The research project presented in this article was designed to provide a better understanding of the stable and significant differences in the PISA results between two otherwise very similar Nordic welfare states, Denmark and Finland. In the PISA studies, Finnish students repeatedly achieve the highest Nordic (and partly worldwide) scores in e.g.…

Although a bulk of literature shows that perceived social support (PSS) influences academic achievement, the mechanisms through which this effect operates received little empirical attention. The present study examined the multiple mediational effects of motivational beliefs (competence beliefs and subjective value) and emotions (anxiety and…

We examined the effects of mathematics self-concept (MSC) and MSC calibration on mathematics achievement through multilevel analyses of the mathematics tests and questionnaire responses of 88,590 15-year olds who participated in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).…

The goal of this study was to develop a self-report inventory that measures individual differences in the perceived value of mathematical literacy for general education students. The Mathematics Value Inventory (MVI) is grounded in the Eccles et al. model of achievement-related choices and surveys students' beliefs in four areas: interest, general…

The study examined the effect of charter school attendance on annual student achievement growth in math and reading.The research described in this report is consistent with WWC evidence standards with reservations. Strengths: Matched charter school students to similar students in traditional public schools using demographic and academic…

Why aren't there more women in science? Female college students are currently 37 percent less likely than males to obtain a bachelor's degree in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and comprise only 25 percent of the STEM workforce. This paper begins to shed light on this issue by exploiting a unique dataset of college students who…

After spending the day learning in elementary school, most children across the United States are given "homework," assignments to be completed outside of the regular school day. Most research on homework conducted in elementary schools focuses on the relationship between achievement and time spent on homework. Little, if any, research…

Little research is available specifically about grading practices in mathematics classrooms. However, there is research about grading practices in high schools, across content areas. Since their first use students, parents and others have assumed that grades are reliable measures of student achievement. "In short, most Americans have a basic trust…

This paper considers the factors that impact on student success in first year science mathematics courses at the National University of Ireland Maynooth (NUI Maynooth). These factors include previous performance in the subject, attendance at lectures and tutorials, the number of assignments submitted, and attendance at the Mathematics Support…

The reflective ability in mathematics is a highly individual mental process, which is engaged in the course of certain types of mathematics activity. This article describes the basic meaning, characteristics, and developmental features of reflectivity in mathematics. It is suggested that reflective ability in mathematics and its relations with…

A longitudinal approach was used to examine the effects of parental task-intrinsic and task-extrinsic motivational practices on academic intrinsic motivation in the subject areas of math and science. Parental task-intrinsic practices comprise encouragement of children's pleasure and engagement in the learning process, whereas task-extrinsic…

Fourth grade math scores stagnated for the first time in two decades on a prominent nationwide test, prompting calls for new efforts to improve teacher content knowledge and stirring discussion of the potential benefits of setting more-uniform academic standards across states. The results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress,…

Undergraduate and graduate students at Cameron University (N = 158) were given the D'Amore Test of Elementary Arithmetic to test whether or not experience in college mathematics courses might be associated with a relative increase in arithmetic performance compared to those students who had not taken college mathematics courses. We found that only…

In writing this paper we draw considerably on the work of Jo Boaler and Leone Burton. Boaler's studies of classrooms have been particularly poignant in alerting the mathematics education community to a number of key features of successful classrooms, and how such features can turn around the successes for students who traditionally perform poorly…

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the implementation of formative assessment on student achievement in elementary algebra classes at Richard J. Daley College in Chicago, IL. The formative assessment is defined in this case as frequent, cumulative, time-restricted, multiple-choice quizzes with immediate constructive feedback.…