Examining Correlates of Mathematics Achievement in the Fourth Grade in the United States: A Hierarchical Analysis

• In Event: Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: Mathematics Teaching and Student Achievement

Abstract

This study explored correlates of mathematics achievement at the fourth grade in the United States using data from the TIMSS. OLS regression and two-level HLM were used to analyze data of 4,376 Grade Four students and 211 mathematics teachers. Results show that classrooms accounted for 24.2 percent of the variance in students’ mathematics achievement after controlling for student SES. The amount of time teacher spent teaching each topic area in mathematics, years of teaching experience and students’ prior achievement have been found to be significantly related to students’ achievement. Teachers’ beliefs about the importance of factors such as instructional equipment, physical facilities and student-teacher ratio in the teaching and learning of mathematics have significant effects on students’ average mathematics achievement.

Authors

• Haniza Yon, MIMOS Berhad

• Nur Ayu Binti Johar, MIMOS Berhad