When analyzing large-scale assessments (LSAs) that use complex sampling designs, it is important to account for probability sampling using weights. However, the use of these weights in multilevel models has been widely debated, particularly regarding their application at different levels of the model. Yet, no consensus has been reached on the best…

This article presents a latent class model for multilevel data to identify latent subgroups and estimate heterogeneous treatment effects. Unlike sequential approaches that partition data first and then estimate average treatment effects (ATEs) within classes, we employ a Bayesian procedure to jointly estimate mixing probability, selection, and…

This paper drills deeper into the documented effects of the Cognitive Tutor Algebra I and ASSISTments intelligent tutoring systems by estimating their effects on specific problems. We start by describing a multilevel Rasch-type model that facilitates testing for differences in the effects between problems and precise problem-specific effect…

Student motivation predicts academic achievement, engagement, and related academic behaviors. Yet in spite of the importance of motivation for academic success, few studies have examined the school and national-level contextual characteristics associated with motivation. The present study uses hierarchical linear modeling to analyze a large…

Effect size reporting is crucial for interpretation of applied research results and for conducting meta-analysis. However, clear guidelines for reporting effect size in multilevel models have not been provided. This report suggests and demonstrates appropriate effect size measures including the ICC for random effects and standardized regression…

In his State of the Nation address on 7 February 2019, the president of the Republic of South Africa. Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, stated that the government would provide digital workbooks and textbooks to every school child in South Africa by 2025. (De Villiers, 2019). This announcement begs the question how effective the incorporation of Information…

The overall aim of this study is to investigate the effect of school-related factors and early learning experiences on mathematics achievement. In this causal-comparative research, HLM analysis was performed on the data of 6378 students, their parents, and 241 school principals and primary school teachers. As a result of the HLM analysis, at the…

Taiwanese students are featured as having high academic achievement but low motivational beliefs according to the serial results of the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Moreover, given that the role of context has become more important in the development of academic motivation theory, this study aimed to examine the relationship…

This research empirically evaluates data sets from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for design effects of ignoring the sampling design in weighted two-level analyses. Currently, researchers may ignore the sampling design beyond the levels that they model which might result in incorrect inferences regarding hypotheses due to…

Teachers play an important role in the provision of quality education. The variety of classroom practices they use in interacting with learners play a critical role in the understanding of mathematical concepts and overall performance in Mathematics. Following the work done by Hattie (2009, 2012) in relation to classroom practices this study…

Background: School administrators and teachers face difficult decisions about how best to use school resources to meet academic achievement goals. Many are hesitant to adopt prevention curricula that are not focused directly on academic achievement. Yet, some have hypothesized that prevention curricula can remove barriers to learning and, thus,…

Motivational constructs and students' engagements have great impacts on students' mathematics achievements, yet they have not been theoretically investigated using international large-scale assessment data. This study utilized the mathematics data of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2011 to conduct a comparative and…

This study uses the 2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study to investigate the relationships among students' and teachers' computer use, and eighth-grade students' mathematical reasoning in three high-achieving nations: Finland, Chinese Taipei, and Singapore. The study found a significant negative relationship in all three…

This study investigated the performance of U.S. eighth-grade female and minority students' achievement in learning statistics concepts using the Data and Chance content domain from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2007 (TIMSS 2007). Using variables that have been linked to mathematics and statistics achievement in the…

This article combines statistical and applied research perspective showing problems that might arise when measurement error in multilevel compositional effects analysis is ignored. This article focuses on data where independent variables are constructed measures. Simulation studies are conducted evaluating methods that could overcome the…