Teacher Characteristics and Student Achievements in TIMSS. Findings Gained from Applying the "First-Difference" Method to TIMSS-2007 Data

Tatiana Khavenson () and Yulia Tyumeneva

HSE Working papers from National Research University Higher School of Economics

Abstract: The advantage of Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study is that not only does it perform a direct cognitive assessment of students concerning these students' teachers, but also their education, work experience and the instructional strategies used in their classes. In order to estimate teachers’ characteristics effects on a student’s achievements and overcome the limits of the TIMSS' correlational design, we have employed the first-difference method. Teachers’ characteristics effects have also been measured with the usual regression method. The effects discovered varied from one subject field to another, and there has been a difference between the results gained by using the firstdifference method and OLS regression analysis model. The first-difference method has revealed a negative effect of reproductive tasks and group work in math class, whereas comprehension tasks and tasks for developing meta-cognitive skills have shown a positive effect. On the contrary, reproductive tasks for science classes have had a positive effect while comprehension tasks and tasks for developing meta-cognitive skills have had either none or negative effects. Apart from this, a teacher's experience has had a significant effect on natural science subjects as opposed to mathematics. The possible interpretations of these results are discussed in this paper.

Keywords: teacher’s characteristics; student achievement; teaching practices; TIMSS; fixed effects regression; OLS regression; first difference estimators, quasi-experimental design. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C21 I21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 32 pages
Date: 2012
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Published in WP BRP Series: Education / EDU, May 2012, pages 1-32

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.hse.ru/data/2012/05/23/1253964603/06EDU2012.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hig:wpaper:06edu2012

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in HSE Working papers from National Research University Higher School of Economics
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Shamil Abdulaev () and Shamil Abdulaev ().