Recent studies emphasize the importance of socio-emotional skills, but little is known about how everyday classroom practices impact development of these skills. Using data from the Czech Republic, we show that modern practices such as working in small groups improve these skills. Intrinsic motivation and self-confidence are particularly…

Is it possible to compare the results in assessments of mathematics across countries with different curricula, traditions and age of starting school? As part of the iPIPS project, a Russian version of the iPIPS baseline assessment was developed and trial data were available from about 300 Russian children at the start and end of their first year…

While recent literature has pointed to the efficacy of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in providing educational intervention at an early age, there is a lack of research exploring its use in a pre-kindergarten setting. The current study assessed the efficacy of CAI on students at the start of their academic careers. The Waterford Early…

Self-reports are an indispensable source of information in education research but they are often affected by heterogeneity in reporting behavior. Failing to correct for this heterogeneity can lead to invalid comparisons across groups. The researchers use the parametric anchoring vignette method to correct for cross-country incomparability of…

The purpose of this paper is to examine South African teachers' suggestions for improving the teaching and learning of mathematics and statistics, as well as exploring relationships between certain demographic factors and the number and types of strategies suggested by teachers. The study was conducted with 75 South African mathematics teachers.…

This article examines the extent to which parental socioeconomic status (SES) affects the likelihood of a child becoming a top-performing student, offering an international perspective by reporting this relationship in 31 developed countries. The impact of 3 important educational system characteristics (differentiation in terms of early tracking,…

Background: The Scandinavian countries have a long history of implementing social interventions, but the interventions have not been examined using randomised controlled trials until relatively recently compared with countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the history of randomised…

I estimate achievement effects of education public-private partnerships (PPPs) in 17 countries on the 2009 PISA assessment. Enrollment in PPP schools is tied to student wealth and prior academic ability. PPP students outperform their public peers on half of all outcomes. After accounting for selection, the PPP performance advantage remains on…

A unique anxiety for foreign language (L2) learning has been hypothesized to explain students' problems with language learning. However, L2 anxiety instruments have been challenged on the grounds that they reflect students' language learning ability and/or perceptions of their language learning skills. In this study, 266 U.S. high school students…

This article focuses on observed achievement differentials between indigenous and non-indigenous students in Chile. Using national test score data, it confirms the findings from previous literature that ethnic gaps in educational achievement exist, though they are small and to a large extent explained by family socioeconomic status. The results…

The aim of this study is to investigate the measurement invariance of PISA 2012 mathematical literacy among the OECD member countries, and gender and region groups in Turkey. Among cognitive test booklets implemented in PISA 2012, booklet 8 which was used commonly by all countries was selected for this correlational survey study. The study was…

The purpose of this quantitative evaluation was to determine if student assessment scores and teacher evaluation scores were affected by the use of "i"-Ready, a computer-based instructional program. To provide an overall teacher perspective of the "i"-Ready program and its effectiveness in this study, the following were used:…

Data mining has been successfully used by financial and retail companies since the mid-1960's to create predictive models and reveal unexpected relationships. However, it remains underutilized as a tool in educational research. Large-scale standardized assessment programs such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)…

This chapter deals with the multiple scales, spaces and places of contemporary education policy reforms. The focus is on new non-state policy actors, namely, international organizations such as the OECD, and edu-businesses such as Pearson. The first case of the OECD's PISA demonstrates the lack of policy learning in relation to international data…

The purpose of this report is to compare individual pupil achievement on two high profile sets of assessments in England: the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). The research in this report will add to well-documented differences between PISA and GCSEs to look at the…