The association between science achievement measures in schools and TIMSS science achievements in Sweden

This study, which was reviewed through the Registered Report process, examined the initial efficacy of the Scientific Explorers program (Sci2) on second-grade students’ science achievement. Sci2 is grounded in the growing body of empirical research on science instruction, embedding principles of explicit instruction within a guided inquiry-based design framework. Eighteen second-grade classrooms were randomly assigned to treatment or control conditions. A cluster randomized controlled trial was employed, with 294 students nested within classrooms and classrooms nested within condition. The Sci2 program was implemented for a total of 10 lessons (5 hr) in treatment classrooms, whereas control classrooms provided business-as-usual science instruction. Overall treatment effects were observed on three of four science outcome measures. The reported effects were moderate to large, with effect sizes (Hedges’ g) ranging from 0.48 to 0.94. Moderation analyses indicated that science knowledge at pretest did not moderate Sci2’s effects. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

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The social contagion of utility value: How parents’ beliefs about the usefulness of science predict their children’s motivation and achievement

School Psychology International ◽

10.1177/0143034320985200 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 014303432098520

Author(s):

Ma. Jenina N. Nalipay ◽

Yuyang Cai ◽

Ronnel B. King

Keyword(s):

Structural Equation ◽

Science Achievement ◽

Critical Role ◽

Social Contagion ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Utility Value ◽

International Student Assessment ◽

Value Perceptions ◽

The Social ◽

Motivation And Achievement

The purpose of the present study was to examine whether parents’ utility value perceptions predicted their children’s utility value perceptions, demonstrating social contagion effects. We also examined whether utility value would predict achievement. This is a cross-sectional study that utilized data from a subsample of adolescent students from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA 2015), which focused on science learning and achievement from 18 regions. We performed multi-level structural equation modeling to analyze the data. Results revealed that parents’ utility value perceptions predicted students’ utility value perceptions, which, in turn, predicted science achievement. The findings of this study provide evidence of the social contagion of utility value perceptions from parents to their children and the critical role of utility value in predicting achievement across various regions/countries. Our study highlights the crucial role parents play in adolescents’ motivational and learning outcomes and suggest parental involvement in programs toward enhancing adolescents’ motivation and achievement.

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Closing Achievement Gaps: Examining the Roles of School Background and Process

Education and Urban Society ◽

10.1177/0013124521989447 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 001312452198944

Author(s):

Huang Wu ◽

Jianping Shen ◽

Jessaca Spybrook ◽

Xingyuan Gao

Keyword(s):

Achievement Gap ◽

Teacher Collaboration ◽

White Students ◽

Science Achievement ◽

Linear Models ◽

Achievement Gaps ◽

School Level ◽

Academic Learning ◽

Closing Achievement Gaps

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of school background and school process in closing achievement gaps between White and non-White students in science. To answer the research questions, a series of two-level hierarchical linear models (HLM) was performed on the fourth-grade U.S. portion of the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) data. Results indicate that (a) the science achievement gap between White and non-White students is 0.21 standard deviation, holding student and school background constant; (b) the science achievement gap varies across schools; (c) none of the school background variables are associated with the achievement gap in a school; and (d) school emphasis on student academic learning is not only associated with higher school-level science achievement, but also with a narrower science achievement gap between White and non-White students. However, teacher collaboration is not associated with school-level science achievement but is associated with a larger achievement gap. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for further research are discussed.

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