Previous studies differed largely in their findings concerning the relationship between principal leadership and students' mathematics achievement because of the complexity of principal leadership. As Hallinger and Heck's theoretical framework showed, principal leadership was comprised setting vision/goal, school management, and school climate…

The foundation of school success is laid early in children's lives. Consequently, assessments of academic precursors may help to identify children in need of additional support. Such early assessments could also be interesting from an international perspective when educational systems are compared. This analysis is used to inform on the…

This article argues that strong interrelations between methodological and theoretical advances exist. Progress in, especially comparative, methods may have important impacts on theory evaluation. By using the example of the "Varieties of Capitalism" approach and an international comparison of higher education systems, it can be shown…

This article gives a short overview based on the "EU High Level Group of Experts on Literacy" (HLWG) report to address issues and challenges in Europe on improving literacy competencies in schools. Furthermore, an analysis is conducted focusing on the promotion of reading and early literacy skills in schools taking into account…

The theme of this paper is students' interest in future natural sciences-related careers. It is based on data from the Programme for International Student Assessment survey that in 2006 focused attention on the science literacy achievements of students. The paper uses the methods of linear regression modelling and structural equation modelling in…

The primary goal of this study was to test a credibility-learning model in U.S., Chinese, German, and Japanese classrooms. Using structural equation modeling, an etic credibility-learning model was generated from the common significant paths of the hypothesized model across the four cultures. Teacher credibility showed only an indirect…