Premium
Stability of School Academic Performance Across Subject Areas
Author(s) -
Ma Xin
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of educational measurement
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.917
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1745-3984
pISSN - 0022-0655
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-3984.2001.tb01114.x
Subject(s) - mathematics education , context (archaeology) , subject (documents) , academic achievement , multilevel model , psychology , reading (process) , school climate , statistical analysis , multivariate analysis , geography , computer science , mathematics , political science , statistics , archaeology , library science , law
Recent studies on the stability of school academic performance across school subject areas show two weaknesses: a lack of research attention to elementary schools and a lack of adequate statistical adjustments for school characteristics. With data describing elementary students (N = 6,883 students in Grade 6 in 148 schools) from the New Brunswick School Climate Study (NBSCS), the current study examined correlates of academic performance across mathematics, science, reading, and writing among students and among schools, using a multivariate multilevel model with statistical adjustments for student characteristics and school context and climate characteristics. Results indicated that (a) students were differentially successful in different subject areas, (b) schools were differentially effective in different subject areas, and (c) the differential success was more obvious among students than among schools. Findings of this study call for a new type of school programs that aim to ensure that students progress equally in different subject areas and for stronger school policies that systematically coordinate classroom or department practices.