Using data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2015 assessment of fourth-grade students in 32 countries, a series of mean comparisons and regression analyses were conducted to determine (1) the gender gap in students' selfconcept in mathematics; (2) to what extent student achievement, student gender, and parental characteristics (early numeracy activities, attitudes, expectations, and education) are related to students' self-concept; and (3) to what extent the effect of achievement and parental characteristics on mathematics self-concept differs between male and female students. Results from this study indicate that gender differences in students' self-concept in mathematics are significant in most countries, usually in favour of boys as early as in fourth grade. The differences largely remain the same when the data analysis controls for effects of student achievement and parental involvement.
Background
Remote learning, or synchronous or asynchronous instruction provided to students outside the classroom, was a common strategy used by schools to ensure learning continuity for their students when many school buildings were forced to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Differences in technology infrastructures, digital competencies of students and teachers, and home supports for learning likely led to inequalities in the way remote learning reached and was perceived by students. This study seeks to understand how student perspectives on remote learning varied across and within several countries.
Methods
Building off a conceptual framework developed to understand remote learning success and using data from the Responses to Education Disruption Survey (REDS) student questionnaire from seven countries, we construct measures of student perceptions of three essential components of successful remote learning: Access to Suitable Technology, Effective Teachers, and Engaged Students. We then compare values on these scales across and within countries to identify inequalities in remote learning quality during school closures. We also investigate the extent to which schools implemented supports for remote learning across countries.
Results
We find evidence of across country variation in remote learning quality with certain countries having much lower values on our remote learning quality scales compared to other countries in our sample. Furthermore, we identify within-country inequalities in access to and confidence in using technology with low-SES students, girls, and those living in rural areas having lower values on these measures. Furthermore, we find some evidence of within-country inequalities in student engagement across socioeconomic groups. In contrast, we do not find as many inequalities in our measures of effective teachers. In most countries, schools provided several supports to improve remote learning.
Conclusions
While inequalities in remote learning experiences were anticipated and confirmed by our results, we find it promising that, in some countries, inequalities in access to and confidence in using technology as well as student engagement did not extend to inequalities in perceptions of teacher effectiveness and support. Schools’ efforts to support remote learning, regardless of student background, should be seen as a positive and illustrate their resilience in the face of many challenges.
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