STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AS INFLUENCED BY TEACHERS’ QUALITY: EVIDENCE FROM SOUTHWEST, NIGERIA

Secondary educational system in Nigeria has been experiencing serious backwardness because of poor teachers’ quality (TQ) which consequently leads to low students’ academic achievement (SAA). This study aimed at investigating the relationship between teachers’ quality, and students’ academic achievement in Yewa South Local Government Area (YSLGA) of Ogun State. A cumulative total of 2550 respondents (including 15 subject teachers from the senior secondary and the heads per school in 15 schools covering 10 wards) were selected. The respondents were selected from 15 randomly selected public and private senior secondary schools in YSLGA, Ogun State, Nigeria between 2016 and 2018. Two researcher-designed instruments, namely; Teachers’ Quality Assessment Questionnaire (TQAQ), and Students’ Academic Performance Proforma (SAPP), were used to collect relevant data for the study. The instruments were validated by some experts in Educational Management, Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics. The coefficients of reliability of TQAQ after a two-week test-retest were found to be 0.75. Eighteen research questions and hypotheses were formulated and tested. Means, Weighted means and Percentage were used to answer the research questions raised. Regression analysis was used to test the main hypothesis. In addition, Pearson Product Moment Correlation Statistical Method was used to test the operational hypotheses, all at 0.05 significance level using XLSTAT and SPSS statistical tools. The correlation between TQ and SAA was positively strong (R2 = 925). At 0.05 level of confidence, the regression analysis showed significant relationship between TQ and SAA (p > 0.001). This finding showed that teachers’ quality especially years of teaching experience strongly influenced students’ academic achievement. The study recommends that school proprietors and the government through the inspectorate division must routinely visit schools to ensure that teachers are qualified and are properly discharging their primary assignment to enhance students’ academic achievement.  Article visualizations

Testing the Expert Based Weights Used in the UK’s Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) Against Three Preference-Based Methods

The paper has benefitted from helpful comments and suggestions from Koen Decancq, Rainer Schulz, and participants at the Weighting in Multidimensional Measures workshop at OPHI, Oxford, the Overseas Development Workshop at ODI, London, seminar participants at Universiteit Antwerpen, and conference participants at New Directions in Welfare III, Paris. Any errors or omissions, of course, remain the responsibility of the authors. The project was funded by the Department of the Communities and Local Government. The Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates funds HERU. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors only and not those of the funding bodies.Peer reviewedPostprin

KESIAPAN GURU MATEMATIKA DI KOTA YOGYAKARTA DALAM MELAKSANAKAN KURIKULUM 2013

The purpose of this study is to describe the readiness of  Mathematics teacher in Yogyakarta City to implement the 2013 Curriculum. The readiness aspect consists of insight, attitudes, and infrastructure support. This type of research is a survey research with mixed research (mixed methods). Subjects in the study were 33 Mathematics teachers from 16 junior high schools in Yogyakarta who taught grades VII and VIII. Subjects were selected by stratified random sampling technique. Data collection techniques are carried out through questionnaires, observations, and interviews. Data were analyzed descriptively. The results of research on the readiness of junior high school mathematics teachers in the city of Yogyakarta to implement the 2013 curriculum in accordance with the criteria are quite good. Aspects of teacher insight about the 2013 Curriculum are quite good, the completeness of 2013 Curriculum documents is good, participation in curriculum education activities is not good, the ability to prepare lesson plans is quite good, the attitude of teachers towards the 2013 Curriculum is quite good, the completeness of facilities and infrastructure is quite good. 2013 curriculum. The results of the study are expected to be taken into consideration for policy making relating to the implementation of the 2013 Curriculum

Counting What Is Measured or Measuring What Counts? League Tables and Their Impact On Higher Education Institutions in England

This report investigates league tables and their impact on higher education institutions (HEIs) in England. It presents findings from two strands of research: – an analysis of five league tables selected for the study, their methodologies and the underlying data employed, and – an investigation of how higher education institutions respond to league tables generally and the extent to which they influence institutional decision-making and actions. The purpose of the research is to stimulate informed debate about the approaches and limitations of the various league tables, and greater understanding among the users and stakeholders of the implications of making decisions based on these sources of information

INVALSI data to investigate the characteristics of students, school, and society

Data are precious resources and as such an asset of the community. Collected, ordered, studied data become a tool that allows us to open debates and make most useful decisions. The INVALSI Statistical Service followed up, on this premise, with the organization of the IV Seminar “INVALSI data: a tool for teaching and scientific research”. The Institute’s databases, in fact, allow researchers and teachers to investigate in depth the theme of education in schools from different points of view and the event allows them to participate in a lively confrontation on the subject. The authors of the contributions collected in this volume investigate in depth the characteristics of students, schools and society. As a Statistical Service we hope that the reading of the volume confirms what has been written on the importance of data and their use, which will allow an ever-growing audience to enrich their knowledge on the subject of education and be a means of giving life to always new ideas for further reflection

Does location also matter? : a spatial analysis of social achievements of young South Australians

There are spatial elements and factors in every social activity. Physical environment in particular and its characteristics has a significant effect in the social decisions and outcomes of a location and of the residents of disadvantaged areas. These spatial elements and factors have been the main focus in many researches and studies about young people’s socio-economic statuses and achievements. The importance of spatial dimension can never be overestimated and to explore this importance, this study tries to understand the spatial patterns and locational factors affecting social achievements for young adults in South Australia, located in Australia. Geographical indices such as Socioeconomic Index for Area - Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage (SEIFA-IRSD), Accessibility and Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA) and Distance to the nearest higher institution of learning (DTI) were all derived using GIS. These variables were all combined and analysed in a multiple logistic regression model to investigate and understand their effect on four key social outcomes – Employment, Qualification, Year 12 completion and independent living status. Results of the study show that on the overall, SEIFA-IRSD is the best estimator for employment, year 12 and qualification outcomes and ARIA is the best estimator for independent living, however, DTI is a moderately effective estimator for all four outcomes. These indices proved to be significant determinants to social achievements for young people and point to the presence of important geographical patterns within the study area. Location does have a strong effect on the social status of young Australians.There are spatial elements and factors in every social activity. Physical environment in particular and its characteristics has a significant effect in the social decisions and outcomes of a location and of the residents of disadvantaged areas. These spatial elements and factors have been the main focus in many researches and studies about young people’s socio-economic statuses and achievements. The importance of spatial dimension can never be overestimated and to explore this importance, this study tries to understand the spatial patterns and locational factors affecting social achievements for young adults in South Australia, located in Australia. Geographical indices such as Socioeconomic Index for Area - Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage (SEIFA-IRSD), Accessibility and Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA) and Distance to the nearest higher institution of learning (DTI) were all derived using GIS. These variables were all combined and statistically analysed so as to investigate and understand their effect on four key social outcomes – employment, qualification, year 12 completion and independent living status. Results of the study show that on the overall, SEIFA-IRSD is the best estimator for employment, year 12 and qualification outcomes and ARIA is the best estimator for independent living, however, DTI is a moderately effective estimator for all four outcomes. These indices proved to be significant determinants to social achievements for young people and point to the presence of important geographical patterns within the study area. Location does have a strong effect on the social status of young Australians

Testing the expert based weights used in the UK’s Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) against three preference-based methods

The Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), used widely in England, is an important tool for social need and inequality identification. It summarises deprivation across seven dimensions (income, employment, health, education, housing and services, environment, and crime) to measure an area’s multidimensional deprivation. The IMD aggregates the dimensions that are differentially weighted using expert judgement. In this paper, we test how close these weights are to society’s preferences about the relative importance of each dimension to overall deprivation. There is not agreement in the literature on how to do this. This paper, therefore, develops and compares three empirical methods for estimating preference-based weights. We find the weights are similar across the methods, and between our empirical methods and the current IMD, but our findings suggest a change to two of the weights