This thesis examines the scientific language in different subjects by analysing all grade 8 science items from TIMSS 2011, using four characteristic meaning dimensions of scientific language – Packing, Precision and Presentation of information, and the level of Personification in a text. The results, as well as results from established readability measures, are correlated with test performances of different student groups. The TIMSS vocabulary is compared with three Swedish corpora where low frequency words are identified and further analysed. The thesis challenges the notion that there is a single scientific language, as results show that the language use varies between subjects. Physics uses more words, biology shows higher Packing and lower Precision, while physics shows the opposite pattern. Items are generally low in Personification but physics has higher levels, earth science lower. Chemistry often presents information in more complex ways. The use of meaning dimensions manages to connect the language use in science items to student performance, while established measures do not. For each subject, one or more of the meaning dimensions shows significant correlations with small to medium effect sizes. Higher Packing is positively correlated with students’ results in earth science, negatively correlated in physics, and has no significant correlations in biology or chemistry. Students’ performances decrease when placing items in everyday contexts, and skilled readers are aided by higher precision, while less-skilled seem unaffected. Many meaning dimensions that influence low performers’ results do not influence those of high performers, and vice versa. The vocabulary of TIMSS and school textbooks are closely matched, but compared with more general written Swedish and a more limited vocabulary, the coverage drops significantly. Of the low frequency words 78% are nouns, where also most compound–, extra long– and made-up words are found. These categories and nominalisations are more common in biology and, except for made-up words, rare in chemistry. Abstract and generalizing nouns are frequent in biology and earth science, concrete nouns in chemistry and physics.

The focus of this research was on the effect of school schedules on student achievement for ninth-grade students in a Florida school district. Data were collected from two central Florida high schools from the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 school years. Five one-way analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) were performed to ascertain if there was any interaction between school schedules and student achievement. Examined were the interactions (a) between schedule and schools, (b) schedule and male students, (c) schedule and female students, (d) schedule and Black students, and (e) schedule and Hispanic students. The independent variable, school schedule, consisted of two levels: traditional schedule and A/B block schedule. The dependent variable was the spring Algebra 1 End- of-Course Examination (EOC), and the covariate was the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) Mathematics Eighth-grade Development Scale Score. School schedule was not significantly related to students' spring Algebra 1 EOC scores, F(1,788) p = .932. School schedule was not significantly related to male students' spring Algebra 1 EOC scores, F(1,392) p = .698. School schedule was not significantly related to female students' spring Algebra 1 EOC scores, F(1,393) p = .579. School schedule was not significantly related to Black students' spring Algebra 1 EOC scores, F(1,186) p = .545. School schedule was not significantly related to Hispanic students' spring Algebra 1 EOC scores, F (1,184) p = .700.

Traditional research agrees that only effective school principals can fully influence student achievement, and school leaders are pivotal to the success of schools in America. Researchers have linked positive student outcomes to further illustrate the point, including student achievement, to high-quality school leadership. The purpose of this study is to assist state and district education leaders in Mississippi in having a more profound knowledge of which principal demographics and characteristics are more directly correlated with the improvement of accountability scores or student achievement. The results of the correlational and regression analysis to determine the relationship between principal variables and the number of points a school grew when comparing the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school year total accountability points earned. Limitations, implications, and recommendations for both school district leaders and future research are also discussed.

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact on student achievement of elementary school teachers who participated in professional development in the content area of mathematics. Teachers participated in professional development courses and have accumulated a range from three to eighteen total credits from the summers of 1998 through 2007. The impact is measured by student achievement data collected on standardized tests.

Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Teresa N. Miller / The purpose of this study was to research, develop, and validate a handbook of effective strategies that an instructional leader can implement and that are more likely to bring about and sustain a successful change process. Implementation Strategies for Effective Change: A Handbook for Instructional Leaders was developed using the research and development methodology as recommended by Gall, Borg, and Gall (1989, 1996) and Dick and Carey (1985) through a seven-step development cycle. The review of literature and proof of concept questionnaire provided information for developing the outline and initial prototype. Experts in the field served as preliminary field evaluators using a Likert scale and open-ended questions to provide feedback. Revisions were made based on their feedback. The main field test was conducted with potential users of the guide. Final revisions were based on main field test evaluators’ feedback. The conclusions of the study were: (1) the role of the principal has changed from that of a manager to an instructional leader who possesses a broad base of pedagogical and content knowledge and who understands how to lead a staff through a complicated change process; (2) a handbook that provides guidance and support for principals leading a change process focused on the improvement of instruction to raise student achievement would be a useful resource; (3) development of a comprehensive handbook or guide that blends theory, research, and practice for instructional leaders would be a beneficial resource; (4) the study produced a comprehensive guide to assist instructional leaders who are leading a change process focused on the improvement of instruction to raise student achievement, and (5) the strategies included in the handbook allow principals to adjust and adapt according to their schools’ unique situation and needs. The framework included in the comprehensive handbook provides strategies, tips, and suggestions for (1) developing leadership skills, (2) establishing the organizational structure within the school community, (3) building teachers’ knowledge base, and (4) fostering an understanding of the change process. Throughout the handbook, an emphasis is placed on the improvement of instruction to achieve high academic success for all students.

We are currently witnessing an increase of international interest in mathematics education, fueled partly by the growing concerns of students’ declining results, but also by changed perceptions of what mathematics students should master. In response, many initiatives have appeared in order to move away from traditional to more inquiry based approaches to teaching. Though several small-scale studies have contributed much to our understanding on how to support teachers in this work, there is still a lack of research conducted on a larger scale. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to add to our knowledge of how to support instructional improvement at scale. This is done by focusing on two common approaches to support mathematics teachers’ development of reform based practices: teacher professional development [PD] programs and curriculum materials. The thesis builds on four papers which are all connected to a project aiming at improving the mathematics instruction in a large Swedish municipality. The project includes a PD-program for almost 400 elementary teachers and the mathematics curriculum materials that teachers are using play a central role in the program. The first two papers focus on curriculum materials either by using surveys to compare teachers’ views of the support offered in the materials and their reported mathematics instruction, or by conducting textbook analyses to characterize how some commonly used materials communicate about, for example, goals of lessons. The results demonstrate that teachers using different materials experience different levels of support from them and also show variations in their reported instruction. These differences are further reflected in the textbook analyses which show that the materials offer teachers various support, for example regarding how they communicate about goals. The last two papers focus on teacher PD-programs either by comparing the effects of two programs on student achievement, or by using surveys to examine teachers’ views of one of the programs and its impact on their reported instruction. The results indicate that the two PD-programs have affected students’ achievement in different ways, demonstrating both decline and improvement. Even within the programs differences are revealed between students at the primary and secondary levels. These variations are further present in the teacher surveys, where the results show differences between teachers from different grade-levels. By drawing on the literature review and the results of the papers, the thesis ends with a discussion of possible elaborations of a widely used core conceptual framework for studying teacher PD.

Accountability is a major issue in education and in Texas, the TAAS test is used to indicate performance of students, teachers, campuses, and districts. The stakes are high for students, as performance on this test has determined whether they progress to another grade and whether they will receive a diploma. Most research studies focus on relationships between the teacher and individual students or groups of students, but not classrooms. Expectations and high stakes testing are central within the educational process, and their relationship on student achievement should be investigated, especially since no studies on teacher attitudes toward the TAAS test have been found. This correlational study measured teacher attitudes toward the TAAS and teacher expectations for students through data collected from a survey. Student achievement information was collected from averaged Texas Learning Index scores for students by classroom over a two year period. The sample consisted of 22 4th, 8th, and 10th grade reading and/or math teachers who had taught in the same Texas mid-sized, rural school district for at least two years. Frequency, percent, mean, and standard deviation were used to analyze the responses on the survey. A median score distinguished between high/low expectations and between positive/negative attitudes toward the TAAS. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient identified relationships, with levels of significance determined at the .05 level. From this study, it appears that no relationship exists among teacher expectations for students, teacher attitudes toward the TAAS, and student achievement. It appears that teachers support the TAAS and see a relationship between the test and improved student performance, and view the TAAS as nondiscriminatory for race and socioeconomic status. While teacher expectation levels are not the same for all students, most teachers feel responsible for insuring that students learn while they are in the teachers' classrooms, and communicate, via word or action, the expectation that their students can learn at or above grade level.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between sixth grade students' academic achievement levels in math and their perceptions of school climate. Student characteristics of socioeconomic status and gender were used to identify groups for the purpose of data analysis. Data was gathered using the five independent variables of the My Class Inventory (satisfaction, friction, competitiveness, difficulty, and cohesiveness) and the dependent variable of the Stanford Achievement Total Math scores. The results of the data collection were tested using a Pearson product-moment analysis and a backward multiple regression analysis. A univariate analysis of variance was also used to compare the five independent variables of the My Class Inventory as well as to compare socioeconomic status and gender with the Stanford Achievement Total Math scores. The schools selected for this study were from a city in Texas with a population of approximately 100,000. The sample consisted of 262 sixth grade mathematics students. The findings of this study are as follows: (a) The Pearson product-moment correlation analysis revealed little, if any, correlation for any of the five subscale predictor variables; (b) the multiple regression analysis revealed that all five classroom climate indicators combined together could explain only 10.5% of the variance in mathematics achievement; (c) the univariate analysis of variance revealed that there is a significant relationship between the climate factors of friction and difficulty when compared to mathematics achievement; and (d) the univariate analysis of variance also revealed that mathematics achievement scores vary significantly as a function of economic category membership, but there appears to be no relationship to gender.

The problem of this study was to determine whether Kenyan Bible college students who receive instruction using a modified (highly structured) mastery learning model will demonstrate greater achievement in knowledge of Christian Church history as compared to Kenyan Bible college students who receive instruction using a traditional (minimally structured) non-mastery learning model. The subjects were 17 second-year Kenyan Bible college students enrolled in a course on Christian Church history, and they were randomly assigned to the two treatment conditions. The researcher served as instructor for both groups. The experimental group used a textbook, detailed syllabus, 200 page study guide (featuring an advance organizer to provide an ideational scaffolding), and a lesson-development feature (providing an enabling objective, congruent questions, and informative feedback for each lesson segment). The control group used a textbook and a less-detailed syllabus. Both groups shared the same classroom lectures, class discussions, required assignments, examinations, and review of examination items. Five tests of Christian church history were administered, including a pretest, three unit tests, and a comprehensive course examination. Test data were analyzed using a 2 x 5 (treatment x testing occasion) repeated measures analysis of variance (RM ANOVA). The percentage of students performing at mastery level (80% correct) on each test was also calculated. Results indicated that, from the second unit test to the comprehensive examination, the modified mastery learning group achieved slightly but consistently higher mean percentage correct scores than the traditional group, but there was no significant main effect for treatment. In contrast, the main effect for testing occasion did reach statistical significance. Across the five test occasions, 8% to 51% more students in the modified mastery learning group attained mastery level as compared to the traditional learning group.

The specific problem this research studied is the relationship between principal instructional leadership behaviors and student achievement in Nigeria. Eight of the often cited principal instructional leadership behaviors were selected for study. They are: set goals; set expectation; provide resources, human/material; manage/coordinate curriculum and instruction; establish school climate; promote staff professional development; and monitor student progress. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the eight selected principal instructional leadership behaviors and student achievement in Nigeria. Using the stratified random sampling technique, a sample of 400 teachers, and 40 principals was selected from 40 secondary schools in Edo State. Two questionnaires were developed to gather data for the study. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and pictorial presentation. The descriptive demographic variables gender, age, experience, and education, were used to describe the data gathered. The independent and dependent variables were subjected to inferential statistics using the Pearson product – moment correlation coefficient technique. Eight null hypotheses were tested to determine the statistically significant relationship between the eight independent variables and the dependent variable. The level of significance chosen was .05. The primary findings indicated that there are no statistically significant relationship between any of the eight independent variables and the dependent variable. Therefore, it could be concluded that there are other variables that are related to student achievement in Nigeria, though the eight independent variables could enhance it. Student intrinsic motivation, discriminating synthesis of old and new values, and a return to the Nigerian tradition are variables offered as those that are related to student achievement in Nigeria. Of all these variables, student intrinsic motivation seems to be the recurring variable that is most related to it. Nine main recommendations were made to the Nigerian students, scholars, school system, and society.