A
structural
model
of
self-concept
and
mathematics
achievement
from
TIMSS.
1.
PS1,
…
PS5
are
plausible
mathematics
scores
imputed
from
TIMSS
projects
under
a
three-parameter
item
response
theory
(IRT).
2.
The
"doer"
indicator
is
based
on
student
responses
on
whether
they
do
well
in
mathematics.
3.
The
"object"
indicator
is
based
on
students’
responses
on
whether
"math[s]
is
more
difficult
for
me
than
for
others."
4.
Indicators
for
the
"Parental
Education"
factor
are
based
on
father
and
mother
levels
of
education.
Mother
Father
PS1
PS2
PS3
PS4
PS5
Doer
Object
Self-
Concept
Parent
Education
Mathematics
Achievement
λ
x1
γ
1
γ
2
λ
x2
λ
y4
λ
y5
β
λ
y6
λ
y7
λ
y3
λ
y2
λ
y1
8. this investigation are not portrayed along with factor loadings (λ), path
coefficients (γ), and correlation coefficients (β).
Based on features of the secondary data analysis, the following two
limitations should be acknowledged in this method section:
1. Although doer and object indicators have been identified to represent the
intra-personal and social dimensions of self-concept, the cultural
determinants or influences could be too extensive to cover in the TIMSS
survey. The drawbacks of relying solely on quantitative analyses should
be acknowledged. Based on the ongoing changes of influence from
British to Chinese cultural values, more ethnographic research from the
qualitative paradigm may help disentangle the apparent switch of
student self-concept during the TIMSS investigations.
2. The TIMSS data analyses might seem unfamiliar because of the
involvement of sophisticated multivariate methods. For instance,
mathematics performance is represented by multiple plausible scores
(Gonzalez, & Smith, 1997; Martin, Mullis, Gonzalez, & Chrostowski,
2004), and Greek letters have been employed to present results of the
Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Consequently, the findings with
subscripts might appear alien to some readers.
Results
Levels of father or mother education range from completing primary school to
finishing university degrees. According to the original TIMSS codes, the parental
education indicators have a value of 1 for the lowest education and 6 for the
highest education. Sample sizes involved in the statistical computing have been
listed in Table 1 along with the average education levels and the corresponding
standard errors. The standard error calculation is based on the Jackknife
procedure recommended by a TIMSS report (Gonzalez & Smith, 1997). Because
of the relatively small standard errors, differences in the average level of
education are significant at α = 0.05.
The five plausible scores were more or less equivalent in the TIMSS project
design to jointly identify student mathematics performance (Gonzalez & Smith,
1997). This design feature was reconfirmed by empirical findings from this
40 Wang
Table 1
Trend in education levels of parents
Project Father Mother
N M SE N M SE
TIMSS95 4961 4.26 0.049 4978 3.93 0.042
TIMSS99 6251 2.89 0.061 6304 2.60 0.053
TIMSS03 4929 4.69 0.060 4930 4.22 0.053
9. investigation, as illustrated by the almost identical factor loadings (λy1, λy2, λy3,
λy4, and λy5) within each of the TIMSS databases (Table 2). In contrast, the doer
and object indicators seem to have different factor loadings (λy6 ≠ λy7) that need
to be addressed in the Discussion section.
Unlike the non-monotonic fluctuation of λy6 and λy7 values, father education
has consistently shown more contributions than mother education in identifying
the contextual factor of parental education (λx2 > λx1) across the three databases
(Table 2). Furthermore, as the reciprocal relationship remained weak (β ≤ 0.03) on the
time dimension, the parent education factor seemed to have demonstrated a stronger
link to student achievement than to self-concept (0.17 ≤ γ1 ≤ 0.23; 0.07 ≤ γ2 ≤ 0.14).
Whereas the literature review justified appropriateness of using the TIMSS
1995, 1999, and 2003 data to study the reciprocal relation model, the statistical
analysis has provided more empirical evidence to assess the model fitness. In
particular, s (GFI) have been listed in Table 3 to indicate plausibility of fitting the
reciprocal model (Figure 1) to the empirical data, and the root mean square errors of
approximation (RMSEA) are computed to assess the average of residuals not
accounted for by the model. The high GFI indices and small RMSEA values
reconfirm the model fitness to the trend data from TIMSS.
Self-Concept and Mathematics Achievement in a Cross-Cultural Context 41
Table 2
Parameter estimates for the reciprocal model using the TIMSS and TIMSS-R databases
Estimates TIMSS 1995 TIMSS 1999 TIMSS 2003
Factor pattern coefficients
λy1 0.96 0.92 0.96
λy2 0.95 0.93 0.96
λy3 0.95 0.93 0.96
λy4 0.96 0.92 0.96
λy5 0.96 0.93 0.96
λy6 1.16 0.56 0.68
λy7 0.41 0.75 0.71
λx1 0.78 0.63 0.66
λx2 0.84 0.69 0.93
Reciprocal Relation
β 0.01 0.03 0.01
Path Coefficients
γ1 0.19 0.23 0.17
γ2 0.07 0.14 0.07
10. Discussion
This empirical investigation is based on a careful selection of timing and location
to examine the reciprocal relation model in a cross-cultural context. The timing
has been designated to a special period in which the TIMSS 1995, 1999, and 2003
data are available for statistical analyses. The Hong Kong location is unique for
its sovereignty handover between Britain and China during the same period.
Accompanied by the migration of professionals in and out of the territory, a non-
monotonic change of parent education has been found in the local school setting
(Table 1). Discussion of the empirical findings is grounded in this context to
disentangle the empirical relationship between student self-concept and
mathematics achievement using the TIMSS databases from more than 15,000
students.
Empirical Trends within the Hong Kong Context
During the 8-year trend study, parental education levels have decreased from
TIMSS 1995 to TIMSS 1999 projects, and bounced back in the TIMSS 2003 project
(Table 1). Despite this fluctuation, what remained consistent was a gender
difference in the influence of parental education. In particular, father’s education
seemed to have more contribution to the parental education factor than mother’s
education (λx2 > λx1). The cultural heritage might have played an important role
since “The traditional Chinese culture is male-oriented culture” (Wong, Lam, &
Ho, 2002, p. 830). More than 2000 years ago, Confucius downplayed the
importance of female education, and maintained that “a woman is virtuous only
if she is untalented” (cited by Lin, 2001, p. 159).
When the modernisation drive was launched in China after the Cultural
Revolution, implementation of a single-child policy has deterred two or more
children families (Wang & Brie, 1997); but the single-child policy was confined
within the mainland China. Without the population control measure in Hong
Kong, the male-dominant culture not only adored boys, but also elevated the
father’s status. Consequently, the TIMSS results demonstrated more contribution
from fathers’ education than mothers’ to the category of parental influence.
Figure 1 illustrates empirical linkages from parental education to student
learning outcomes. Typically, “Hong Kong Chinese parents carried and
penetrated in their home environment their attitudinal emphasis in their
children’s academic success” (Wang, D., 2004, p. 52). Whereas a self-concept has
42 Wang
Table 3
Model fitting indices for the TIMSS and TIMSS-R databases
Indices TIMSS 1995 TIMSS 1999 TIMSS 2003
RMSEA 0.06 0.07 0.07
GFI 0.98 0.97 0.97
11. been derived from a theoretical framework (Marsh, 1990), student achievement
is simply represented by mathematics scores. Due to the transparency of score
monitoring, it is no surprise to observe a larger path coefficient from the parental
education factor to the academic achievement outcome (i.e., γ1 > γ2). This finding
also reflects education values of Hong Kong parents because “Excellent
examination results are considered representative of the status and good
reputation of the family” (Lau, Yu, Lee, So, & Sung, 2004, p. 22).
According to the research literature, English-speaking nations place more
emphasis on individualism, and “Chinese culture is low on the culture value of
individualism and high on collectivism” (Marsh, Hau, & Kong, 2002, p. 728). In
identifying self-concept, the doer perspective is linked to individual judgment as
to whether or not a student performs well in mathematics. The object
perspective, on the other hand, is based on a comparison of academic
performance among students. In the TIMSS 1995 project, the indicator from the
doer’s perspective had a stronger influence than the comparative considerations
from the object perspective (λy6 > λy7) (see Table 2 & Figure 1). After the
sovereignty handover, the results were reversed, and the social comparison
played a more important role (λy6 < λy7) in the TIMSS 1999 and 2003 projects.
Consistent with the transformation from British to Chinese governance, this
change seems to indicate a switch of influence from the individual viewpoint to
the collective consideration in self-concept identification.
Non-Monotonic Changes During the Transition
It should be noted that the fluctuation of parental education was parallel to the
tide of population migration in this period (see Goldstein, 1999; Mar, 2002; Rao
& Yuen, 2001). As the parental education factor reached the lowest level in 1999
(Table 1), the shortage of human resources might have generated more family
awareness to the ‘brain drain’ issue, and thus, higher path coefficients (i.e., γ1 or
γ2) appeared in TIMSS 1999 (Table 2). In line with the stronger influence of
parental education on mathematics achievement and self-concept, the East Asian
financial crisis in 1999 also triggered more education demands on core subject
training (Yam, 1999). These contextual factors might have jointly contributed to
a non-monotonic fluctuation of the γ1 and γ2 values along with the sovereignty
transformation (Table 2).
In response to this curvilinear change, the strongest reciprocal relationship
between mathematics achievement and self-concept has also been obtained from
the TIMSS 1999 project (β = 0.03). On a scale between 0 and 1, however, even this
largest β value was too small to claim a substantial implication. The influence of
both British and Chinese cultures might have resulted in overlooking a strong
reciprocal relationship reported from the western literature (see a summary by
Ma & Kishor, 1997). On the one hand, positive reciprocal relationships have been
found from studies of English-speaking population (Valentine, Dubois, &
Cooper 2004), and Hong Kong had the British influence during its 150-year
colonial history. On the other hand, Confucius stated that “The more a man
Self-Concept and Mathematics Achievement in a Cross-Cultural Context 43
12. learns, the more he knows his ignorance” (http://novel.jschina.com.cn/
yingyuwenxue/yinghmy/yinghanmingyan15.htm, p. 1). Therefore, one might
speculate a negative reciprocal relationship between mathematics achievement
and self-concept due to Confucius ideology in Chinese tradition. As the positive
and negative relationships counter-balanced each other, a weak reciprocal
relationship has been found from this investigation (see the β values in Table 2).
Model Fitting Indices
Because this investigation is deeply grounded on the existing literature, it is
important to confirm that the theoretical model has a strong support from the
empirical databases. Jöreskog and Sorbom (1993) maintained that an appropriate
model should have a small Root Mean Square Errors of Approximation (RMSEA)
and a large Goodness of Fit Index (GFI). In terms of either criterion, the results in
Table 3 clearly suggest strong support of the statistical model from the trend
databases.
Sharma (1996) cautioned that the model-fitting indices could be “affected by
sample size” (p. 158). In this study, invariant model-fitting indices have been
obtained from trend data analysis (Tables 1 & 3) despite the variation of sample
sizes in the TIMSS 1995, 1999, and 2003 databases. Consistency of the model-
fitting indices clearly suggested a constant support of the theoretical model
across the transition period between British and Chinese governances.
In conclusion, a weak relationship has appeared between mathematics
achievement and self-concept during the cross-cultural transition. “In an
interconnected world, understanding other nations and regions is a cornerstone
of democratic citizenship” (Engler, Hunt, & James, 2004, p. 199). To enhance
understanding of the cultural diversity, more investigations are needed to further
disentangle the feature of mathematics achievement and self-concept, and verify
the non-monotonous trend along with the weak reciprocal relationship. In this
regard, the statistical findings reported in this article do not preclude scholarly
inquiries from qualitative paradigm to enrich the cross-cultural understanding of
mathematics education during the special period of sovereignty transition.
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Author
Jianjun Wang, Department of Advanced Educational Studies, California State University,
Bakersfield, 9001 Stockdale Highway, Bakersfield, CA 93311-1099, USA. Email:
<jianjun_wang@firstclass1.csubak.edu>
Self-Concept and Mathematics Achievement in a Cross-Cultural Context 47