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Surveying is a common methodology in science education research, including cross-national and cross-cultural comparisons. The literature surrounding students' attitudes toward science, in particular, illustrates the prevalence of efforts to translate instruments with the eventual goal of comparing groups. This paper utilizes survey data from a nationally representative crosssectional study of Qatari students in grades 3 through 12 to frame a discussion around the adequacy and extent to which common adaptations allow comparisons to be made among linguistically or culturally different respondents. The analytic sample contained 2,615 students who responded to a previously validated 32-item instrument, 1,704 of whom completed the survey in Modern Standard Arabic and 911 in English. The purpose of using these data is to scrutinize variation in the performance of the instrument between groups of respondents as determined by language of survey completion and cultural heritage. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis was employed to investigate issues of validity associated with the performance of the survey with each group, and to evaluate the appropriateness of using this instrument to make simultaneous comparisons across the distinct groups. Findings underscore the limitations of group comparability that may persist even when issues of translation and adaptation were heavily attended to during instrument development.

In Qatar's gender-segregated public schools, female students outperform male students in international science tests such as PISA and TIMMS. In contrast to the international trend for top performing countries, however, female students report lower levels of interest in science-based careers than males. One possible factor that may contribute to this discrepancy is the difference in teaching styles between female teachers and their male counterparts. In this paper we focus on results obtained from 105 classroom observations (39 males and 66 females) selected from 50 different public schools as part of two independent research projects to study the motivation factors and attitudes toward and interest in science among Qatari students. In addition, 40 semi-structured interviews of students, teachers and administrators were conducted. The observations were guided using an adopted Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) evaluation rubric consisting of 13 teaching traits which provides a standardized mean for detecting the degree to which science classroom instruction is reformed through a focus on Lesson Design, Content, Pedagogic Knowledge and classroom culture. Female teachers provided better delivery during theory classes, whereas male teachers demonstrated better performance in laboratory-based classes.

A large sample (n = 1,799) of Qatari female and male students at the preparatory, secondary, and university levels responded to Likert items about their interest, attitude, and self-efficacy regarding science. The items were similar to those of TIMSS and PISA, but improved upon them in several ways. The findings suggest that Qatari students are positive in their interest, attitude, and self-efficacy, but not as positive as TIMSS and PISA report. The findings raise an important question: If the students' interest, attitude, and self-efficacy are positive, then why do the students have relatively low achievement scores on TIMSS and PISA? The answer may be the instructional methods and conditions of a developing educational system. The present findings have implications for all countries that use TIMSS and PISA, particularly those countries with developing educational systems, rapidly expanding economies, and an increasing need for students in science careers.