Mathematics achievement: Effects of language of instruction and teachers' use of new curriculum materials.

Examined the mathematics achievement of English-speaking randomly selected Grade-3 pupils enrolled in 8 English (n?=?223) or 4 French immersion (n?=?92) programs in a large Ontario school board. Language of instruction and the extent to which teachers reported use of a locally developed mathematics curriculum document were the independent variables. General ability and mathematics pretest scores were used as multiple covariates, and mathematics posttest scores (arithmetic, geometry, graphing, and measurement) were the dependent variables. French and English versions of a locally developed and validated objectives-based mathematics test were administered in October 1981, and equivalent forms plus a nonverbal aptitude test were administered in May 1982. The teachers completed a teacher survey. There were no significant differences between the mathematics posttest scores of English and French immersion groups, although the latter had higher pretest scores and higher general aptitude scores. Overall, pupils whose teachers reported greater use of the curriculum document obtained higher posttest scores than pupils whose teachers reported lower use of the document. There was a relationship between pupil achievement and reported use of the document within the English program and a statistically significant interaction between language of instruction and reported use of the curriculum document. (French abstract) (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of team assisted individualization on the mathematics achievement of academically handicapped and nonhandicapped students.

Evaluated the achievement effects of an individualized mathematics program designed to solve problems of management, direct instruction, and incentives common to earlier attempts at individualization of instruction. Team Assisted Individualization (TAI), a mathematics program that combines individualized instruction, cooperative learning teams, and direct instruction, was compared to control methods in a 24-wk experiment involving 1,371 students in 59 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-grade classrooms. Standardized mathematics computations and concepts and application scales served as dependent variables and covariates. Random-effects nested analyses of covariance indicated statistically significant treatment effects favoring TAI for mathematics computations but not concepts and applications. However, individual-level analyses found significant treatment effects for both variables for the full sample and for a subsample of 63 academically handicapped Ss. No Treatment by Handicap interactions were found. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of Logo and CAI environments on cognition and creativity.

Assessed the effects of learning computer programming and computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on specific cognitive skills (classification and seriation operations), metacognitive skills, creativity, and achievement (reading, mathematics, and ability to describe directions). 72 6- and 8-yr-old children were pretested to assess pretreatment level of operational competence (classification and seriation), creativity, and achievement. Ss were then randomly assigned to 1 of 3 22-wk treatment conditions: Logo computer language programming, CAI, or control. Results from posttests reveal that the programming group scored significantly higher on measures of operational competence and creativity, on describing directions, and on 2 of 3 measures of metacognitive skills. No differences were found on measures of reading and mathematics achievement. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mathematics instruction in Korean primary schools: Structures, processes, and a linguistic analysis of questioning.

This article reports results of a collaborative study of mathematics instruction in 1st and 5th grades in 5 schools in Pusan, Korea. The purpose of this collaborative effort was to describe classroom structures and processes in mathematics lessons, using the instruments and methodology developed by Stigler and Stevenson for their studies in Japan, Taiwan, and the United States (H. W. Stevenson et al., 1987; J. W. Stigler, S. -Y. Lee, G. W. Lucker, & H. W. Stevenson, 1982). Classes in Korea were teacher centered and organized in the whole-class structure. Lessons were made up of sequences of highly organized, systematic patterns of instruction dominated by teacher questions that included higher level procedural and conceptual questions. Instructional sequences were followed by short periods of practice and evaluation. Systematic conceptual development of mathematical procedures characterized the lesson content. These observations have implications for educators on both sides of the Pacific interested in why Asian students perform so well on international tests of mathematical achievement compared with students in the United States. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teachers' knowledge of students' knowledge in mathematics problem solving: Correlational and case analyses.

This study examined the relationship of teachers' knowledge of students' knowledge to teachers' mathematics instruction and to students' mathematics problem solving. First-grade teachers (N?=?20) participated in a 4-week workshop in which they were given access to research-based knowledge on children's mathematics learning. Teachers were observed for 16 days throughout the school year. In May, teachers completed interviews and questionnaires about their knowledge and beliefs; their students completed achievement tests. Correlational analyses showed significant positive relationships between teachers' knowledge of students' knowledge and students' mathematics problem-solving achievement. Teachers with more knowledge of their students questioned students about problem-solving processes and listened to their responses. Teachers with less knowledge of their students explained problem-solving processes to students or observed students' solutions. Case analyses of knowledge and behavior of the most effective teacher and the least effective teacher supported these conclusions and showed important differences in how these teachers thought about and used students' knowledge. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Learning what's taught: Sex differences in instruction.

Research indicates that boys perform better on mathematics tests and girls perform better on reading tests. An investigation of why boys' and girls' performance differs was made by coding 33 teacher interactions with 2nd grade students during reading and mathematics instruction. Teachers made more academic contacts with girls in reading and with boys in math; teachers spent relatively more cognitive time with girls in reading and boys in math; teachers made consistently more managerial contacts with boys than girls; and, although there were no differences in initial abilities, sex differences were found in end-of-year achievement in reading. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reading instruction today.

Most current instructional programs provide considerably more decoding instruction than they did 20 yrs ago, but the debate over the degree of emphasis that should be placed on decoding is still alive. Some argue that instruction that stresses decoding leads to higher scores on word recognition tests in the early grades; others point out that such instruction does not lead to higher comprehension scores. But it must be kept in mind that other factors—social, philosophical, political—tend to influence decisions about reading instruction as much as do theory and experimentation. The new interest in reading comprehension and instruction in the middle years (Grades 4–6) may draw attention away from this perennial debate for a while. A brief review of reading instruction in the past decades is presented, and current achievements in the areas of reading theory and reading instruction are discussed. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of single and multiple strategy instruction on third-grade students' mathematical problem solving.

The purposes of this study were to assess the differential effects of a single strategy (schema-based instruction; SBI) versus multiple strategies (general strategy instruction, GSI) in promoting mathematical problem solving and mathematics achievement as well as to examine the influence of word problem-solving instruction on the development of computational skills. Eighty-eight 3rd graders and their teachers were assigned randomly to conditions (SBI and GSI). Students were pre- and posttested on mathematical problem-solving and computation tests and were posttested on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment Mathematics test, a criterion-referenced test that measures student attainment of academic standards. Results revealed SBI to be more effective than GSI in enhancing students' mathematical word problem-solving skills at posttest and maintenance. Further, results indicate that the SBI groups' performance exceeded that of the GSI group on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment measure. On the computation test, both groups made gains over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology and teaching.

Results of 5 yrs of research on university teaching methods indicate that, in general, a highly structured method of instruction will produce final examination results which are significantly and consistently superior to those obtained by a conventional lecture approach. However, the structured approach is not as successful in mathematics as in psychology and the superiority is confined to students whose prior level of achievement is high. It is suggested that, although instruction can be made more effective, the specific method of instruction which is most effective depends on the nature of the subject matter and the characteristics of the learners. (French summary) (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's first reading lesson: Variables influencing within-lesson emotional behavior and postlesson achievement.

Hypothesized that variables related to reading achievement are also related to emotions during reading instruction. Test variables selected were skill in word analysis and synthesis (WASS) and reading instruction approach (phonics—blending required vs whole word—nonblending). Ss were 20 5-yr-old prereaders, and the reading materials were from the Ball–Stick–Bird system. Ss were also administered the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. Lessons were videotaped, and the Ss' emotions were rated along the dimensions of hyperactive/distractible, hostile/aggressive, and anxious/fearful. Results show that Ss' WASS was related to hostile/aggressive behaviors, and reading instruction approach was related to hyperactive/distractible behaviors. The interaction of WASS and reading instruction approach reveal that the 2 kinds of reading training are differentially effective for different children. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self- versus instructor-pacing: Achievement, evaluations, and retention.

Student procrastination is an important concern in personalized systems of instruction. The present study compared progress made on course work by 2 groups of students—one self-paced (75 Ss) and one instructor-paced (74 Ss)—in a course taught using the personalized system of instruction. Ss were also compared on measures of course achievement and evaluations and a 9-mo content retention test. Results show that even though the self-paced group procrastinated while the instructor-paced group did not, both scored similarly on pre-, post-, and retention tests and were equally satisfied with the course. Moreover, no differences were found in the number of units completed, final grade distributions, or course withdrawal rates. The withdrawal rate data and the tendency for the self-paced group to score better on the retention test are discussed in terms of educational objectives. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Low and high mathematics achievement in Japanese, Chinese, and American elementary-school children.

This study investigated factors associated with low and high levels of achievement in mathematics. Chinese, Japanese, and American first- and fifth-grade children who received scores in the top or bottom deciles of a mathematics test were given tests of intellectual ability and reading achievement, and the children and their mothers were interviewed. There were large overall differences in the mean level of mathematics achievement among the three locations. High mathematics achievers in all three locations received higher average scores on the intellectual ability tests than did the average mathematics achievers, who in turn received higher scores than low-achievers. In all three locations, mothers' ratings of their children's intellectual abilities and of their own abilities in mathematics varied directly with the children's level of achievement in mathematics. Taken together, the results indicate that factors associated with levels of achievement in mathematics operate in a similar fashion across three cultures that differ greatly in their children's level of mathematics achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of general and specific abilities on student achievement: Similarities and differences across ethnic groups.

Compares the effects of specific and general abilities on the general and specific reading and mathematics achievement of students (grades 1–12) from three ethnic groups: African American, Hispanic, and Caucasian students. Data were drawn from the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery—Revised standardization sample. Multisample structural equation modeling was used to test whether the same specific abilities were important for all ethnic groups, and whether the magnitude of those influences was the same across groups. Results suggest that specific abilities are indeed important for understanding students' achievements, and that the same abilities are important for all ethnic groups. In most cases, the magnitude of those effects were indistinguishable across groups. However, there were differences in the influences for students in the elementary-, middle-, and high-school years; those differences may be related to the development of skills in reading and mathematics. The author argues that these findings demonstrate the importance of specific abilities for understanding specific achievements, and the importance of assessing such abilities to understand reading and mathematics achievement, regardless of a student's ethnicity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stability of small group interaction and achievement over time.

Investigated the stability over time of student behavior in small groups and the relationships among student and group characteristics, group interaction, and achievement. 110 students in 3 average-ability 7th- and 8th-grade mathematics classrooms worked for one semester in small groups. Group interaction and achievement were measured in 2 3-wk instructional units, 3 mo apart on perimeter, area, and volume and on the metric system. For both occasions, giving explanations was positively related to achievement and receiving no explanation in response to a question or error (receiving no response or a terminal response) was negatively related to achievement. The input–process–achievement relations were also fairly stable over time: For both occasions, group interaction partially mediated the effects of relative ability within the group and intellectual achievement responsibility on achievement. There were significant differences among group compositions (uniform-ability groups and 2 kinds of mixed-ability groups) in interaction and achievement at the 1st instructional unit but not at the 2nd one. In contrast to the stability of relationships among variables over time, student and group behavior tended to be unstable over time. Possible explanations for the instability of student and group behavior are discussed, as well as the implications of this result for instruction and further research. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive predictors of achievement growth in mathematics: A 5-year longitudinal study.

The study's goal was to identify the beginning of 1st grade quantitative competencies that predict mathematics achievement start point and growth through 5th grade. Measures of number, counting, and arithmetic competencies were administered in early 1st grade and used to predict mathematics achievement through 5th (n = 177), while controlling for intelligence, working memory, and processing speed. Multilevel models revealed intelligence and processing speed, and the central executive component of working memory predicted achievement or achievement growth in mathematics and, as a contrast domain, word reading. The phonological loop was uniquely predictive of word reading and the visuospatial sketch pad of mathematics. Early fluency in processing and manipulating numerical set size and Arabic numerals, accurate use of sophisticated counting procedures for solving addition problems, and accuracy in making placements on a mathematical number line were uniquely predictive of mathematics achievement. Use of memory-based processes to solve addition problems predicted mathematics and reading achievement but in different ways. The results identify the early quantitative competencies that uniquely contribute to mathematics learning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive development and cognitive style as factors in mathematics achievement.

Sought to provide a theoretical framework for the learning of mathematics from Piaget's theory about the development of the number concept and the theory of field dependence–independence advanced by H. A. Witkin et al (1977). The relationship between operativity on Piagetian tasks of number, classification, seriation, field dependence–independence, and mathematics achievement on concepts, computations, and applications was investigated, using 102 Ss from Grades 2–4. Results were analyzed separately within each grade for the total mathematics achievement test score, as well as for the 3 subtests consisting of mathematics concepts, computations, and applications. In all grades, field independence was related to high mathematics achievement, especially for the concepts and applications subtests. High operativity was related to high achievement in mathematics concepts only in Grade 2. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reading achievement and diminishing returns to time.

Investigated the association of reading achievement with factors in learning by regressing the scores of 2,890 13-yr-old students from a National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) sample on 24 indexes of the factors, singly and as a set. The productivity factors most closely connected with learning can be divided into 9 categories: student age, ability, and motivation; amount and quality of instruction; the psychological environments of the home and the school; and exposure to mass media, particularly TV. Results of analysis indicate that the achievement correlations with the factors are close to the averages revealed by recent quantitative syntheses of bivariate studies. A considerable amount of the reliable variance in achievement, 40%, is accounted for by the factors, although they are colinear or correlated with one another. Achievement shows diminishing or eventually negative rather than linear marginal returns to 8 time variables: homework last night, read for enjoyment, spare-time reading last night, TV watched yesterday, news source—TV, news source—radio, news source—magazines, and news source—newspapers. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teachers' occupational well-being and quality of instruction: The important role of self-regulatory patterns.

Teachers' occupational well-being (level of emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction) and quality of instruction are two key aspects of research on teaching that have rarely been studied together. The role of occupational engagement and resilience as two important work-related self-regulatory dimensions that predict occupational well-being and teachers' instructional performance in the classroom was investigated. In Part 1 of the study, self-regulatory data from 1,789 German mathematics teachers were subjected to a latent profile analysis, yielding four self-regulatory types (healthy-ambitious, unambitious, excessively ambitious, and resigned) that differed significantly on emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction. In Part 2, the association between teachers' self-regulatory type and instructional performance was examined in a subsample of 318 teachers. Results showed that teachers' self-regulatory type predicted the quality of instruction in three of the four aspects of instructional performance examined. Moreover, teachers' self-regulatory type was systematically linked to differences in students' motivation. No association was found between teacher self-regulation and student achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Field independence and the structuring of knowledge in a social studies minicourse.

Examined the effect of instruction on the correspondence between (a) a model of the structure of concepts in a social studies unit (content structure) and (b) a representation of psychological structure of Ss differing in field independence (FI) and dependence (FD). 98 high school students and 24 social studies teachers served as Ss. FI and FD were assessed with the Group Embedded Figures Test, portable Rod-and-Frame Test, and the Human Figure Drawing Test. When psychological structure was examined with multidimensional scaling of similarity judgments, at posttest it more closely resembled content structure than at pretest. Psychological structure of FI as compared to FD Ss resembled content structure more closely. The FD Ss' psychological structure was less differentiated. All differences between cognitive styles were consistent for both teachers and students. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)