In Ireland, while, on average, students have performed well on national and international assessments of mathematics and science, the low proportions of high achievers in these subjects are noteworthy. Given these patterns and the multifaceted benefits in individual and societal terms that expertise in mathematics and science has been associated…

This study aimed to examine the importance levels of mathematics-specific trend variables in PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) 2003 and 2012 in predicting mathematics performance across years with a two-step analysis method. The sample of the study was 9703 Turkish students (N[subscript 2003]=4855 and N[subscript 2012]=4848)…

This research aims to find how the infrastructure of digital devices within the school and teachers' capacity using digital devices affect student achievement defined as PISA 2018 reading, math, and science scores. The ex post facto co-relational causal research design was employed. The data were obtained from the school questionnaire administered…

The purpose of the study is to analyze the affective traits that affect mathematics achievement through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) as a traditional regression model and Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS), as one of the data mining methods. Structural Equation Modeling, one of the regression-based methods, is quite popular for…

In studies of educational achievement, students' self-reported number of books in the family home is a frequently used proxy for social, cultural, and economic background. Absent hard evidence about what this variable captures or how well, its use has been motivated by strong associations with student outcomes. I show that these associations rest…

The present study aims to determine which analysis technique-Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) or Logistic Regression (LR) Analysis-is better at predicting the science literacy success of the 15-year Turkish students who participated in PISA research carried out in 2015 by using learning time spent on science, test anxiety, environmental…

Purpose: In this study, Logistic Regression (LR), CHAID (Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection) analysis and data mining methods are used to investigate the variables that predict the mathematics success of the students. Research Methods: In this study, a quantitative research design was employed during the data collection and the analysis…

This study explored the extent to which teachers' instrumental (i.e., tangible aid to promote learning) and appraisal support (i.e., teacher feedback) enhanced students' achievement in mathematics. Participants included 13,950 fifteen-year-old Canadian students who participated in the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment. Based on…

We examined Differential Item Functioning (DIF) and the size of cross-cultural performance differences in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 mathematics data before and after application of propensity score matching. The mathematics performance of Indonesian, Turkish, Australian, and Dutch students on released items was…

The present paper investigates the power of personality to predict important life outcomes in the context of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). On the most global level, personality can be described by the Big Five dimensions, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and…

At a time when the national conversation is focused on lagging upward mobility, it is no surprise that many educators point to poverty as the explanation for mediocre test scores among U.S. students compared to those of students in other countries. If American teachers in struggling U.S. schools taught in Finland, says Finnish educator Pasi…

Mathematics competency is fast becoming an essential requirement in ever greater parts of day-to-day work and life. Thus, creating strategies for improving mathematics learning in students is a major goal of education research. However, doing so requires an ability to look at many aspects of mathematics learning, such as demographics and…

Rather than assessing its causal effect on educational attainment, the authors of this article aim to use the concept of cultural capital to define a huge, complex and interconnected collection of educational and school strategies adopted by students and families and to examine the way that these strategies are related to school inequalities. Data…

This study identifies factors predicting reading literacy achievement among Grade 4 students in South Africa by utilizing Vygotsky's social interaction theory. The study draws on the preProgress in International Reading Literacy Study (prePIRLS) 2011 data, which places South African Grade 4 students' results below the international centre point of…

This paper explores parental involvement using principal and parent survey reports to examine whether parents' involvement in their children's schools predicts academic achievement. Survey data from principals and parents of seven countries from the PISA 2012 database and hierarchical linear modelling were used to analyse between- and within-…