Leader perceptions and student achievement

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 1103-1118
Author(s):  
Seon-Hi Shin ◽  
Charles L. Slater ◽  
Steve Ortiz
Keyword(s):  
Student Achievement ◽  
Resistance To Change ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
The Usa ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Quantile Regression Method ◽  
Reading And Mathematics

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine what factors affect student achievement in reading and mathematics. The research questions addressed the perceptions of school principals and background characteristics related to student achievement in Korea and the USA with respect to differences among students in low, middle and high quantiles. Design/methodology/approach Data were taken from the Program for International Student Assessment 2012. Scores in the reading and mathematics were analyzed in conjunction with a principal survey. The Quantile Regression method was used for data analysis with three quantile points. T-statistics were used to test for significance. The predictor set consisted of seven school-leadership variables, and four to six additional covariates. Findings The most important finding for the USA was a relationship between organizational hindrance (HND) and low student achievement for the middle and upper quantiles in mathematics and for all quantiles in reading. The (HND) variable included poor teacher-student relations, low expectation of students, overly strict enforcement of rules, lack of attention to student needs, resistance to change, lateness to class, and lack of preparation. The most important finding for Korea was that there were significant associations across all groups between teacher attitude (TCHATT) and student reading achievement and with the low group in mathematics. Research limitations/implications This study adds to knowledge about school capacity and suggests that the leadership role of the principal is to overcome negative environmental factors and create a positive organization. Originality/value The non-Gaussian approach of regression analysis allowed us to identify significant differences that we otherwise might not have found.

Does student grade contribute to the declining trend in Programme for International Student Assessment reading and mathematics in Australia?

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 205-226
Author(s):  
John Ainley ◽  
Dan Cloney ◽  
Jessica Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Regression ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Socioeconomic Background ◽  
Achievement Scores ◽  
Regression Methods ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
And Gender ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Reading And Mathematics

Declines in the scores of Australian 15-year-old students from the Programme for International Student Assessment are a matter of policy interest. Some of the declines may have resulted from shifts in the age-grade distributions of students in the Programme for International Student Assessment samples. We use multiple regression methods to model the student-level effects of grade for each Programme for International Student Assessment cycle allowing for the effects of student characteristics (e.g. socioeconomic background and gender) and jurisdiction. We estimate an average net effect of grade over the Programme for International Student Assessment cycles since 2006 as 42 scale points with no difference between reading and mathematics. We explore the extent to which differences between grades in achievement and changes in the grade distributions of students contributed to changes in average Programme for International Student Assessment achievement scores. We conclude that the relatively greater decline in Grade 11, compared to Grade 10 achievement, contributed to the overall decline and that shifts in distributions may have also contributed a little to those declines.

Autonomy and accountability in schools serving disadvantaged communities

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 589-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther Dominique Klein
Keyword(s):  
School Improvement ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Common Denominator ◽  
School Autonomy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Disadvantaged Communities ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Governance Models ◽  
The Uk

Purpose Increased school autonomy and accountability have been a common denominator of national reforms in otherwise heterogeneous governance systems in Europe and the USA. The paper argues that because schools serving disadvantaged communities (SSDCs) often have lower average performance, they are more often sanctioned or under closer scrutiny, but might also receive more additional resources. The purpose of this paper is to therefore analyze whether SSDCs have more or less autonomy than schools with a more advantageous context in four countries with heterogeneous autonomy and accountability policies. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on the data from the Programme for International Student Assessment 2012 school and student questionnaires from Finland, Germany, the UK, and the USA. The choice of countries is based on different governance models described by Glatter et al. (2003). The data are used to identify SSDCs and analyze the reported autonomy in resource allocation and curriculum and assessment. Using regression analyses, patterns are analyzed for each country individually. They are then juxtaposed and compared. Differences are related back to the governance models of the respective countries. Findings The results indicate an association between the communities the schools are serving and the autonomy either in the allocation of resources, or the curriculum and assessment. SSDCs appeared to have a little more autonomy than schools with a more advantageous context in Finland, Germany, and the UK, but less autonomy in the USA. The comparison suggests that in the USA, autonomy is rather a reward for schools that have the least amount of need, whereas in the other three countries it could be a result of strategies to improve schools in need. The paper discusses possible explanations in the policies and support structures for SSDCs. Originality/value The effects of increased school autonomy and accountability on student achievement have been discussed at length. How different accountability policies affect the autonomy of schools with the highest needs has so far not been studied. The study can be understood as a first step to unravel this association. Following steps should include in-depth investigations of the mechanisms underlying increased or diminished autonomy for SSDCs, and the consequences for school improvement in these schools.

Fabrication of interview data

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörg Blasius
Keyword(s):  
Survey Research ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Pisa 2012 ◽  
Research Organizations ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Copy And Paste ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Evidence from past surveys suggests that some interviewees simplify their responses even in very well-organized and highly respected surveys. This paper aims to demonstrate that some interviewers, too, simplify their task by at least partly fabricating their data, and that, in some survey research institutes, employees simplify their task by fabricating entire interviews via copy and paste. Design/methodology/approach Using data from the principal questionnaires in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 and the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) data, the author applies statistical methods to search for fraudulent methods used by interviewers and employees at survey research organizations. Findings The author provides empirical evidence for potential fraud performed by interviewers and employees of survey research organizations in several countries that participated in PISA 2012 and PIAAC. Practical implications The proposed methods can be used as early as the initial phase of fieldwork to flag potentially problematic interviewer behavior such as copying responses. Originality/value The proposed methodology may help to improve data quality in survey research by detecting fabricated data.

Principals and Student Achievement

2018 ◽  
pp. 84-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Marshall Perry ◽  
Karen M. Sealy ◽  
Héctor X. Ramírez-Pérez ◽  
Thomas C. DeNicola ◽  
Yair Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Student Achievement ◽  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
School Context ◽  
School Level ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Context Specific

Connections between principal leadership activities, school context, and student achievement are examined within this paper. Data for this quantitative study are from the 2013 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) and the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The eight countries of examination participated in both the TALIS and PISA and the researchers merged datasets, yielding a study sample of 1,301 schools. This paper supports a context-specific view of instructional leadership. When looking across countries, the researchers found different practices were more strongly associated with the academic achievement of students, and suggest that school leaders have a meaningful overall relationship with academic achievement, both directly and indirectly. This study therefore supports prior research about the direct and indirect effects of instructional leadership. Further study, which accounts for differences in family academic resources and school-level opportunities to learn, will better illuminate the connection between instructional leadership practices and academic achievement.

TIMSS 2015: Illustrating Advancements in Large-Scale International Assessments

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 752-781
Author(s):  
Michael O. Martin ◽  
Ina V.S. Mullis
Keyword(s):  
Student Achievement ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
International Student ◽  
Variance Estimation ◽  
International Association ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Population Sampling ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
International Assessments ◽  
Matrix Sampling

International large-scale assessments of student achievement such as International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement’s Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Program for International Student Assessment that have come to prominence over the past 25 years owe a great deal in methodological terms to pioneering work by National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Using TIMSS as an example, this article describes how a number of core techniques, such as matrix sampling, student population sampling, item response theory scaling with population modeling, and resampling methods for variance estimation, have been adapted and implemented in an international context and are fundamental to the international assessment effort. In addition to the methodological contributions of NAEP, this article illustrates how the large-scale international assessments go beyond measuring student achievement by representing important aspects of community, home, school, and classroom contexts in ways that can be used to address issues of importance to researchers and policymakers.

Multidisciplinary impact – the arts join informal STEM programs

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-94
Author(s):  
Betsy Tretola ◽  
Eloise Coupey ◽  
Laurie Meamber
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Reasoned Action ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Stem Programs ◽  
Paired Samples ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Hands On ◽  
School Programs ◽  
The Usa ◽  
And Mathematics

Purpose Middle school participants in the USA attending an on-campus university informal science program indicate an increase in interest toward careers and disciplines in STEM or STEAM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics and the arts). Parents or guardians confirm the change. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach Participants attended “inquiry-based” lectures by scientists and “hands-on” activities conducted by volunteers on campus at a public university over four months, four Saturdays. Participants completed surveys before each lecture and guardians completed surveys afterwards. Findings Interest increased significantly according to paired samples t-tests for each STEM discipline for students who reported low interest on the initial pre-lecture survey. There was a significant linear improvement in interests in engineering using a repeated measures general linear model. Guardians or parents reported that they observed a higher interest in STEM disciplines resulting in more technical-related interaction among peers and within the family. Social implications Findings support STEM with arts “out-of-school” programs sponsored by museums, corporations, government, higher education and others. Inclusion of the “hands-on” activities, some with arts content, to the science and technical learning appears to spark enthusiasm. Originality/value The value is multidisciplinary. The theory of reasoned action from social psychology, sociology, along with related research in science education and the arts are synthesized. Informal extracurricular experiences sustained and improved interests in the disciplines and careers on which the formal educational career pipeline can build.

E-business internal audit: the elephant is still in the room!

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amr Kotb ◽  
Alan Sangster ◽  
David Henderson
Keyword(s):  
Resistance To Change ◽  
Internal Audit ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Internal Auditors ◽  
Internal Audit Function ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
It Audit ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of technological change on the internal audit practices and skills requirements for internal auditors in an e-business environment. Design/methodology/approach – Generalist internal auditors and specialist information technology (IT) internal auditors were surveyed online in ten countries, including the USA and the UK which, together, provided the majority of responses. Findings – The results suggest a need for advanced IT-audit techniques in conducting the internal audit function, thereby increasing IT audit skill demands on generalist internal auditors. However, the results show a low confidence among internal auditors about their IT training and a continuing reliance upon IT audit specialists, rather than their own training/retraining. Research limitations/implications – The responses obtained in this study provide insight into both the status quo of the internal audit function, and to the changes that are needed to prepare generalist internal auditors for work in an e-business environment and, while the scale of the study limits the extent to which the findings may be generalized, they are consistent with the literature concerning the changing business environment and with the literature on resistance to change, suggesting that the issues revealed should be of concern. Practical implications – The results reported in this paper are useful to internal auditing educators and regulators in their consideration of the skills needed by generalist internal auditors in e-business environment. Originality/value – This study sheds light on a significantly growing area which remains relatively unexplored in the auditing-related literature, e-business audit. The study provides empirical evidence on challenges facing internal auditors in an e-business environment, thereby serving as a wake-up call, to both internal auditors and the professional bodies representing them, to defend their jurisdictional space against rival professional groups.

Leading schools with migrant children in Shanghai

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 564-579
Author(s):  
Haiyan Qian ◽  
Allan David Walker
Keyword(s):  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
School Context ◽  
Migrant Children ◽  
Leadership Strategies ◽  
Work Lives ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Multiple Challenges ◽  
Leading Schools

Purpose The purpose of this paper is threefold: to sketch the current policy context that frames the education of migrant children in Shanghai; to explore the work lives of school leaders in the privately owned but government-supported schools; and to understand the socio-cultural and educational factors that shape the leadership practices in these schools. Design/methodology/approach This paper drew from publicly accessible policy papers and interview data with four principals leading migrant children’s schools in Shanghai. Findings Migrant children’s schools have received increasing policy recognition and attention. Principals of these schools have strived to adopt various leadership strategies to enhance the quality of education as received by migrant children. However, due to the institutional barriers such as hukou, multiple challenges continue to face migrant children and leaders leading migrant schools. Originality/value This is one of the first few papers that collected data from principals leading migrant children’s schools. The paper contributes to further understandings about leadership in high-needs school context and about education quality and equity in relation to programme for international student assessment success in Shanghai.

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