|
|
Investigation of cross-country differences in student performance in standardized tests: the role of modern and traditional teaching methods
Ptáčníková, Marie ; Pertold-Gebicka, Barbara (advisor) ; Bauer, Michal (referee)
There is an ongoing debate about what teaching practices are the most effective ones in order to improve student performance. However, little is known about the impact across countries and literature is highly inconclusive. In this work, we extend the portfolio of countries and provide evidence about the role of modern and traditional teaching practices on students' test scores in 43 countries. Our analysis is performed in two steps and is a typical example of hierarchical linear modelling (HLM). In the first step, we perform student fixed effect method to account for majority of selection issues. We identify a positive, negative or no effect of modern or traditional teaching methods on student performance. These results are priceless for policy makers suggesting that there is no one-fits-all-approach towards modern or traditional teaching methods to order to improve students' test scores. As a great variation is observed, we continue further and investigate what country characteristics could explain these differences across countries. Bayesian model averaging (BMA) method supports us in a model uncertainty and a particular variable selection. Our findings indicate that cultural dimension uncertainty avoidance, which describes country's rigidity in behaviour and institutions, assists in explaining...
|
|
|
Bilingual classes on primary level from the perspective of educational equity. Case studies.
Smith Slámová, Radka ; Straková, Jana (advisor) ; Dvořák, Dominik (referee)
The diploma thesis compares learning conditions in bilingual and regular classrooms in two primary schools from the perspective of educational equity. The first chapter summarizes available information on bilingual classes in the Czech public school system (their prevalence, licensing conditions, and financing). The second chapter describes tracking in the Czech basic school system and its implications for educational inequity. The final chapter of the theoretical part describes the main school factors influencing student achievement in the Czech Republic and abroad. The empirical part presents case studies of two public schools that run a CLIL class. The schools differ in terms of the administrator of the bilingual class, target language, location, and financing of the class. The research compares regular and CLIL classes at each school with regards to admission procedures, pupil characteristics, learning conditions, teacher expectations, teaching methods, and other aspects influencing student achievement. The results reveal that bilingual and regular classes at both schools differ most in terms of socioeconomic compositition and student achievement, giving the pupils of bilingual classes an unfair advantage. However, the classes also differ in other aspects, of which the significance to parents...
|
guest ::
