Understanding school effects in South Africa using multilevel analysis: findings from TIMSS 2011
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2015
TITLE AUTHOR(S): L.D.Winnaar, G.Frempong, R.Blignaut
KEYWORDS: ACHIEVEMENT, EDUCATION, SCIENCE ACHIEVEMENT, TIMSS
DEPARTMENT: Equitable Education and Economies (IED)
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 8704
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/1915
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/1915
If you would like to obtain a copy of this Research Output, please contact Hanlie Baudin at researchoutputs@hsrc.ac.za.
Abstract
Studies of school effect usually evolve around two major issues; understanding of the factors within schools that explain variation in students achievement levels, and how differences among schools account for the variation in their student' achievement levels. Given the limited studies of school effect research in South Africa, this paper explores how different characteristics of students and school are related to performance. Using the 2011 South African TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) data, the study employs multilevel analysis to identify the most important indicators of successful schools in South Africa. The initial analysis entails the partitioning of the overall variation in students' achievement level in mathematics into within and between schools that allows us to estimate school effects (the extent to which schools make a difference in students' achievement levels). A follow-up analysis involves the addition of student and school characteristics in the multilevel models to profile students and schools that are most successful. The multilevel analysis indicated that differences in schools account for about 62% of the variation in students' achievement levels in mathematics. Students are more successful when they attend schools that are adequately resourced, have teachers that are satisfied with their working conditions and that are specialised in the field of mathematics. The results also show that the attitude of the students toward mathematics has an impact on their performance. The findings demonstrate the need for the South African educational policy makers to continue improving the learning environment of less resourced schools and also encourage teachers to instil a sense value and self-confidence in learning mathematics and to improve teacher qualification.-
Related Research Outputs:
- Mathematics and science achievement at South African schools in TIMSS 2003
- The evolution of educational inequalities through secondary school: evidence from a South African panel study
- Spotlight on matric 2015: is our education system failing our learners?
- Third International Mathematics and Science Study - 2003: executive summary
- Middle school students' performance in mathematics in the third international mathematics and science study: South African realities
- South Africa
- Report on World Bank development week
- Item readability and science achievement in TIMSS 2003 in South Africa
- The third interntional mathermatics and science study: a South African perspective
- Large scale assessment of mathematics achievement: challenges for improving learning in South African classrooms
- Extra classes, extra marks?: report on the PlusTime Project
- Youth into science strategy tracking studies report: final
- Towards a framework for accommodating linguistic diversity among learners in large-scale assessments: lessons learnt from the WCED Grade 8 assessment study
- Equity and quality mathematics education within schools: findings from TIMMS data for Ghana
- Improving mathematics performance at schools
- Evaluating skills, knowledge and values of learners exposed to a dialogical argumentation instruction and the traditional lecture method on fermentation
- Educational outcomes: pathways and performance in South African high schools
- The low achievement trap: comparing schooling in Botswana and South Africa
- Language: a cultural capital for conceptualizing mathematics knowledge
- Can we afford to wait any longer?: pre-school children are ready to learn mathematics