Computational thinking and programming have emerged as central 21st-century skills. Several countries have embedded these skills in their school curricula. This study investigates how an optional programming course affects eighth-grade mathematical problem solving in Norway using a quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-tests. These tests…

The Mantel-Haenszel estimator is one of the most popular techniques for measuring differential item functioning (DIF). A generalization of this estimator is applied to the context of DIF to compare items by taking the covariance of odds ratio estimators between dependent items into account. Unlike the Item Response Theory, the method does not rely…

In this new era, computational thinking is becoming increasingly intriguing for indepth study. The 2022 PISA framework illustrates that computational thinking can play a significant role in solving real-world mathematical problems, both in formulating problems and in mathematical reasoning processes. Many countries have integrated computational…

With the growing attention on large-scale educational testing and assessment, the ability to process substantial volumes of response data becomes crucial. Current estimation methods within item response theory (IRT), despite their high precision, often pose considerable computational burdens with large-scale data, leading to reduced computational…

This dissertation in practice explores the intersection of computer science education, specifically computational thinking and programming, with mathematics achievement among 15- year-old students in selected English-speaking countries. The research addresses a gap in understanding whether skills developed through computer science can positively…

Background: Standard methods for analysing data from large-scale assessments (LSA) cannot merely be adopted if hierarchical (or multilevel) regression modelling should be applied. Currently various approaches exist; they all follow generally a design-based model of estimation using the pseudo maximum likelihood method and adjusted weights for the…

In this paper, six mathematics curriculum changes in Iran will be reviewed, spanning from 1900 until the present time. At first, change forces, barriers, and the main features of each curriculum reform will be represented. The first five curriculum changes are described briefly and the sixth and most recent curriculum reform will be elaborated. In…

One major aim of international large-scale assessments (ILSAs) is to monitor changes in student performance over time. To accomplish this task, a set of common items is repeatedly administered in each assessment and linking methods are used to align the results from the different assessments on a common scale. The present article introduces a…

The aim of this study was to investigate current trends in research of math anxiety (MA) through bibliometric perspective. Three main clusters were formed based on author keywords: cognitive correlates (working memory, attention, numerical cognition, mental arithmetic), psychological factors and effects (self-concept and self-efficacy, motivation,…

Item nonresponses are prevalent in standardized testing. They happen either when students fail to reach the end of a test due to a time limit or quitting, or when students choose to omit some items strategically. Oftentimes, item nonresponses are nonrandom, and hence, the missing data mechanism needs to be properly modeled. In this paper, we…

Mechanisms causing item nonresponses in large-scale assessments are often said to be nonignorable. Parameter estimates can be biased if nonignorable missing data mechanisms are not adequately modeled. In trend analyses, it is plausible for the missing data mechanism and the percentage of missing values to change over time. In this article, we…

Standard errors computed according to the operational practices of international large-scale assessment studies such as the Programme for International Student Assessment's (PISA) or the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) may be biased when cross-national differential item functioning (DIF) and item parameter drift are…

Developing PISA like mathematics problems using daily life context helps to improve the quality of learning. This study aimed to generate a valid, practical, and having potential effects on mathematics literacy ability PISA like mathematics problems with the context of sailing in the 2018 Asian Games. This research involved three expert reviews…

The development of international surveys on children's learning like PISA, PIRLS and TIMSS--delivering comparable achievement measures across educational systems--has revealed large cross-country variability in average performance and in the degree of inequality across social groups. A key question is whether and how institutional differences…

Multiple imputation (MI) can be used to address missing data at Level 2 in multilevel research. In this article, we compare joint modeling (JM) and the fully conditional specification (FCS) of MI as well as different strategies for including auxiliary variables at Level 1 using either their manifest or their latent cluster means. We show with…