Rural /urban disparities in science achievement in post-socialist countries: The evolving influence of socioeconomic status

Disparities in educational outcomes exist between students in rural areas as compared to students in urban settings. While there is some evidence that these rural disparities are present in eastern Europe, little is known about young peoplesΓÇÖ lives in the rural areas of this region. This paper presents an analysis of science achievement by location (rural v. urban) using all available waves of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). We examined the eighth grade data from five countries: Lithuania, Romania, the Russian Federation, Hungary, and Slovenia. Findings demonstrated that students attending rural schools had significantly lower science scores and that the rural disadvantage grew between 1995 and 2011 in some countries, but became non-significant in others. Overall, family socioeconomic status played an important role in determining the educational outcomes of rural students. The implications of these findings are explored in relation to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 2015 Education for All goals

Do Education System Characteristics Moderate the Socioeconomic, Gender and Immigrant Gaps in Math and Science Achievement?

Using data from the 2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study for 45 countries, we examined the size of socioeconomic, gender, and immigrant status related gaps, and their relationships with education system characteristics, such as differentiation, standardization, and proportion of governmental spending on education. We find that higher socioeconomic status is positively and significantly associated with higher math and science achievement; immigrant students lag behind their native peers in both math and science, with first generation students faring worse than second generation; and girls show lower math performance than boys. A higher degree of differentiation makes socioeconomic gaps larger in both math and science achievement, whereas higher governmental spending reduces socioeconomic achievement gaps.  

Students’ Mathematics Learning from Kindergarten through 8th Grade

Students’ Mathematics Learning from Kindergarten through 8th Grade: The Long-Term Influence of School Readiness AbstractWe employed a large nationally representative data set for the U.S. elementary school students, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K), to investigate the relationships between school readiness, measured in the fall of kindergarten, and students’ mathematics learning during the elementary and middle school years, including 8th-grade math course-taking. Main findings: School readiness (math and reading scores, and approaches to learning) showed a strong positive relationship with math scores at the end of each tested grade (1st, 3rd, 5th, and 8th). Students who entered kindergarten with higher math score tended to show a lower rate of math growth. Higher school readiness was strongly and positively associated with a likelihood that a student is taking Algebra I or above in 8th grade. Findings suggest that for minority students and students from lower SES backgrounds, improved school readiness would increase their math achievement

How affective-motivational variables and approaches to learning predict mathematics achievement in upper elementary levels

The relationship between students' motivation and attitudes towards mathematics, the approaches to learning they use, and their achievement in mathematics has been widely documented in middle school and further academic levels. However, the empirical research in earlier educational stages remains scarce. This study analyzed the predictive value of affective-motivational variables and deep and surface approaches to learning on mathematics achievement in a sample of 524 upper elementary students. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the predictors of mathematics achievement. Mathematics enjoyment positively predicted mathematics achievement and age and the use of the surface approach to learning negatively predicted mathematics achievement. The variables in the model explained 21.3% of the variance in mathematics achievement. Mean differences in the affective-motivational variables and approaches to learning occurred between students with very high and very low achievement in Mathematics, yielding further evidence of important differences between the achievement extremes

The significance of faith for Black men's educational aspirations

It is uncontested that British African Caribbean men are minimally represented in elite UK higher education institutions. Even as data demonstrates that African Caribbean males are more likely to study further education than White males and that the proportion of UK-domiciled Black students pursuing higher education has increased since the 2003/04 academic year (ECU, 2014), the representation of Black students throughout the Russell Group remains low. Less than 3% of the entire Russell Group's student population comprised British African Caribbean students in 2011/12 and 2012/2013 (ECU, 2013, p. 203; ECU, 2014, p. 358). However, according to the 2011 Census, ‘Black’ people represent 5.5% (3.1 million) of the total UK population (ONS, 2015). For the few Black men who are successful in attaining acceptance at these exclusive universities, to what assets or capitals do these young men attribute their ability to get to and successful graduate from these institutions? Interviews with 15 Black male students who attended Russell Group universities in England and Wales were analysed and several ‘capitals’ or resources were identified as beneficial to their ability to succeed. Drawing on Bourdieu's work on cultural and social capital, this paper advances the concept of ‘faith capital’ as a unique recognised asset that six of the participants described and reflected upon as being influential on their academic trajectories. Based on findings from the ESRC-funded research Exploring the narratives of the few: British African Caribbean male graduates of elite universities in England and Wales, this paper discusses these six participants’ accounts of their higher education journeys in relation to how they identified faith as a resource that was influential to their academic success

Les attentes éducatives des familles aux États-Unis

Cet article s’intéresse à la façon dont les familles américaines issues de différentes classes sociales, de divers milieux ethniques, appartenances raciales et communautés d’immigrants, parviennent à s’orienter devant la complexité des choix qui s’offrent à eux dans la « carte éducative » (educational map) et à adapter leurs pratiques parentales afin d’élever le meilleur enfant possible. L’auteure s’appuie sur les études sociologiques classiques, ainsi que sur sa propre analyse d’échantillons représentatifs des élèves américains du primaire), et montre combien les attentes éducatives sont des constructions sociales complexes.This article looks at the way American families from different social classes, a range of ethnic and racial groups and immigrant communities manage to cope with the complexity of choice offered to them by the educational map and how they adapt their parenting to raise the best child they can. The author draws on traditional sociological studies in addition to her own analysis of the representative samples of American primary pupils and shows how educational expectations are complex social constructions.Este artículo se interesa por la manera con la que las familias norteamericanas procedientes de diferentes clases sociales, de distintos medios étnicos, pertenencias raciales y comunidades de inmigrantes, consiguen orientarse ante la complejidad de las elecciones que se les ofrecen en el “mapa educativo” (educational map) y adaptar sus prácticas parentales para criar al mejor niño posible. La autora se apoya en los estudios sociológicos clásicos así que en su propio análisis de muestrarios representativos de los alumnos estadounidenses de primaria, y muestra hasta qué punto las expectativas educativas son construcciones sociales complejas

Students’ Mathematics Learning from Kindergarten through 8th Grade

Students’ Mathematics Learning from Kindergarten through 8th Grade: The Long-Term Influence of School Readiness AbstractWe employed a large nationally representative data set for the U.S. elementary school students, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K), to investigate the relationships between school readiness, measured in the fall of kindergarten, and students’ mathematics learning during the elementary and middle school years, including 8th-grade math course-taking. Main findings: School readiness (math and reading scores, and approaches to learning) showed a strong positive relationship with math scores at the end of each tested grade (1st, 3rd, 5th, and 8th). Students who entered kindergarten with higher math score tended to show a lower rate of math growth. Higher school readiness was strongly and positively associated with a likelihood that a student is taking Algebra I or above in 8th grade. Findings suggest that for minority students and students from lower SES backgrounds, improved school readiness would increase their math achievement

Another model minority? Immigrant scholars from the former Soviet Union in Israeli academia

ABSTRACTThree decades have passed since the start of the largest immigration wave in Israeli history, comprised of around one million Russian-speaking Jews from the FSU. This study examines the professional and personal experiences of individuals from the “1.5 generation” – those who immigrated in childhood – now employed as senior faculty in Israeli academia. Recent studies have examined the integration of immigrants from this “1.5 generation” into Israeli society, and their sense of identity and belonging. However, no study has focused on the integration of this generation within academia. The study uses a narrative approach, emphasising participants’ stories from their own perspectives, focusing on subjective processes of integration and professional identity formation. We employ the notion of cultural, social, and resilience capitals to shed light on integration hurdles faced by immigrants – from a community largely perceived as a model minority within Israeli society – when accessing elite social spaces. Our findings highlight differences in the cultural, social, and resilience capitals required and valued in their new environment. Our participants shared how they creatively forged new forms of capitals, sometimes by assimilating completely, sometimes by rebelling and emphasising their separate identity, as well as developing super resilience capital based on international connections

Students’ Mathematics Learning from Kindergarten through 8th Grade

Students’ Mathematics Learning from Kindergarten through 8th Grade: The Long-Term Influence of School Readiness AbstractWe employed a large nationally representative data set for the U.S. elementary school students, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K), to investigate the relationships between school readiness, measured in the fall of kindergarten, and students’ mathematics learning during the elementary and middle school years, including 8th-grade math course-taking. Main findings: School readiness (math and reading scores, and approaches to learning) showed a strong positive relationship with math scores at the end of each tested grade (1st, 3rd, 5th, and 8th). Students who entered kindergarten with higher math score tended to show a lower rate of math growth. Higher school readiness was strongly and positively associated with a likelihood that a student is taking Algebra I or above in 8th grade. Findings suggest that for minority students and students from lower SES backgrounds, improved school readiness would increase their math achievement

Rural/Urban Disparities in Science Achievement In Post-Socialist Countries: The Evolving Influence of Socioeconomic Status

Disparities in educational outcomes exist between students in rural areas as compared to students in urban settings. While there is some evidence that these rural disparities are present in eastern Europe, little is known about young peoples’ lives in the rural areas of this region. This paper presents an analysis of science achievement by location (rural v. urban) using all available waves of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). We examined the eighth grade data from five countries: Lithuania, Romania, the Russian Federation, Hungary, and Slovenia. Findings demonstrated that students attending rural schools had significantly lower science scores and that the rural disadvantage grew between 1995 and 2011 in some countries, but became non-significant in others. Overall, family socioeconomic status played an important role in determining the educational outcomes of rural students. The implications of these findings are explored in relation to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 2015 Education for All goals