The aims of this study are to: (a) assess if cognitive self-concept (competence) and affective self-concept in mathematics and science are different constructs, (b) evaluate the construct validity of ...self-concept in the context of conflation and separation, and (c) test if the relationships among cognitive and affective variables are invariant across gender. The data for this study were obtained from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2007 database. Data about 2,687 out of 4,099 eighth grade Saudi students were subject to various analyses. The variables used in this study were mathematics and science self-concepts, and mathematics and science subject value as part of the Students Background Questionnaire. The relationships among constructs were examined with the use of SPSS16 and the structural equation modeling software, AMOS16. The results demonstrated that subject value and self-concept were different constructs. Also, the results demonstrated that cognitive and affective self-concepts were independent, but strongly related constructs, and the structure of the construct was clearer when self-concept was separated into cognitive and affective components than when it was conflated. The relationships among cognitive, affective, and subject value in mathematics and science were invariant across gender. However, their relationships with achievement were not invariant across gender.
Deux études internationales évaluant les connaissances des élèves en mathématiques occupent une place importante dans le paysage éducatif mondial : celles du Programme international pour le suivi des ...acquis des élèves (PISA) et de la Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Si ces études sont accompagnées d’une littérature abondante décrivant leurs cadres, et si de nombreuses recherches en édumétrie, en sociologie ou encore en sciences de l’éducation ont régulièrement été menées, quel regard la didactique des mathématiques peut-elle porter sur ces études ? Après avoir présenté succinctement les cadres de ces deux évaluations, nous exploitons deux approches didactiques distinctes, basées sur l’analyse a priori des tâches pour analyser le contenu de l’évaluation et pour réinterpréter les résultats des élèves. Couplée à une analyse statistique implicative, la première, didactique et cognitive, apporte un regard neuf sur les résultats du PISA et permet de mener des comparaisons entre pays. La seconde approche, située dans le cadre de la théorie anthropologique du didactique, s’intéresse davantage au contenu de la TIMSS et à la répartition des questions au regard d’une organisation mathématique de référence.
The purpose of this study is to determine items which have differential item functioning (DIF) in TIMSS 2011 mathematics subtest with three different item response theory (IRT)-based DIF methods and ...compare results of these methods. For this purpose, DIF values obtained by Lord's Chi-Square, Raju's Area and Likelihood-Ratio Test methods were compared with respect to gender (males were the reference group while females were the focal group) to test whether these procedures yielded similar results. In addition, item purification was performed for each methods and results were compared in order to determine the effect of item purification. These comparisons can provide evidence for determining the best models for detecting DIF items. Results indicated that 2PL IRT model fitted best to the data for both Lord's Chi-Square method and Raju's Signed Area method. Although number of items detected as DIF differed for each methods, 2 out of 22 dichotomous items in the test observed consistently across all methods, which were more likely to be answered correctly by males after controlling for overall ability.
Studies of international mathematics achievement such as the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) have employed classical test theory and item response theory to rank individuals within a ...latent ability continuum. Although these approaches have provided insights into comparisons between countries, they have yet to examine how specific attribute mastery affects student performance and how they can provide information for curricular instruction. In the 2007 administration of TIMSS, two benchmark participants-Massachusetts and Minnesota-were tested following the same procedural methods, providing an opportunity for comparison within and across the United States. Overall comparison of their performance showed Massachusetts and Minnesota to significantly outperform the United States. However, this article shows that there is a greater wealth of fine-grained information that can be translated directly for classroom application at the attribute level when a cognitive diagnostic model (CDM) such as the deterministic, inputs, noisy, "and" gate (
Junker & Sijtsma, 2001
) model is used. Results showed a significant disparity between proportions of correctly answering and mastering skills required to solve an item. Advantages of CDMs are discussed as well as a CDM-based method to filter distractor response categories that can aid instructors to diagnose a student's attribute mastery.
This study was to analyze the effects of parental educational level (P.EDU), science attitude (ATT), and valuing science (VAL) on science performance after establishing gender invariance in a ...representative sample of the Taiwanese eighth grade population drawn from the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The official TIMSS five plausible values in scoring science performance were used as outcome variables, while independent variables were collected from student questionnaires. The effects of P.EDU, ATT, and VAL on science performance were estimated by a multi-group structural equation model. Results from multi-group analysis supported gender invariance. After establishing gender invariance, a considerable effect was detected between P.EDU and Taiwanese eighth grade science performance that was indirectly related through ATT and VAL with the direct effects being stronger than the indirect effects, and the indirect effects of ATT being stronger than VAL in both genders. Prospective impediments to multi-group invariance are suggested to be utilized when comparing different groups.
The Czech education system is characterised by early tracking and high educational inequalities. The most controversial element of the system is the academic track, which is attended by students ...after the completion of primary school. The paper focuses on fifth graders' application process and their success in entrance examinations. The process is examined by binary logistic regression and descriptive analyses of the data collected in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study conducted in 2011 in grade 4, and in a survey of students attending grade 5 implemented on the same sample within the Czech Longitudinal Study in Education. The analyses show that students' family background has a significant effect on both application and success during admission procedures. The paper discusses the role of the family in the application process and in preparation for the entrance examinations, and compares the situation in the Czech Republic with that in other countries.
Background
While existing evidence strongly suggests that immigrant students underperform relative to their native counterparts on measures of mathematics, science, and reading, country-level ...analyses assessing the homogeneity of the immigrant achievement gap across different factors have not been systematically conducted. Beyond finding a statistically significant average achievement gap, existing findings show considerable variation. The goal of this quantitative synthesis was to analyze effect sizes which compared immigrants to natives on international mathematics, reading, and science examinations.
Methods
We used data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). We investigated whether the achievement gap is larger in some content areas than others (among mathematics, science, and reading), across the different types of tests (PISA, TIMSS, PIRLS), across academic grades and age, and whether it has changed across time. Standardized mean differences between immigrant and native students were obtained using data from 2000 to 2009 for current Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
Results
Statistically significant weighted mean effect sizes favored native test takers in mathematics
d
¯
math
*
=
0.38
, reading
d
¯
reading
*
=
0.38
, and science
d
¯
science
*
=
0.43
. Effects of moderators differed across content areas.
Conclusions
Our analyses have the potential to contribute to the literature about how variation in the immigrant achievement gap relates to different national-level factors.
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