This paper informs users of data collected in international large-scale assessments (ILSA), by presenting argumentsunderlining the importance of considering two design features employed in these studies. We examine a commonmisconception stating that the uncertainty arising from the assessment design is negligible compared with that arisingfrom the…

Girls' education significantly benefits communities and countries. Despite ongoing efforts, gender disparity in developing countries remains a persistent issue. This study aimed to investigate gender disparity in regional and national examinations using an ex-post facto research design. To achieve this, we analyzed the scores of 3,349 students in…

Background: Past studies on mindsets have mostly examined them as an individual difference variable. However, the mindset-by-context framework argues that mindsets do not occur within a vacuum, and their successful implementation depends on the social context. One of the most important social contexts for students is the socioeconomic conditions…

This study examines the relationship between class size and secondary school students' mathematics achievement focusing on three aspects: (1) the relationship between class size and mean mathematics achievement gains; (2) how relationships differentiate across student groups; and (3) the association between class size and variance in mathematics…

Our culture attributes women's and girls' ability in mathematics and related domains to their efforts more so than men's and boys'--a stereotype that contributes to inequities in scientific and technical careers. Here, we provide the first investigation of this gender stereotype in children, examining its endorsement across a broad age range and…

This study investigates the effect of teaching enriched with astronomy activities and educational games on astronomy achievement in the 6th-grade Solar System and Eclipses unit. Fifty-seven students in the 6th grade of a secondary school in Türkiye participated in the study. Although the groups were formed randomly, since the students themselves…

Achievement gaps observed in classrooms harshly affect low socio-economic students. Early childhood interventions, classroom interventions, and school reforms can help to close these gaps. Intervening before schooling begins by increasing parental education, access to affordable quality childcare, accessible preschool programs that encourage…

How will high-achieving learners' identity be shaped by exam-oriented assessment? Through critical narrative inquiry, we explore how high-achieving students regulate their learning practices and negotiate their identity in China's climate of exam-oriented assessment. Based on their narratives from autoethnographic writing and life history…

This study examines teacher reading instruction strategies, defined as specific teaching activities aimed at developing students' reading comprehension skills, including guiding students to identify main ideas, make inferences, predict text content, self-monitor understanding, and evaluate text credibility. Using PIRLS 2021 data from primary…

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in temporary closures of educational institutions and has shifted the educational process towards the use of distance education. Despite the efforts, severe learning losses and larger educational inequality are found in compulsory education. To complement this knowledge, the present prospective study…

The COVID-19 pandemic devastated student achievement, with declines rivaling those after Hurricane Katrina. These losses widened achievement gaps between historically marginalized students and their peers. Three years later, achievement remains behind pre-pandemic levels for many students. This paper examines 2022-23 academic recovery efforts…

Background: Physical activity (PA) improves outcomes, but disadvantaged children typically experience more sedentary behavior (SB). This study explored movement, executive function (EF) health, and academic achievement (AA) for economically disadvantaged kindergarteners. Methods: Children in 2 classrooms (n = 16; n = 7) wore wrist-based…

Based on the relationships motivation theory, it can be assumed that social interactions in elementary school are essential for students' development and especially for their school success. Thus, this study examined how vital social resources, more precisely social interactions with peers and teachers, are for two central aspects of school…

The purpose of this quantitative correlational predictive study is to examine if and to what extent average district total funding and school adequacy predict district performance through student achievement in reading and mathematics in public school districts in the State of Arizona for the fiscal year 2023. The research focused on the…

The current study was a longitudinal quasi-experimental quantitative study conducted to determine whether or not targeted small-group intervention impacted learning loss relative to the COVID-19 pandemic at a North Texas Title 1 elementary school. Reading and math benchmark and practice test scores from a cohort of 38 fifth-grade students at the…