Measuring the implementation fidelity (IF) or integrity of interventions is crucial, otherwise a positive or negative outcome cannot be interpreted. Direct and indirect methods of IF measurement tend to over-emphasize teacher behaviour. This paper focuses on IF measured by student behaviour collected through computers. Attainment was measured by…

This article contributes to the long-running discussion about the gendering of mathematics learning by exploring the social biographies of six exceptionally high-attaining mathematics students, four women and two men. In contrast to some prior studies, these students appeared to feel no need to downplay being "good at maths" in order to…

Improving provision and raising achievement in early math for young children is of national importance. Child-centered apps offer an opportunity to develop strong foundations in learning math as they deliver one-to-one instruction. Reported here is the first pupil-level randomized control trial in the United Kingdom of interactive math apps…

This paper analyzed elementary teacher education (hereafter 'TED') programs in the top performing European (TIMSS) countries to help inform future elementary TED policy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methodological emphasis revolved around how much emphasis should be placed on general content knowledge (GCK), as opposed to general pedagogical…

Since its introduction in 2017, NFER has been contracted by Ofqual to develop, deliver and analyse the results of the National Reference Test (NRT) in English and maths. The NRT is administered annually and shows if student performance in English and maths at GCSE level has changed from year to year. The NRT results are based on analysis of data…

We report the implementation and evaluation of a "peer assisted learning" (PAL) scheme designed to reduce the so-called "cooling off" phenomenon in undergraduate mathematics. "Cooling off" occurs when mathematics undergraduates lose motivation and interest in their studies, despite having previously actively chosen to…

In recent years the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma has become widely accepted as a university-entry qualification in the UK, but there has been little quantitative research into the achievements of IB students at degree level. This study investigates IB students from one selective independent school who entered UK universities between…

This book contains a compilation of papers presented at the International Conference on Education and New Developments (END 2017), organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (W.I.A.R.S.). Education, in our contemporary world, is a right since we are born. Every experience has a formative effect on the constitution of the…

Supplemental Instruction has a long history of effective use in third level education in the United States. However, there are few rigorously controlled studies in which the potentially confounding effects of student aptitude and experience and of "volunteer effects" have been controlled. Analysis of the effects of peer assisted learning…

Focusing on innovative forms of assessment in the United Kingdom, this article describes assessment strategies in mathematics, "oracy," science, and foreign languages. These strategies include not only problems in which students select a correct answer, but also practical problems in which students supply answers to open ended tasks.…

Mathematics Support Centres are to be found in various forms in the majority of UK higher education institutions. They have been established in order to ease widespread and serious difficulties that a significant number of students have with mathematics, particularly at the school-university transition. They usually offer mathematics and/or…

In the past 150 years, educational systems have expanded and become integrally linked with economic, political, and social status in modern nation-states. As the stakes for education have risen, so has the call for more and improved use of scientific evidence as a basis for educational policymaking. Evidence from averaged scores on international…

In recent years, a number of analyses assessments used in different countries have appeared. Analyses emerging from international comparisons such as Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) have focused on what might be termed "cross-sectional" comparisons;…

Examines effects of teacher behaviors and classroom organization on 2,128 pupils' progress in mathematics in UK primary schools participating in a math intervention program. Using multilevel modeling techniques, finds that teacher behaviors could explain between 60 and 70 percent of pupils' progress on numeracy tests. (Contains 35 references.)…

Despite being central to government education policy in many countries, there remains considerable debate about whether resources matter for pupil outcomes. In this paper we look at this question by considering an English education policy initiative--Excellence in Cities--which has been a flagship policy aimed at raising standards in inner-city…