Koen Aesaert

The Role of Students' Home Language in Science Achievement: A Multilevel Approach.

The present study aimed to identify the role of both student- and school-level characteristics in primary school students’ achievement in the science curriculum. As societies become more culturally and linguistically diverse, many students enter the classroom with a home language that is different from the language of instruction used at school. This study takes into account both the home language and literacy in the language of instruction in relation to student achievement in science subjects. Questionnaires, reading performance tests, and science achievement tests were administered to 1,761 fourth-grade students from 67 schools across Flanders (Belgium). Multilevel hierarchical regression analyses show that the home language and literacy in the language of instruction play an important role in science achievement at the student level, next to gender and socioeconomic status. Students with a home language that is different from the language of instruction experience difficulties with science subjects. Moreover, the higher students’ performance on reading comprehension and self-assessed proficiency in the language of instruction, the higher their score on science achievement tests. At the school level, a schools teachability expectations are one of the key factors related to students’ science achievement. Limitations of this study and future directions for research are discussed.

Accuracy and bias of ICT self-efficacy: An empirical study into students’ over- and underestimation of their ICT competences

Most studies on the assessment of ICT competences use measures of ICT self-efficacy. These studies are often accused that they suffer from self-reported bias, i.e. students can over- and/or underestimate their ICT competences. As such, taking bias and accuracy of ICT self-efficacy into account, would improve the validity of these studies and the predictive power of the ICT self-efficacy measures used. Consequently, the general aim of this study is twofold. First, to explore the degree to which primary school students are under- and/or overestimating their ability in digital information processing and communication. Second, to identify student characteristics that are possibly related to the accuracy of ICT self-efficacy. Information on accuracy and bias of ICT self-efficacy was gathered by comparing students results on an ICT self-efficacy scale and a performance based ICT competence test. Both instruments were administered to 378 sixth grade students from 58 primary schools in Flanders (the Dutch speaking part of Belgium). Information on the explanatory student characteristics was gathered through a questionnaire that was administered to the same students. The results indicate that primary school students make relatively accurate and positively biased judgments about their ability in digital information processing and communication. Further, the results indicate that primary school students actual ICT competences and previous ICT experience are related to their accuracy of ICT self-efficacy. As this study is one of the first to investigate primary school students accuracy and bias of ICT self-efficacy and to identify potential explanatory variables, it provides new insights into the nature of ICT self-efficacy. Differences in students accuracy and bias of ICT self-efficacy are investigated.Student characteristics related to accuracy of ICT self-efficacy are investigated.Judgments about ICT competences are relatively accurate and positively biased.Previous ICT experience is negatively correlated with accuracy of ICT self-efficacy.Accuracy of ICT self-efficacy is mainly explained by actual ICT competence.