This study investigated how domain specificity of academic motivation related to the connection between instructional clarity and academic achievement in science and mathematics. It focused on three aspects of domain-specific academic motivation--self-concept, intrinsic value, and utility value--drawing from the Expectancy-Value Theory model. The…

Early detection of and relevant information on children's mathematical difficulties is important to initiate targeted teaching and intervention. This study investigated the extent to which strategy use in single-digit addition provides additional predictive information about 61 grade one children's (6-year-old) mathematical achievement 3 years…

Teachers' daily competitive and cooperative practices impact students' motivation and academic achievement. The present research was conducted among French in-service teachers. Our goal was to examine one of the predictors of the use of competitive and cooperative pedagogical practices by teachers: their belief in school meritocracy. A sample of…

Inquiry-Based Teaching Practice (IBTP) is an essential component of science education, and promoting its implementation is at the heart of various reform efforts. Even though science teachers regard IBTP as an essential pedagogical method, they rarely use it for various reasons. This study utilizes Bronfenbrenner's ecological framework to examine…

In the educational literature on peer effects, attention has been brought to the fact that the mechanisms creating peer effects are still to a large extent hidden in obscurity. The hypothesis in the study reported in this article was that the Frame Factor Theory (FFT) can be used to reveal such mechanisms. Using data from the Swedish TIMSS 2015 (N…

This open access book brings together national experts from across the Dinaric region to rigorously review IEA's Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2019 grade four data to develop a multidimensional and culturally sensitive perspective on their TIMSS 2019 primary-level results. The Dinaric region, named after the Dinaric…

This study examined the effects of students' motivational beliefs and school mathematics instructional quality on students' mathematics achievement based on the Opportunity Propensity Framework. We selected 8854 15-year-old students from 683 schools across 5 countries/economies (Hong Kong, Macao, Shanghai-China, Singapore, Chinese Taipei) in PISA…

This study examined the predictive power of students' demographic characteristics, reading attitudes, school characteristics, and teacher-informed reading activities on three metacognitive reading skills: understanding and remembering, summarizing, and assessing credibility and their influence on 15-year-old students' reading scores. The dataset…

The present study ascertains the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and students' science self-efficacy using data involving 509,182 15-year-old students and 17,678 school principals in 69 countries/regions who participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015. Hierarchical linear modelling results show…

Today's economy demands higher order thinking skills (HOTS), and the public education system has a critical role in supporting students' acquisition of HOTS. Yet, numerous studies documented inequity in access to higher quality instruction that promotes HOTS, which could result in wide test score gaps in HOTS. In this study, I examined test score…

This three-article dissertation considers the pedagogical practices for developing statistically literate students and teaching data-driven decision-making with the goal of preparing students for civic engagement and improving student achievement. The first article discusses a critical review of the literature on data-driven decision-making…

Various independent variables affect or have a relationship with students' mathematics academic achievement theoretically, practically, and statistically. These variables include the learning needs of students, use of general teaching principles, and learning strategies. This study aims to examine the predictive level of learning needs, learning…

Classroom climate in seven Confucian Asian countries/systems was examined with respect to three dimensions: teachers' affective qualities, behavioural-classroom management style and cognitive-pedagogical approaches. The results based on PISA 2012 data showed that there were substantial variations in classroom climate across the seven Confucian…

As scientific literacy plays a contributing role in identifying, analysing, and solving environmental matters that our world is facing, there is growing consensus to mandate environmental matters in science classrooms following five decades of efforts in promoting environmental education. However, much remains unknown about the relationship…

This study analyzes how students' reported teaching practices of their teachers and their attitudes towards science are related to the science achievements of four high-performing countries/economies in PISA 2015: Hong Kong, China, Canada, and Finland. A study of these regions can shed light on the commonalities of and differences between the…