Neurological soft signs (NSSs), minor neurological abnormalities, have been implicated as risk factors for poor cognitive performance in small-scale studies. Here we investigate the associations between NSSs and multiple domains of cognitive performance in a large, population-based cohort and evaluate sex differences in these associations. We…

Classroom disciplinary climate has emerged as a crucial factor with regard to student achievement. However, most previous studies have not explored potential gender differences in both students' perceptions of the classroom disciplinary climate and the association between classroom disciplinary climate and student learning. Using data from the…

The present paper aims to analyze the trajectory of the Walt Whitman Rostow's modernization theory (1960), the theoretical foundation of the Alliance for Progress, as well as the unfolding of this theory in what Afonso [1] names as the Evaluative State in education. This paper draws upon the works of Afonso [1]; Dale [12]; Gaio [9]; Latham [4];…

We are concerned with the unbiased estimation of a treatment effect in the context of non-experimental studies with grouped or multilevel data. When analyzing such data with this goal, practitioners typically include as many predictors (controls) as possible, in an attempt to satisfy ignorability of the treatment assignment. In the multilevel…

This study was designed to investigate the influence of poverty and parent marital status on eighth grade student achievement as measured by the EXPLORE, a precursor to the ACT. The sample included 520 eighth grade students at a middle school in West Kentucky--parent marital status, free/reduced lunch status, and EXPLORE test scores were obtained…

This article considers whether reading on screen is the same as reading on paper, and specifically whether reading comprehension is the same in both media. After reviewing relevant research, the article describes and reports the results of an NZCER research project that compared data records from online and paper-based versions of PAT: Reading…

Founded on several highly influential quantitative studies, the past decade has witnessed the OECD and World Bank increasingly converge on the view that cognitive levels of students and education quality, as proxied by international large-scale assessments (ILSAs), are the primary determinant of national economic growth worldwide. More recent OECD…

Considerable research has examined the use of rapid guessing measures to identify disengaged item responses. However, little is known about students who rapidly guess over the course of several tests. In this study, we use achievement test data from six administrations over three years to investigate whether rapid guessing is a stable trait-like…

Three aspects of cognition (fluid intelligence, executive functioning, and crystallized intelligence) in pre-K were examined as predictors of math and reading achievement in kindergarten among an economically diverse sample of 198 African American children. From a variable-centered perspective, confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the three…

The purpose of the research was to replicate commonality analysis for two measures: critical content monitoring and sentence verification technique. Participants were 967 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students across seven public primary schools in a southeastern U.S. district. The predictor variables were administered as benchmarks 3 times in…

New statistical methods are being added to the literature as a result of scientific developments each and every day. This study aims at investigating one of these, Maximum Likelihood Score Estimation with Fences (MLEF) method, in ca-MST. The results obtained from this study will contribute to both national and international literature since there…

This study is the first to explore how business core course review sessions impact standardized test results. A statistically significant improvement in students' overall scores of 16.5% was identified when core course reviews were conducted between Comprehensive Business Exam pre- and posttest dates. As a result, institutional results moved from…

Can instructional quality be measured using TIMSS items on how often certain instructional practices are used in the mathematics classroom? We focused on three instructional practices that have been the topics of longstanding debates in the educational literature: memorizing formulas, listening to the teacher, and relating mathematics to daily…

The purpose of this study was to examine middle school students' proportional reasoning, solution strategies and difficulties in real life contexts in the domain of geometry and measurement. The underlying reasons of the difficulties were investigated as well. Mixed research design was adopted for the aims of the study by collecting data through…

Opportunities for social mobility are generated by education systems designed to alleviate the effects of social origin by providing equality of opportunities and resources. The persistence of the strong association between socioeconomic status (SES) and child's educational achievement and attainment suggests that social origin continues to play…