School Effects on Relationship Between Course Load and Achievement in China: Evidence From Large-Scale Assessment

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Abstract

Course load has been a critical educational and social issue in China. By using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM), this study addresses: What is the relationship between course load and science achievement? Which school characteristics impact it? The participants were 157,554 Chinese eighth grade students who came from 962 schools. With controlling student-level variables, we examined six school-level factors: school size, school resource, and teacher education as context variables; principle curriculum leadership, science instruction, and mean course load within schools as climate variables. Results revealed that in student level homework hours is a significantly positive predictor of achievement and in school level principal curriculum leadership, mean test load and mean homework hours within schools are significantly negative predictors of this relationship.

Authors

• Xian Wu, University of Kentucky

• Xin Ma, University of Kentucky

• Jing Yuan

• Xingkai Luo, Guangxi Normal University