Relations between academic boredom, academic achievement, ICT use, and teacher enthusiasm among adolescents

Using large, representative samples (N = 76,818) of 15-year-old students in eight countries that took part in the 2018 edition of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) we develop multilevel regression models to estimate the association between boredom and reading and mathematics achievement and multilevel moderation models to estimate the likelihood that students will experience academic boredom as a function of their use of ICT and how enthusiastic they perceive their teachers to be. Students who reported being bored in mathematics classes had lower mathematics and, in some countries, lower reading achievements than students who did not report being bored in mathematics classes. By contrast, results did not reveal a consistent association between boredom in language and literature classes and during self-study and mathematics and reading achievement. The use of ICT for leisure was associated with a higher likelihood that students reported being bored. By contrast, the use of ICT for learning at home was associated with a lower likelihood that students reported being bored. Students who perceived their teachers to be enthusiastic, whether they used ICT or not, were considerably less likely to report being bored. The association between ICT use and boredom was moderated by teacher enthusiasm. In particular, the use of ICT for leisure was associated with higher boredom among students whose teachers lacked enthusiasm whereas the use of ICT at school was associated with higher boredom among students who perceived their teachers to be very enthusiastic

Missing by Design: Planned Missing-Data Designs in Social Science

This article presents research designs that employ modern statistical tools to optimize costs and precision of research along with some additional methodological advantages. In planned missing-data designs some parts of information about respondent are purposely not collected. This gives flexibility and opportunity to explore a broad range of solutions with considerably lower cost. Modern statistical tools for coping with missing-data, namely multiple imputation (MI) and maximum likelihood estimation with missing data (ML) are presented. Several missing-data designs are introduced and assessed by Monte Carlo simulation studies. Designs particularly useful in surveys, longitudinal analysis and measurement applications are showed and tested in terms of statistical power and bias reduction. Article shows advantages, opportunities and problems connected with missing-data designs and their application in social science researches

Education and Attitudes Toward Migration in a Cross Country Perspective

The paper examines the dynamics of native populations’ opposition to migration and the role of education in shaping such opposition in European countries using data from the last four editions of the European Social Survey between years 2010 and 2016. We examine both the direct association between education and opposition to migration as well as the mediated association that occurs through feelings of threat. We test for measurement equivalence across countries and years of the two latent constructs in our analyses (opposition to migration and feelings of threat) by applying sequential methods used in alignment optimization to identify partial equivalence and check the level of approximate measurement invariance using BSEM modeling. Our results indicate that the opposition to migration and the feelings of threat scales achieve metric invariance but not scalar invariance in cross-country comparisons. At the substantive level, our findings suggest that better educated individuals express lower opposition to migration than the poorly educated and that as much as 60% of education differentials in opposition to migration are due to the mediated effect through feelings of threat. The high degree of heterogeneity in associations both across countries and over time are, in part, explained by the presence of foreign-born populations and living standards in a country and time point

The evolution of socio-economic disparities in literacy skills from age 15 to age 27 in 20 countries

This study contributes to the literature by examining the evolution of socio-economic disparities in literacy skills between age 15 and 27. It uses combined cross-sectional data from the Programme for International Student Assessment and the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies in 20 countries and adopts a synthetic cohort approach. In the article we examine if there are differences in the evolution of socio-economic disparities in literacy between the teenage years and young adulthood among high-achieving students (90th percentile) and among low-achieving students (10th percentile) and compare differences across education systems. We used parental education as an indicator of socio-economic status. Findings indicate that on average, disparities in literacy skills observed at age 15 widen by 15% of a standard deviation by age 27. Such increase is determined by a more pronounced growth in achievement among individuals with tertiary educated parents than among individuals whose parents did not complete tertiary education. The increase in socio-economic gaps between age 15 and 27 is more pronounced among low-achieving students. The group that improves the most between age 15 and 27 is low-achieving individuals with tertiary educated parents. We find that socio-economic differences in educational attainment, NEET status and use of skills at home and in the workplace explain a large part of socio-economic disparities in literacy achievement among young adults. Although countries with above-average disparities at age 15 tend to also display above-average disparities at age 27, we identify differences across countries

Birthplace diversity, income inequality and education gradients in generalised trust: variations in the relevance of cognitive skills across 29 countries

The paper examines between-country differences in the mechanisms through which education could promote generalised trust using data from 29 countries participating in the OECD’s Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). Results indicate that education is strongly associated with generalised trust and that a large part of this association is mediated by individuals’ literacy skills, income and occupational prestige. However, education gradients in levels of generalised trust and in the extent to which they are due to social stratification mechanisms or cognitive skills mechanisms vary across countries. Differences across countries in birthplace diversity and income inequality are correlated with how strongly education is associated with trust in different countries, as well as in the relative magnitude of direct and indirect associations. In particular, the relationship between literacy skills and generalised trust is stronger in the presence of greater birthplace diversity but is weaker in the presence of greater income inequality.JRC.B.4-Human Capital and Employmen

The Role of Birthplace Diversity in Shaping Education Gradients in Trust: Country and Regional Level Mediation-Moderation Analyses

This paper examines between-country differences in why education promotes trust using data from 29 countries (and 146 regions) participating in the OECD's Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). Results indicate that education is strongly associated with trust and that individuals' literacy, income, and occupational prestige are important mediators of this association. Contrary to previous studies we do not find that country level or regional level birthplace diversity is associated with average levels of trust. However, education gradients in trust and the extent to which these are due to social stratification or cognitive mechanisms vary both at the country and regional level depending on birthplace diversity. Multilevel mediation-moderation analyses reveal that in countries and regions with greater birthplace diversity there is a greater polarization in levels of trust between individuals with different educational qualifications. This polarization is primarily due to cognitive mechanisms

Measuring progress in reading achievement between primary and secondary school across countries

This paper discusses a method to compare progress in reading achievement from primary to secondary school across countries. The method is similar to value-added models that take into account intake levels when comparing student progress in different schools. Value-added models are preferred over raw scores as they better reflect school efforts. The method discussed in this paper uses measures of achievement in primary schools from PIRLS and compares them to secondary school results from PISA. Changes in achievement are estimated using IRT models and random draws of test items. Results describe an interval in which estimates of progress can lie, depending on the comparability of these two assessments. Estimates of progress are also adjusted for student age, gender and other characteristics that differ between countries and surveys. Separate results by gender, immigrant status, and proficiency level provide a detailed picture of how students in different countries progress in school from the age of 10 to 15.human capital, cognitive skills, international student achievement tests, education, PISA, PIRLS

How much do students’ scores in PISA reflect general intelligence and how much do they reflect specific abilities?

International Large-Scale Assessments (LSA) allow comparisons of education systems’ effectiveness in promoting student learning in specific domains, such as reading, mathematics, and science. However, it has been argued that students’ scores in International LSAs mostly reflect general cognitive ability (g). This study examines the extent to which students’ scores in reading, mathematics, science, and a Raven’s Progressive Matrices test reflect general ability g and domain-specific abilities with data from 3,472 Polish students who participated in the OECD’s 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and who were retested with the same PISA instruments, but with a different item set, in 2010. Variance in students’ responses to test items is explained better by with a bifactor Item Response Theory (IRT) model than by the multidimensional IRT model routinely used to scale PISA and other LSAs. The bifactor IRT model assumes that non-g factors (reading, math, science, and Raven’s test) are uncorrelated with g and with each other. The bifactor model generates specific ability factors with more theoretically credible relationships with criterion variables than the multidimensional standard model. Further analyses of the bifactor model indicate that the domain-specific factors are not reliable enough to be interpreted meaningfully. They lie somewhere between unreliable measures of domain-specific abilities and nuisance factors reflecting measurement error. The finding that PISA achievement scores reflect mostly g, which may arise because PISA aims to test broad abilities in a variety of contexts or may be a general characteristic of LSAs and national achievement tests. Educational Impact and Implications Statement: This study analyzes Programme for International Student Assessment data from Poland to establish how much the achievement of secondary school students in reading, mathematics, science and in a Raven’s Progressive Matrices test reflects general ability and how much it reflects domain-specific abilities. Findings indicate that a scaling model that accounts for general ability, fit the data better than models typically employed in large scale assessments that ignore the influence of general ability on student achievement. The finding that students’ responses to PISA test items reflect general ability rather than domain-specific abilities, if replicated to other countries, could have important implications for the design of large-scale assessments and the interpretation of analyses of large-scale assessment data

La Bauhaus en el origen de los principios pedagógicos para una proyectualidad poética.

La influencia de la Bauhaus en los modos actuales de instrumentar lógicas pedagógicas orientadas a la formación de arquitectos y diseñadores ha sido enorme. Tanto sus innegables aportes en la construcción de saberes como en la configuración de criterios y métodos fue tan profunda que se ha “naturalizado”, olvidándose a veces el origen y contexto que la determinaron. Interesa aquí evaluar, como profesores en las áreas proyectuales, cuáles son aún los saberes, criterios y métodos vigentes y aplicables a la instrumentación de eficaces lógicas pedagógicas para una proyectualidad poética. Interesa también advertir como los procedimientos y teorías desarrolladas por la Bauhaus constituyen el origen mismo de las actuales disciplinas Morfología y Heurística.The influence of the Bauhaus school on the current ways of implementing pedagogical logics aimed at the training of architects and designers has been enormous. Both its undeniable contributions in the construction of knowledge and in the configuration of criteria and methods was so deep, that it has been “naturalized”, sometimes forgetting the origin and context which determined it. It is interesting to evaluate, as teachers in the project areas, what knowledge, criteria and methods are still in force and applicable to the instrumentation of effective pedagogical logics for a poetic projectuality. It is also interesting to figure out how the procedures and theories developed by the Bauhaus constitute the very origin of current Morphology and Heuristics disciplines.A influência da Bauhaus nas atuais formas de implementar lógicas pedagógicas voltadas para o treinamento de arquitetos e designers tem sido enorme. Suas inegáveis contribuições na construção do conhecimento e na configuração de critérios e métodos foram tão profundas que foram “naturalizadas”, às vezes esquecendo a origem e o contexto que o determinaram. Aqui é interessante avaliar, como professores nas áreas do projeto, quais conhecimentos, critérios e métodos ainda estão em vigor e aplicáveis à instrumentação de lógicas pedagógicas eficazes para uma projetualidade poética. Também é interessante observar como os procedimentos e teorias desenvolvidos pela Bauhaus constituem a própria origem das atuais disciplinas de Morfologia e Heurística

UNA TEORÍA DE LA SIGNIFICACIÓN PARA EL DISEÑO DE LOS SIGNIFICADOS ESTIMULADOS POR LAS FORMAS Y ESPACIALIDADES ARQUITECTÓNICAS

El presente escrito pretende explicar de un modo resumido un conjunto de conceptos y estrategias que favorezcan el diseño eficaz de los diversos mensajes que, tanto las formas en general, como las espacialidades habitables en particular, tienden a vehiculizar merced a su condición de sistemas de signos, estimulando en los fruidores o habitantes, emociones y conductas coherentes o contradictorias con las prácticas sociales que demandaron la generación de dichas formas y espacialidades. Estos conceptos y estrategias configuran una Teoría de la Significación que opera dialécticamente con una Teoría Estética del modo poético de regular el estar de las formas, y con una Teoría de la Espacialidad Arquitectónica. Juntas configuran una Teoría del Proyecto Poético que actúa dialécticamente en la determinación de una Teoría de la Arquitectura, que pretende renovar y mejorar la práctica y la enseñanza del proyecto. Esta teoría del Proyecto Poético constituye nuestra tesis doctoral que ha sido resumida en otros escritos. Palabras clave: Arquitectura, espacio, poética, proyecto, retórica. AbstractThis paper aims to explain in a summarized way a set of concepts and strategies that favor the effective design of the various messages that, both shapes in general and inhabitable spatialities in particular, tend to convey thanks to their condition as sign systems. , stimulating in the users or inhabitants, emotions and behaviours that are coherent or contradictory with the social practices that demanded the generation of said forms and spatialities.These concepts and strategies configure a Theory of Signification that operates dialectically with an Aesthetic Theory of the poetic way of regulating the being of forms, and with a Theory of Architectural Spatiality. Together they configure a Theory of the Poetic Project that acts dialectically in the determination of a Theory of Architecture, which aims to renew and improve the practice and teaching of the project. This theory of the Poetic Project constitutes our doctoral thesis that has been summarized in other writings.Keywords: Architecture, space, poetics, project, rhetoric