Constantinos Papanastasiou

Effects of Background and School Factors on the Mathematics Achievement.

Using a structural equation model, this research study investigated the mathematics achievement of 8th grade students in Cyprus enrolled in the year 1994–1995. The model contained 2 exogenous constructs – the educational background of the family and the reinforcement from mother, friends and the individual himself; and 5 endogenous constructs – socioeconomic status (SES), and student attitudes toward mathematics, teaching, school climate, and beliefs related to success in mathematics. The study demonstrated that although attitudes, teaching, and beliefs had direct effect on mathematics outcomes, they were not statistically significant. It was also found that family educational background directly affected SES, attitudes toward mathematics, school climate and beliefs related to success in mathematics. Reinforcement exerted a direct effect on attitudes, teaching and beliefs regarding success. There was also evidence that SES directly affects school climate and that teaching directly affects attitudes toward mathematics.

Factors that Influence Students to Become Teachers

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to identify and compare the factors that had influenced students at the Pennsylvania State University and at the University of Cyprus to major in elementary education. A questionnaire was completed by 157 students from PSU and by 176 students from the UC. The factors that were identified were variety of benefits, internal motives, status of the profession, interpersonal influence and academic ability. The factor “internal motives” was the strongest factor that influenced students from the PSU to major in elementary education. The factors which were highly influential for the students of the University of Cyprus to enter the same major, were the “variety of benefits” and the “status of the profession”.

Major Influences on Attitudes Toward Science

This research study investigated the attitudes toward science of 8th-grade students in Australia, Canada, Cyprus, and Korea, based on recent TIMSS data, and suggests a model of family and school influences on their attitudes. The structural equation model contained 3 exogenous constructs – family’s educational background, aspiration, school climate – and 2 endogenous constructs – teaching and student attitudes toward science. Educational background, aspiration, and school climate were shown to have a direct effect on attitudes, while teaching was shown to directly affect attitudes and to be affected by aspiration and school climate.

Using DEA to evaluate the efficiency of secondary schools: the case of Cyprus

This study utilizes the methodology of data envelopment analysis (DEA) to assess the efficiency of secondary schools in Cyprus. Apart from evaluating the relative efficiency of schools, the study provides recommendations for improvement to inefficient schools and discusses managerial implications. Furthermore, empirical findings based on an approach to estimate efficiency environmental effects suggest that no efficiency differences exist between schools operating in rural areas compared to those operating in urban areas.

How to Begin a New Topic in Mathematics Does It Matter to Students’ Performance in Mathematics?

The authors use Canadian data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study to examine six instructional methods that mathematics teachers use to introduce new topics in mathematics on performance of eighth-grade students in six mathematical areas (mathematics as a whole, algebra, data analysis, fraction, geometry, and measurement). Results of multilevel analysis with students nested within schools show that the instructional methods of having the teacher explain the rules and definitions and looking at the textbook while the teacher talks about it had little instructional effects on student performance in any mathematical area. In contrast, the instructional method in which teachers try to solve an example related to the new topic was effective in promoting student performance across all mathematical areas.

Factors distinguishing most and least effective schools in terms of reading achievement: a residual approach

This study was based on the Cyprus data from both the student questionnaire and the tests of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), undertaken in 2001 under the auspices of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). The sample included 3,001 fourth-grade students from Cyprus, whose average age was 9.7 at the time of testing. The statistical analysis used to distinguish the more and less effective schools was based on the residuals. From this analysis, 6 factors explaining school differences in reading achievement were identified. The 1st factor, which is the strongest one, is related to class activities subsequent to the reading class. The 2nd most important factor is related to reading outside school. The 3rd factor is related to the time spent on homework. The 4th factor relates to attitudes toward reading. The 5th and 6th factors are activities during teaching and school climate.

Civic Education in Cyprus — Issues in Focus: A Curriculum Research Study

This paper presents a curriculum research study aiming at investigating how citizenship in primary schools of Cyprus is constructed. First, the central issues, concepts and attitudes imported by civic education textbooks are identified and their relationship with the unresolved political problem of Cyprus is examined. Furthermore, the way in which civic education textbooks may affect the roles of the citizens is investigated. Content analysis of the civic education textbooks is performed on the basis of 12 factors which were the issues, concepts and institutions identified from the general aim of education in Cyprus as well as from the aims of civic education in primary schools. Findings are discussed in the light of the citizenship, social cohesion, conflict resolution and multiculturalism debate.

Editorial: introduction to this special issue

The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) is a nongovernmental organization, founded in 1958, which undertakes international comparative studies in education. Members of the IEA include research institutes, universities, and ministries of education, and they act as country representatives. In 2007, the IEA had 66 member countries or education systems. The IEA’s mission is to contribute to enhancing the quality of education through its studies. A unique characteristic of IEA studies, compared to other large-scale international assessment studies, is that they are classroom based with a view to learning more about the nature and extent of achievement and the context in which learning occurs. This enables researchers and policymakers to investigate linkages between students’ achievement and a wide range of variables (Papanastasiou, 2000; Robitaille, & Beaton, 2002). The ultimate goal of these studies is to identify those variables relating to student learning which can be manipulated through policy changes in curriculum, resource allocation, or instructional practices (Martin, 1996). The IEA is conducting a cycle of international comparative assessments on mathematics and science called TIMSS – Trends In Mathematics and Science Studies. This special issue presents findings based on secondary analyses of TIMSS data from studies conducted in 1995, 1999, and 2003. In this introduction, we first present the aims and scope of the TIMSS program, then summarize key elements of the research design of the TIMSS studies, and finally give an overview of the articles included in this special issue. At the end of this introduction, we provide a selection from the many publications that have resulted from the TIMSS program.

Achievements in Mathematics and Science in an International Context.

The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) is an international, independent, nonpro®t organization. IEA was the ®rst organization to apply achievement tests and related background questionnaires to an international setting (Plomp, 1993). IEA seeks to improve education through the study of student achievement and associated factors in educational systems around the world (Martin, Rust, & Adams, 1999). The ultimate goal is to identify the factors related to student learning so that these can be manipulated through policy changes in curriculum, allocation resources, or instructional practices (Martin, 1996). IEA headquarters are located in Amsterdam. All IEA studies follow a similar process of planning and actualization. Each IEA study is authorized by the General Assembly (GA), which is a group consisting of one person from each IEA member country. Study proposals are presented, either by the Standing Committee, or a GA member, to the GA for discussion. Once a study is approved, a committee of experts related to the subject is formed to prepare a formal proposal. The proposal is then submitted to the IEA GA for discussion and ®nal approval. The formal proposal includes a statement of the studys overall aims and focus, a de®nition of target