Cross-National Patterns of Student Engagement and Academic Achievement: An Analysis of TIMSS 2011

• In Event: 082 - Open Refereed Roundtable Session I
  In Refereed Roundtable: A. Table 08. Educational Attainment

Abstract

Previous studies have often revealed that across societies, students from wealthier family backgrounds tend to perform better academically. However, fewer studies have examined the patterns of other student characteristics that are categorically associated with the level of academic achievement. This study examines the following three questions: 1) What combinations of student characteristics exist in each country with respect to academic achievement and student engagement? 2) How do these patterns relate to students’ socioeconomic background in each country? 3) Do the above patterns vary by the country’s structure of educational systems? Previous cross-national studies have revealed that the structure of educational systems may affect students’ educational opportunities and outcomes such as educational aspiration and disparity in academic achievement. Based on such perspective, this study will examine the way institutional features of educational systems may shape students’ academic achievement as well as their engagement in school and learning. Using TIMSS 2011 data with a focus on 8th grade students and following previous study, I employ cluster analysis of student characteristics within each country to identify which student characteristics are clustered together. Among the thirteen societies examined, the number of cluster varies from three to six according to the way it converged within each society. In almost all societies, lowest-achieving students did not have the lowest attitudes toward school. Instead, those who had the lowest attitudes toward school were often more higher-achieving students. The initial findings specifically reveal the way lowest achieving students feel about being in school and studying mathematics.

Author

• Izumi Mori, University of Tokyo