The present study investigated the factor structure of and measurement invariance in the information and communication technology (ICT) engagement construct, and the relationship between ICT engagement and students’ performance on science, mathematics and reading in China and Germany. Samples were derived from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 survey. Configural, metric and scalar equivalence were found in a multigroup exploratory structural equation model. In the regression model, a significantly positive association between interest in ICT and student achievement was found in China, in contrast to a significantly negative association in Germany. All achievement scores were negatively and significantly correlated with perceived ICT competence scores in China, whereas science and mathematics achievement scores were not predicted by scores on ICT competence in Germany. Similar patterns were found in China and Germany in terms of perceived autonomy in using ICT and social relatedness in using ICT to predict students’ achievement. The implications of all the findings were discussed.

The aims of this study were to examine the factor structure of the attitudinal questionnaire items from Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003 and to investigate low-and high-performing students' mathematics self-concept in East Asian societies and in the USA. The participants were 24,119 eighth-graders, 4856 from Japan, 4972 from Hong Kong, 5379 from Taiwan and 8912 from the USA. Exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) were conducted revealing a same factor structure across the four societies. The MANOVA results showed that (1) the US students reported a statistically significant higher mathematics self-concept than students in Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Japan; (2) across the four societies, high-performing students had statistically significant higher self-concept than low-performing students; and (3) the US low-performing students' selfconcept was higher than Japanese high-performing students' self-concept. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Since the 1920's many researchers have conducted studies exploring the qualities of good teachers. However, a limited number of empirical studies have been conducted in the People's Republic of China (hereafter called China). The current study has two objectives. The first one aims to compare a good teacher's characteristics in China and the USA. To achieve this, qualitative data of a good teacher's characteristics were collected in China. The results obtained from China were then compared to those reported in the USA. The second objective was to test whether or not there are differences among teachers', students' and parents' perceptions of a good teacher's characteristics in China. To achieve this, questionnaires were administered, and then statistical analyses were conducted. The qualitative data analyses have revealed four themes about the characteristics of good Chinese teachers: Teacher ethics, professional skills, professional development, and students' test scores. The ANOVAs have found no differences among teachers', students' and parents' perceptions of the qualities of good teachers in China on most of the items. This study helps readers better understand good teachers in a Chinese context and provides a framework for future comparative study between China and the USA regarding the qualities of good teachers.

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The present study aimed to investigate factors predicting inquiry-based teaching in science across One Belt One Road countries and regions (OBOR economies). Teacher-level ( N = 8,603) and school-level ( N = 1,385) data were drawn from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015. Hierarchical linear modeling was adopted for data analysis. The results showed at the teacher level that teacher collaboration was positively correlated with inquiry-based teaching in OBOR economies, and that teacher beliefs were positively associated with inquiry-based teaching in each sample. At the school level, no consistent result was found among OBOR economies. School location was positively related to inquiry-based teaching in the Dominican Republic, Macao, and the United Arab Emirates. By contrast, science-specific resources showed a negative association with inquiry-based teaching in Taiwan, the Czech Republic, and Macao. Other specific findings were presented and the implications of all findings were discussed.

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