The Importance of Instructional Quality for the Relation Between Achievement in Reading and Mathematics

Abstract

Students gain access to mathematical tasks through reading; consequently, low-performing readers generally perform low in mathematics. High quality instruction might help students develop comprehension strategies for reading mathematics that weakens the relationship between reading and mathematics skills. The main aim of this chapter is to investigate how instructional quality might moderate the relationship between reading and mathematics achievement. Analyzing data from 37 countries and benchmark participants who applied the same sample for TIMSS 2011 and PIRLS 2011, two different models were fitted to the data for each educational system: (1) a two-level confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model for instructional quality and the correlation between instructional quality and reading and mathematics achievement at student and class levels, and (2) a two-level random slopes model in which the slope variation across classrooms was related to class-level instructional quality. In all educational systems, there was a strong positive correlation between reading comprehension and mathematics achievement. Further, a positive relation between instructional quality and mathematics and reading achievement was observed in a number of countries. The analysis of how instructional quality moderated the relationship between mathematics and reading was inconclusive. The influence of reading comprehension on mathematics achievement was significantly moderated by instructional quality in only six countries; nonetheless, the driving hypothesis should not be rejected.

Assessment in mathematics education: responding to issues regarding methodology, policy, and equity

“…Paper and pencil tests that assess students' mathematics competence might draw heavily on a student's ability to read and interpret texts. Previous research has demonstrated a high positive correlation between reading comprehension and mathematics achievement (e.g., Nortvedt 2011;Nortvedt et al 2016). The issue of language as a 'gatekeeper' to accessing test content, as well as the consequences of not mastering the language of assessment to a sufficient extent, are also illustrated by the strong negative effect of late arrival (and consequently shorter exposure) to language instruction in the host country (OECD 2015).…”

The Relation of Teaching Quality to the Task Difficulty in Word Problems

“…Demir ( 2018) also indicated that the teaching quality components cognitive activation and classroom management increased students' mathematical problem-solving ability. Finally, there is a significant positive correlation between instructional quality and mathematics observed in several, but not all, educational systems (Nortvedt et al, 2016).…”

“…However, the reduced ACC in both subtraction and inconsistent sentences might be also due to the differences in the quality of teaching and to false assumptions. False assumptions about WPs (e.g, that every problem can be solved with a single operation; Cummins, Kintsch, Reusser, & Weimer, 1988) are sometimes believed and instructed by teachers (Fuentes, 1998;Nortvedt et al, 2016). In particular, an assumption facilitated and even encouraged by teachers is the use of keyword strategies (e.g., Boote & Boote, 2018;Jitendra et al, 2015).…”

“…Teaching method and quality of instruction are critical for proper learning and play an important role in academic performance in general (Greer, 1997;Thatcher, Fletcher, & Decker, 2008). Moreover, teacher behavior has both a direct and an indirect effect on mathematical achievement (Nortvedt, Gustafsson, & Lehre, 2016) and problem solving ability (Pimta, Tayraukham, & Nuangchalerm, 2009). The teaching quality (Lipowsky et al, 2009) is an especially powerful predictor of student mathematical performance (Kunter et al, 2013;Leon, Medina-Garrido, & Núñez, 2017;Morin, Marsh, Nagengast, & Scalas, 2014) and student Word problems: Difficulty and Teaching Quality https://psyarxiv.com/dz9he/ 4 learning (Kersting, Givvin, Thompson, Santagata, & Stigler, 2012).…”

Classification of Students In Terms of Student’s, Teacher’s and Instructional Qualifications Based on TIMSS-2015

“…Matematikte başarılı olan öğrencilerin aynı zamanda matematik öğrenmeyi sevmesi, matematiğe değer vermesi, kendilerini okula ait hissetmesi ve akran baskısına çok az maruz kalmaları, ilgili öğrenci özellikleri ile matematik başarısı arasında ilişkilerin bulunduğuna işaret etmektedir. Bu bulgular, önceki araştırmalarda (Doğan ve Barış, 2010;Lee, 2009;Nortvedt (Sharkey ve diğerleri., 2008). Okulunu, öğretmenini ve arkadaşlarını seven öğrencilerin eğitime ilişkin düşüncelerinin ve buna bağlı olarak sergiledikleri çabanın değişim gösterdiği ve bu durumun da matematik başarısı açısından da farklılıklara yol açmış olabileceği düşünülmektedir.…”