Cluster Analysis of Instructional Practices Reported by High- and Low-Performing Mathematics Teachers in Four Countries

• In Event: Research on Mathematics Teacher Knowledge and Instructional Quality

Abstract

Using TIMSS 2011 eighth-grade international dataset, this study explored the profiles of instructional practices reported by high- and low-performing mathematics teachers across Finland, Korea, Russia, and the US. The design of the study was informed by Goe’s Teaching Quality framework and the concepts of conceptual teaching and procedural teaching. This study investigated the patterns of teaching practices using cluster analysis. It was found that consistency and variations exist in the types of instructional practices across different countries, which provides implications for practitioners and policy makers regarding how to improve mathematics teaching and learning in the US as well as in other countries.

Authors

• Qiang (Andy) Cheng, The University of Mississippi

• Hsien-Yuan Hsu, The University of Mississippi

• Jian Wang, Texas Tech University