Factors that Differentiate Mathematics Students in Cyprus, Hong Kong, and the USA

Abstract

The purpose of this study was twofold: to examine how attitudinal and instructional variables differentiated 4th-grade students in Cyprus, Hong Kong, and the USA; and to determine how those variables were related to math performance on the TIMSS test. A discriminant analysis was performed to examine how those variables differentiated the students in the 3 countries. The most striking result was that the students from all 3 countries, who were similar to the average students in Cyprus, had the highest achievement within their countries. Thus, 4th-grade students who liked math, who thought it was important to do well in math for their friends, who did not need private instruction, and who had not been taught using computers or small group procedures, tended to be the better students. However, students who were similar to the average USA student had the lowest achievement within each of the 3 countries. INTRODUCTIOǸ`T

How Does ICT Use Influence Students’ Achievements in Math and Science Over Time? Evidence from PISA 2000 to 2012

“…2012;Luu and Freeman 2011;Kubiatko and Vlckova 2010;Spiezia 2010;Demir and Kilic 2009) and highlighted that it was critical to develop students' skills in using computers and advanced communication technology in order to improve their learning outcomes (Lee 2009). Other researchers (Paton 2010;Sullivan 2005;Papanastasiou 2002;Fuchs and Woessman 2004;Wittwer and Senkbeil 2007;Aypay 2010), however, found negative correlations between computer use and students' achievement. For example, Wittwer and Senkbeil (2008) found that computers had no substantial influence on math performance.…”

An Alternative Interpretation of the Relationship between Self-Concept and Mathematics Achievement: Comparison of Chinese and US Students as a Context

“…For example, the same paradox has been identified in student comparisons at the 4th (Leung, 2002;Papanastasiou, 2002), 7th, 8th (House, 2003;Shen, 2002;Wang, 2001;Wilkins, 2004), and 12th (Schreiber, 2002) grade levels in Hong Kong and the USA.…”

“…This interpretation is seriously challenged by the findings of several large scale, cross-national comparisons (Leung, 2002;Papanastasiou, 2002;Programme for International Student Assessment, 2004a;Schreiber, 2002;Wilkins, 2004), which showed that many of the high performing countries in mathematics correspondingly reported lower student self-concepts in mathematics learning. In contrast, students in countries with lower mathematics performance often showed higher self-concepts in mathematics at different grade levels.…”

The effects of an undergraduate programme of preschool teaching on preservice teachers' attitudes towards early mathematics education in Turkey: a longitudinal study

“…Based on this knowledge, a positive change in a teacher's attitude can be said to influence attitude towards mathematics of a group he/she teaches to. Previous investigations reveal that a teacher's method of teaching is effective on the students' interest in and attitudes towards the lesson (Akyüz, 2006;Barıs, 2009;Cribari, 2006;Hare, 1999;Metin, 2001;Papanastasiou, 2002). In light of this research, it is recommended that the content of the preschool teaching undergraduate programme in Turkey be revised in terms of mathematics, an opportunity to practice be provided to preservice teachers in addition to delivering theoretical knowledge of the course on mathematics education, studies be conducted to integrate mathematics by other courses and activities, similar studies be also undertaken for inservice teachers, and their attitudes towards mathematics education be investigated and requirements of teachers who display negative attitudes be determined, common requirements be analysed and generalised by carrying out similar investigations on preservice preschool teachers in all universities.…”