Tinneke Boonen

Teacher effects on student achievement in first grade: which aspects matter most?

The present study investigates the effects of teachers (background qualifications, attitudes and beliefs, and instructional practices) on student achievement in mathematics, reading, and spelling in 1st grade. Its theoretical framework and methodology are based on recent work by Palardy and Rumberger (2008). Data from the SiBO Project, a longitudinal study in Flemish primary education, were analyzed for the present study using 2-level regression analysis. The results showed that teacher background had the largest effect on mathematics achievement, whereas instructional practices had the largest effects on both reading and spelling achievement. Moreover, the size of teacher effects depended upon the specific learning domain: Larger teacher effects were found for mathematics than for spelling and reading. Overall, the results suggest that teachers had a modest to strong effect on student achievement in first grade.

Should schools be optimistic? An investigation of the association between academic optimism of schools and student achievement in primary education

Academic emphasis, collective efficacy, and faculty trust in students and parents (3 school characteristics positively associated with student achievement) are assumed to form a higher order latent construct, “academic optimism” (Hoy, Tarter, & Woolfolk Hoy, 2006a, 2006b). The aim of the present study is to corroborate the latent factor structure of academic optimism and to investigate its association with student achievement in Flanders while taking the hierarchical structure of the data into account. Data from 1,375 staff members and 3,538 fifth-grade students within 117 schools were analysed using multilevel confirmatory factor analysis and multilevel structural equation modelling. The results indicated that all three school characteristics make up one latent school construct, “academic optimism”. Academic optimism was found to be positively associated with student achievement in mathematics and reading comprehension. School mean socioeconomic status and school mean prior achievement are mainly indirectly associated with student achievement through academic optimism.

‘I choose so I am’: a logistic analysis of major selection in university and successful completion of the first year

This study examines the choice of a university major with a special focus on the type of major chosen in the first year and success/failure at the end of this first year, using a sample of 2284 students in Flanders, Belgium. Extending previous research, the effects of prior subject uptake, occupational interests, prior mathematics and Dutch achievement, gender, socioeconomic status, academic self-concept and future aspirations on major selection were tested using multinomial regression. In summary, the results showed that prior subject uptake in Grade 12 was the main predictor of the type of university major chosen. Furthermore, a persuasive association between students’ interest pattern and major chosen was observed and different interest patterns between male and female students primarily explained gendered choices. A binary logistic regression model revealed that higher achievement, more mathematical subjects chosen in Grade 12 and a higher socioeconomic status are important buffers against failure in the first year of university.

Experiential Education in Kindergarten: Associations with School Adjustment and the Moderating Role of Initial Achievement.

Experiential education is a child-centered educational framework that is popular in Flemish kindergartens. In this study, the impact of five experiential practices (autonomy support, stimulation, emotional support, time for choice activities, and interest-based activities) and the moderating influence of initial achievement (language and arithmetic achievement) was examined. Data were collected on 2,360 kindergartners (139 classes), their parents, and their teachers. Hierarchical linear models examined the extent to which experiential practices and children’s background characteristics predicted several aspects of children’s school adjustment: language and arithmetic achievement, school enjoyment, and independent participation. Results indicated that not all experiential practices were related to optimal school adjustment; a stimulating teaching style was related to greater learning gains in academic achievement, but an autonomy-supportive teaching style was related to smaller learning gains in academic achievement, especially among low-achieving children.