Formative Strategies for Equity and Quality in Mathematics Education: Global Perspectives on Secondary School Learning

• In Event: Emerging pedagogies for powerful mathematics teaching

Proposal

Relevance

This study examines the use of formative assessment practices by mathematics teachers in high-scoring countries during TIMSS-2019. It finds a consistent correlation between students' mathematical beliefs and achievement across all countries. Formative instructional practices positively influence both student beliefs and achievement, regardless of socioeconomic status. The effectiveness of in-class discussions varies by country. The research emphasizes the importance of formative instructional practices in promoting educational equity (e.g., Black & Wiliam, 1998; Wiliam & Thompson, 2006) and suggests the need for better teacher preparation in using coherent formative strategies (Brookhart, 2003; Moss & Brookhart, 2019). It contributes to understanding effective teaching practices in mathematics education across diverse cultural contexts.

Research Questions

This paper used the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2019 data (Mullis et al., 2020) to examine the use of mathematics teachers’ formative assessment strategies on secondary pupils’ mathematics achievement and beliefs toward learning mathematics across participating countries:

(a) what formative instructional strategies are used by 8th-grade teachers?

(b) what is their relationship with students' mathematics learning and beliefs? and

(c) how do teachers’ qualifications, curriculum learning opportunities, and home support mediate these relationships?

Justification

Formative assessment strategies are crucial for teachers to support fair, high-quality teaching and learning in primary and secondary mathematics education (Trumbull & Lash, 2013). These strategies include in-class assessments, classroom discussions, and other methods (Banes et al., 2020; Brookhart, 2003). Research supports their effectiveness in enhancing equity and quality in education (NCSM & AMTE, 2013). However, recent reforms in teacher education and alternative teaching routes have altered teachers' competence in student assessment practices. In 2018, 12 percent of teachers reported knowledge of students' assessment practices as a high need for professional development (OECD, 2018). The highest areas of need include teaching students with special needs and teaching in multicultural or multilingual settings. Formative assessment is recognized as essential teacher competence, but insufficient implementation and challenges persist due to teachers' confusion about effective strategies and a lack of knowledge about their implementation (Bond et al., 2020).

Theoretical Framework

This research combines learning theories with formative instructional strategies, focusing on Social Constructivist and Sociocultural Theory. Social Constructivist Theory advocates active learning through dialogue, group work, and self-assessment, while Sociocultural Theory emphasizes dynamic social processes and negotiated understandings (Baird et al., 2017; Vygotsky, 1978). The research highlights the importance of formative assessments and social interaction in intellectual growth. Formative instructional practices, including leading discussions, eliciting and interpreting student thinking, setting learning goals, checking for understanding, selecting, designing, administering assessments, and providing substantive feedback, are emphasized as high-leverage practices (Ball et al., 2009).

Forms of Inquiry

The paper presents a secondary analysis of empirical data using the TIMSS 2019 database and Multilevel Path Analysis (MPA) (Asparouhov, & Muthén, 2008). The analysis incorporates sampling weights calculated for each level and estimations using five plausible values simultaneously to account for the complex sample and assessment design employed in TIMSS (Rutkowski et al., 2010). The same set of predictors is used for the equations predicting achievement and belief toward mathematics to maintain consistency in our analysis. The bidirectional interaction between mathematics outcomes and belief highlights the dynamic relationship between these variables.

After standardizing all the variables, we explored the relationships between:

Outcomes: Pupils’ mathematics achievement levels and pupil’s beliefs about mathematics.

Analysis variables: Formative instructional strategies (e.g., whether teachers set clear goals and expectations, are easy to understand, respond clearly to students' questions, use formative assessment, homework, and other strategies to help students learn, link new lessons to what students already know, explaining a topic again when students do not understand) and opportunities to learn the mathematical school curriculum afforded to students.

Control variables: school emphasis on academic achievement, teachers' qualifications, home support (homework frequency and time spent on homework, and socioeconomic status.

Data Sources

The TIMSS 2019 study surveyed 10,657 secondary (8th grade) teachers in 46 systems in eighth grade. We use the results from countries with students reaching a mathematics mean achievement level of 500 or above. These included Chinese Taipei, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore in Asia; Cyprus, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden in Europe; and Australia, England, and the United States of America—with an English tradition.

The study's assessments measured students' knowledge of numbers, algebra, geometry, data, and chance.

The student questionnaire examined students' attitudes and beliefs, study habits, and overall lives, while the teacher questionnaire explored teachers' perspectives on teaching and learning.

Findings

The study reveals that teachers' expertise, qualifications, formative instructional strategies, opportunities to learn the mathematical curriculum, and home support positively impact mathematics achievement levels, positive attitudes toward mathematics, and confidence. These strategies align with Social Constructivist and Sociocultural Theories and are high-leverage practices. Homework frequency, time, and socioeconomics also impact mathematics achievement and beliefs. Formative instructional strategies consistently positively impact beliefs across all countries, with the highest effect in Hungary. However, homework frequency negatively impacts achievement in countries with an English tradition.

Contribution to Empirical Work

This original study's cross-cultural insights reveal varying educational dynamics, offering practical implications for improving global equity and access to mathematics education. The evidence presented in this paper suggests that formative instructional strategies have a significant influence not only on mathematical achievement but also on beliefs. These formative instructional strategies are consistent in all the regions we studied. While recognizing the importance that education studies have reserved for indicators of socioeconomic status as a key explanatory variable for school success, this paper purposely focuses on widespread aspects likely to increase equity and quality in classrooms despite socioeconomic status. Education policies should increase teacher preparation and professional development support in formative instructional strategies and formative assessment, which have proven essential for providing teachers and students with a sense of direction and purpose.

Authors

• Maria Teresa Tatto, Arizona State University

• Zhijun Chen, University of Bath, Department of Education

• Andres Sandoval-Hernandez, University of Bath