The effects of language and home factors on Lebanese students’ mathematics performance in TIMSS
Abstract Understanding the long-standing educational inequities associated with socioeconomic status remains significant for transforming educational policies and practices. To better understand entanglements among socioeconomic status and students’ performance in mathematics, we examined different...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SpringerOpen
2023-08-01
|
| Series: | Large-scale Assessments in Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40536-023-00180-w |
| _version_ | 1797752625951670272 |
|---|---|
| author | Rayya Younes Sara Salloum Maya Antoun |
| author_facet | Rayya Younes Sara Salloum Maya Antoun |
| author_sort | Rayya Younes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Understanding the long-standing educational inequities associated with socioeconomic status remains significant for transforming educational policies and practices. To better understand entanglements among socioeconomic status and students’ performance in mathematics, we examined different home factors (including language of the test) that influence Lebanese learners’ performance in TIMSS. Exploring TIMSS data can assist us in identifying areas and groups of students who require additional assistance in order to address inequities. The purpose of this study is to investigate how language and other home factors influence Lebanese students’ mathematics performance in TIMSS. Mathematics is taught in a foreign language (English or French) in Lebanon, according to Language of Learning and Teaching policy (LoLT) that dates to 1926. Using TIMSS data and hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), we looked at how students performed in mathematics based on the language of the test and how often they spoke it at home. Other home factors such as parents’ education level, number of books owned, and parents’ involvement were also examined. Results show that not speaking the language of the test at home and other SES-related factors had different but mostly significant contribution to students’ mathematics scores. Lebanese students’ overall low performance suggests the time is ripe for a reformed Lebanese curricula that responds to the needs of learners and of society, taking into consideration students’ cultural capital and language of instruction. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T17:07:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7ad867423e9148a89d8581043bc67f97 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2196-0739 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T17:07:12Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Large-scale Assessments in Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-7ad867423e9148a89d8581043bc67f972023-08-06T11:20:46ZengSpringerOpenLarge-scale Assessments in Education2196-07392023-08-0111111710.1186/s40536-023-00180-wThe effects of language and home factors on Lebanese students’ mathematics performance in TIMSSRayya Younes0Sara Salloum1Maya Antoun2Department of Social and Education Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American UniversityDepartment of Teacher Education, Patton College of Education, Ohio UniversityDepartment of Education, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of BalamandAbstract Understanding the long-standing educational inequities associated with socioeconomic status remains significant for transforming educational policies and practices. To better understand entanglements among socioeconomic status and students’ performance in mathematics, we examined different home factors (including language of the test) that influence Lebanese learners’ performance in TIMSS. Exploring TIMSS data can assist us in identifying areas and groups of students who require additional assistance in order to address inequities. The purpose of this study is to investigate how language and other home factors influence Lebanese students’ mathematics performance in TIMSS. Mathematics is taught in a foreign language (English or French) in Lebanon, according to Language of Learning and Teaching policy (LoLT) that dates to 1926. Using TIMSS data and hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), we looked at how students performed in mathematics based on the language of the test and how often they spoke it at home. Other home factors such as parents’ education level, number of books owned, and parents’ involvement were also examined. Results show that not speaking the language of the test at home and other SES-related factors had different but mostly significant contribution to students’ mathematics scores. Lebanese students’ overall low performance suggests the time is ripe for a reformed Lebanese curricula that responds to the needs of learners and of society, taking into consideration students’ cultural capital and language of instruction.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40536-023-00180-wLanguage and MathematicsCultural capitalInternational assessmentsLanguage of instructionTIMSS |
| spellingShingle | Rayya Younes Sara Salloum Maya Antoun The effects of language and home factors on Lebanese students’ mathematics performance in TIMSS Large-scale Assessments in Education Language and Mathematics Cultural capital International assessments Language of instruction TIMSS |
| title | The effects of language and home factors on Lebanese students’ mathematics performance in TIMSS |
| title_full | The effects of language and home factors on Lebanese students’ mathematics performance in TIMSS |
| title_fullStr | The effects of language and home factors on Lebanese students’ mathematics performance in TIMSS |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effects of language and home factors on Lebanese students’ mathematics performance in TIMSS |
| title_short | The effects of language and home factors on Lebanese students’ mathematics performance in TIMSS |
| title_sort | effects of language and home factors on lebanese students mathematics performance in timss |
| topic | Language and Mathematics Cultural capital International assessments Language of instruction TIMSS |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40536-023-00180-w |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rayyayounes theeffectsoflanguageandhomefactorsonlebanesestudentsmathematicsperformanceintimss AT sarasalloum theeffectsoflanguageandhomefactorsonlebanesestudentsmathematicsperformanceintimss AT mayaantoun theeffectsoflanguageandhomefactorsonlebanesestudentsmathematicsperformanceintimss AT rayyayounes effectsoflanguageandhomefactorsonlebanesestudentsmathematicsperformanceintimss AT sarasalloum effectsoflanguageandhomefactorsonlebanesestudentsmathematicsperformanceintimss AT mayaantoun effectsoflanguageandhomefactorsonlebanesestudentsmathematicsperformanceintimss |