Value-Added Modelling in Primary and Secondary School: An Integrative Review of 674 Publications

Scientific Conference (2017, December)

Value-added (VA) modelling aims to quantify the effect of pedagogical actions on students’ achievement, independent of students’ backgrounds (e.g., [1]); in other words, VA strives to model the added ... [more ▼]

Value-added (VA) modelling aims to quantify the effect of pedagogical actions on students’ achievement, independent of students’ backgrounds (e.g., [1]); in other words, VA strives to model the added value of teaching. VA is typically used for teacher and/or school accountability (e.g., [2]). Although, VA models have gained popularity in recent years—a substantial increase of publications is to be observed over the last decade—, there is no consensus on how to calculate VA, nor is there a consensus whether and which covariates should be included in the statistical models (e.g., [3]). The aim of the present study is to conduct a to date non-existent integrative review on VA modelling in primary and secondary education. Starting with an exhaustive literature research in the ERIC, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Psyndex databases, we reviewed and thoroughly classified 674 VA publications from 32 different countries. Half of the studies investigated VA models at teacher level; the remaining looked at school or principal level. 370 studies used empirical data to calculate VA models. Most of these studies explained their covariates, but approximately 15% did not specify the model. Most studies used prior achievement as a covariate, but cognitive and/or motivational student data were almost never taken into consideration. Moreover, most of the studies did not adjust for methodological issues such as missing data or measurement error. To conclude, given the high relevance of VA—it is primarily used for high-stakes decisions— more transparency, rigor and consensus are needed, especially concerning methodological details. References [1] Braun, H. I. (2005). Using student progress to evaluate teachers: A primer on value-added models. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service. [2] Sanders, W. L. (2000). Value-added assessment from student achievement data: Opportunities and hurdles. Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education, 14(4), 329–339. [3] Newton, X., Darling-Hammond, L., Haertel, E., & Thomas, E. (2010). Value-added modeling of teacher effectiveness: An exploration of stability across models and contexts. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 18(23). [less ▲]

Extension procedures for confirmatory factor analysis.

in The Journal of Experimental Education (2017), 85(4), 574-596

Solving arithmetic problems in first and second language: Does the language context matter?

in Learning and instruction (2016)

Learning mathematics in a second language is a challenge for many learners. The purpose of the study was to provide new insights into the role of the language context in mathematic learning and more ... [more ▼]

Learning mathematics in a second language is a challenge for many learners. The purpose of the study was to provide new insights into the role of the language context in mathematic learning and more particularly arithmetic problem solving. We investigated this question in a GermaneFrench bilingual educational setting in Luxembourg. Participants with increasing bilingual proficiency levels were invited to solve additions in both their first and second instruction languages: German and French. Arithmetic problems were presented in two different conditions: preceded by a semantic judgment or without additional language context. In the French session we observed that additions were systematically performed faster in the condition with an additional language context. In contrast no effect of the context was observed in the German session. In conclusion, providing a language context enhanced arithmetic performances in bilinguals' second instruction language. This finding entails implications for designing optimal mathematic learning environments in multilingual educational settings. [less ▲]

Complex Problem Solving Provides a Fairer Picture of Multilingual Students’ Cognitive Potential

Scientific Conference (2015, August)

40 Jahre später: Kann die Einschätzung von Grundschullehrkräften zur Intelligenz ihrer Schülerinnen und Schülern deren Bildungsrenditen als Erwachsene vorhersagen?

Scientific Conference (2015, March)

Die Bezugsnormorientierung von Mathematiklehrkräften am Ende der Sekundarstufe I: Konvergenz verschiedener Messverfahren und Wirkung auf motivational-affektive Aspekte des Mathematiklernens und Leistung

in Journal for Educational Research Online (2015), 7(3), 3-27

Do teacher judgments of student intelligence predict students' intelligence forty years later? Results from the Luxembourg MAGRIP study

in International Max Planck Research School on the Life Course newsletter (2014), 8(2), 3-8

Les jugements des enseignants sur l’intelligence des élèves sont prédictifs de la qualité de vie à long terme

Scientific Conference (2014, June)

Chronotype und Schule: Zusammenhänge zu Leistung und affektiv-motivationalen Variablen

Scientific Conference (2014, March)

Differential relations between facets of complex problem solving and students’ immigration background

in Journal of Educational Psychology (2014), Advance online publication

Whereas the assessment of complex problem solving (CPS) has received increasing attention in the context of international large-scale assessments, its fairness in regard to students’ cultural background ... [more ▼]

Whereas the assessment of complex problem solving (CPS) has received increasing attention in the context of international large-scale assessments, its fairness in regard to students’ cultural background has gone largely unexplored. On the basis of a student sample of ninth-graders (N = 299), including a representative number of immigrant students (N = 127), the present study evaluated (1) whether CPS can be assessed fairly among students with or without immigration background and (2) whether achievement differences between these groups exist. Results showed that fair assessment of CPS is possible using the Genetics Lab, a computer-based microworld that incorporates game-like characteristics and multilingual-friendly features. Immigrant students were generally outperformed by their non-immigrant peers, but performance differences can largely be explained by differential enrollment in lower academic tracks. Interestingly, CPS scales were less affected by students’ educational background than a traditional paper-pencil-based reasoning scale. Moreover, a fine-grained analysis of different facets of CPS showed that irrespective of the academic track, immigrant students demonstrated a more efficient task exploration behavior than their native peers (d = .26). In sum, this might point to the potential of computer-based assessment of CPS to identify otherwise hidden cognitive potential in immigrant students. [less ▲]