Excellence gaps are differences in advanced education outcomes among student groups. This study replicates and extends an earlier study on the prevalence and magnitude of excellence gaps based on student sex and immigrant status using Grade 8 TIMSS data. Data were included for the 12 countries that have participated in each TIMSS administration…

Self-directed learning enables students to take charge of their educational journey by selecting their own paths, thereby fostering intrinsic motivation. Traditional educational models often rely on extrinsic motivators like grades and rewards, whereas self-directed approaches emphasize personal satisfaction and curiosity. Review of existing…

In UK universities, there is a long-standing gap in degree award outcomes for undergraduate students with white British students more likely to graduate with a 'good degree' (first or upper second class) than British students from minority ethnic backgrounds. Given its complex, systemic nature, researchers have highlighted the importance of…

The present study examined Latinx school readiness and 3rd grade student achievement, considering differences based on social categories of gender, race, ethnicity, and home language. The sample included 683 racially diverse children (M[subscript age] = 4.94; SD = 0.57) of Dominican- or Mexican-origin from Spanish-English or Spanish-only…

The Sustainable Development Goals, the Indian Constitution, and policymakers have emphasized the importance of providing elementary education for children aged 6-14 to achieve full literacy. This study develops a Performance, Infrastructure, and Equity (PIE) index for Odisha's districts to evaluate the status and quality of elementary education.…

Educational inequality and mathematics achievement have been long-term concerns in England. However, most studies of inequalities focus on achievement across multiple-subjects, and studies of mathematics achievement gaps tend to look at a single test in a single year. This study provides an overview of mathematics achievement gaps in the last 13…

Girls' education significantly benefits communities and countries. Despite ongoing efforts, gender disparity in developing countries remains a persistent issue. This study aimed to investigate gender disparity in regional and national examinations using an ex-post facto research design. To achieve this, we analyzed the scores of 3,349 students in…

This article explores the complex relationship between gender, mathematical self-concept, and choosing to pursue a STEM degree program in Austria. Additionally, it evaluates the accuracy of mathematical self-perception relative to performance across genders. Employing quantitative methodologies including linear mixed-effects models, matching…

Background: Comparative educational research has studied inequality in educational outcomes through large-scale assessments like PISA and TIMSS, by identifying achievement gaps within social groups (e.g., gender, parental education, and immigrant gaps) to inform investment in intervention programs and educational policies. However, the focus of…

This study investigated the long-term impact of the science writing heuristic (SWH) approach on students' science achievement, focusing on differences between low and high socioeconomic status (SES) groups. Through a longitudinal design, students were divided into control and treatment (at least 1 year of SWH) groups. Polynomial growth mixed…

We examine effects of the pandemic on student attendance, course grades, and grade retention in North Carolina in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 using descriptive and regression analyses. We find each outcome worsened on average in 2020-2021, with larger changes at the high end of the absence distribution, the low end of the grade distribution, and among…

AVIOR, an Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership, aimed to narrow the achievement gap between native and non-native pupils in Europe. European partners collaborated to provide bilingual literacy and numeracy materials for primary school's children aged 4-8. Additionally, they shared best practices on creating inclusive multilingual classrooms among…

While working memory (WM) is a powerful predictor for children's school outcomes, autistic children are more likely to experience delays. This study compared autistic children and their neurotypical peers' WM development over their elementary school years, including relative growth and period of plasticity. Using a nationally-representative…

A growing body of research has examined the relationship between family socioeconomic status (SES) and educational outcomes. Meta-analyses of raw correlations generally indicate moderate associations, typically between 0.12 and 0.3 for academic achievement and around 0.18 to 0.4 for educational attainment. Causal inference studies, aimed at…

This study investigates recent discourse on "learning gaps" through the lens of Korean teachers' perspectives. Drawing on ecological systems theory and Confucian influences on East Asian education, we analyzed interviews with 24 Korean teachers to explore their perceptions of pandemic-induced learning disparities and their root causes.…