Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 2016
Is it possible to compare the results in assessments of mathematics across countries with differe... more Is it possible to compare the results in assessments of mathematics across countries with different curricula, traditions and age of starting school? As part of the iPIPS project, a Russian version of the iPIPS baseline assessment was developed and trial data were available from about 300 Russian children at the start and end of their first year at school. These were matched with parallel data from representative samples of equal numbers of children from England and Scotland. The equating of the scales was explored using Rasch measurement. A unified scale was easiest to create for England and Scotland at the start and end of their first year at school when children only differ by a half a year in age, and live in adjacent countries with a common language. Although fewer items showed invariance across the three countries, it was possible to link iPIPS scores in mathematics from the start and end of the first year at school across Scotland, England and Russia. The findings of this study suggest that, despite the apparent difficulties, meaningful comparisons of mathematics attainment and development can be made. These will allow for substantive interpretations with policy implications.
We analyze a heterogeneity of the educational system on the basis of one parameter: input grades ... more We analyze a heterogeneity of the educational system on the basis of one parameter: input grades of university students. We propose a mathematical model based on the construction of universities interval order. We use the Hamming distance to evaluate the heterogeneity of the educational system, and the Unified State Examination (USE) scores of Russian students to illustrate the application of the model. We show that institutions taking weak students turn the whole system of universities into a poorly structured nonhomogeneous system. In contrast, after deleting the weakest part, the remaining set of universities becomes a well-structured system
Educational and Psychological Measurement, May 23, 2014
The present study tested the possibility of operationalizing levels of knowledge acquisition base... more The present study tested the possibility of operationalizing levels of knowledge acquisition based on Vygotsky's theory of cognitive growth. An assessment tool (SAM-Math) was developed to capture a hypothesized hierarchical structure of mathematical knowledge consisting of procedural, conceptual, and functional levels. In Study 1, SAM-Math was administered to 4th-grade students (N = 2,216). The results of Rasch analysis indicated that the test provided an operational definition for the construct of mathematical competence that included the three levels of mastery corresponding to the theoretically based hierarchy of knowledge. In Study 2, SAM-Math was administered to students in 4th, 6th, 8th, and 10th grades (N = 396) to examine developmental changes in the levels of mathematics knowledge. The results showed that the mastery of mathematical concepts presented in elementary school continued to deepen beyond elementary school, as evidenced by a significant growth in conceptual and functional levels of knowledge. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for psychological theory, test design, and educational practice.
... Elena Kardanova, Center for International Cooperation in Education Development of the Academy... more ... Elena Kardanova, Center for International Cooperation in Education Development of the Academy of National Economy under the Government of the ... developed by the group of specialists which includes Gorbov S. (the head), Efremova Y.,Ostroverh O., Sviridova O., Zaslavsky V ...
Teachers’ beliefs should be
changed in order to introduce modern
teaching methods in education.... more Teachers’ beliefs should be changed in order to introduce modern teaching methods in education. The notion of “belief” combines the ideas, attitudes, and personal philosophies teachers apply in their work. We differentiate between traditional beliefs about teaching as a direct transfer of knowledge and constructivist beliefs assuming that students construct their knowledge themselves through specifically organized activities. We have analyzed the key teacher belief research projects: theOECD’s Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), the cross-cultural Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics (TEDS-M), and the Nordic-Baltic Comparative Research in Mathematics Education (NoRBA) that we borrowed a questionnaire from. Our survey involved teachers of mathematics in three countries: 390 teachers in Latvia (of which 95 with Russian as their native tongue), 332 teachers in Estonia (of which 92 with Russian as their native tongue), and 1,096 teachers in the Russian Federation. We have found that differences between teachers in different countries were statistically important in all the variables used in the study, regardless of whether Estonian and Latvian teachers were Russian-speaking or not. All teachers implemented their beliefs in their everyday classroom practices. 36% of teachers in Russia had a high level of constructivism (as compared to 26% in Latvia and 18% in Estonia). Proportion of teachers with low levels of traditionalism in Latvia and Estonia (appr. 25% in both) was higher than the same proportion among Russian teachers (17.5%). We have come to a conclusion that different approaches to education system reforms in Russia and in the Baltic states have resulted in a significant diversity of beliefs among teachers of mathematics. Thus, proportion of teachers with low levels of traditionalist beliefs has grown in the Baltic countries more than in Russia, which explains to some extent higher PISA points of Estonian and Latvian students.
Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 2016
Is it possible to compare the results in assessments of mathematics across countries with differe... more Is it possible to compare the results in assessments of mathematics across countries with different curricula, traditions and age of starting school? As part of the iPIPS project, a Russian version of the iPIPS baseline assessment was developed and trial data were available from about 300 Russian children at the start and end of their first year at school. These were matched with parallel data from representative samples of equal numbers of children from England and Scotland. The equating of the scales was explored using Rasch measurement. A unified scale was easiest to create for England and Scotland at the start and end of their first year at school when children only differ by a half a year in age, and live in adjacent countries with a common language. Although fewer items showed invariance across the three countries, it was possible to link iPIPS scores in mathematics from the start and end of the first year at school across Scotland, England and Russia. The findings of this study suggest that, despite the apparent difficulties, meaningful comparisons of mathematics attainment and development can be made. These will allow for substantive interpretations with policy implications.
We analyze a heterogeneity of the educational system on the basis of one parameter: input grades ... more We analyze a heterogeneity of the educational system on the basis of one parameter: input grades of university students. We propose a mathematical model based on the construction of universities interval order. We use the Hamming distance to evaluate the heterogeneity of the educational system, and the Unified State Examination (USE) scores of Russian students to illustrate the application of the model. We show that institutions taking weak students turn the whole system of universities into a poorly structured nonhomogeneous system. In contrast, after deleting the weakest part, the remaining set of universities becomes a well-structured system
Educational and Psychological Measurement, May 23, 2014
The present study tested the possibility of operationalizing levels of knowledge acquisition base... more The present study tested the possibility of operationalizing levels of knowledge acquisition based on Vygotsky's theory of cognitive growth. An assessment tool (SAM-Math) was developed to capture a hypothesized hierarchical structure of mathematical knowledge consisting of procedural, conceptual, and functional levels. In Study 1, SAM-Math was administered to 4th-grade students (N = 2,216). The results of Rasch analysis indicated that the test provided an operational definition for the construct of mathematical competence that included the three levels of mastery corresponding to the theoretically based hierarchy of knowledge. In Study 2, SAM-Math was administered to students in 4th, 6th, 8th, and 10th grades (N = 396) to examine developmental changes in the levels of mathematics knowledge. The results showed that the mastery of mathematical concepts presented in elementary school continued to deepen beyond elementary school, as evidenced by a significant growth in conceptual and functional levels of knowledge. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for psychological theory, test design, and educational practice.
... Elena Kardanova, Center for International Cooperation in Education Development of the Academy... more ... Elena Kardanova, Center for International Cooperation in Education Development of the Academy of National Economy under the Government of the ... developed by the group of specialists which includes Gorbov S. (the head), Efremova Y.,Ostroverh O., Sviridova O., Zaslavsky V ...
Teachers’ beliefs should be
changed in order to introduce modern
teaching methods in education.... more Teachers’ beliefs should be changed in order to introduce modern teaching methods in education. The notion of “belief” combines the ideas, attitudes, and personal philosophies teachers apply in their work. We differentiate between traditional beliefs about teaching as a direct transfer of knowledge and constructivist beliefs assuming that students construct their knowledge themselves through specifically organized activities. We have analyzed the key teacher belief research projects: theOECD’s Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), the cross-cultural Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics (TEDS-M), and the Nordic-Baltic Comparative Research in Mathematics Education (NoRBA) that we borrowed a questionnaire from. Our survey involved teachers of mathematics in three countries: 390 teachers in Latvia (of which 95 with Russian as their native tongue), 332 teachers in Estonia (of which 92 with Russian as their native tongue), and 1,096 teachers in the Russian Federation. We have found that differences between teachers in different countries were statistically important in all the variables used in the study, regardless of whether Estonian and Latvian teachers were Russian-speaking or not. All teachers implemented their beliefs in their everyday classroom practices. 36% of teachers in Russia had a high level of constructivism (as compared to 26% in Latvia and 18% in Estonia). Proportion of teachers with low levels of traditionalism in Latvia and Estonia (appr. 25% in both) was higher than the same proportion among Russian teachers (17.5%). We have come to a conclusion that different approaches to education system reforms in Russia and in the Baltic states have resulted in a significant diversity of beliefs among teachers of mathematics. Thus, proportion of teachers with low levels of traditionalist beliefs has grown in the Baltic countries more than in Russia, which explains to some extent higher PISA points of Estonian and Latvian students.
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Papers by E. Kardanova
changed in order to introduce modern
teaching methods in education. The notion of “belief” combines the ideas, attitudes, and personal philosophies teachers apply in their work. We differentiate
between traditional beliefs about teaching as a direct transfer of knowledge and
constructivist beliefs assuming that students construct their knowledge themselves through specifically organized activities. We have analyzed the key teacher belief research projects: theOECD’s
Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), the cross-cultural Teacher Education and Development Study in
Mathematics (TEDS-M), and the Nordic-Baltic Comparative Research in
Mathematics Education (NoRBA) that
we borrowed a questionnaire from. Our
survey involved teachers of mathematics in three countries: 390 teachers in
Latvia (of which 95 with Russian as their
native tongue), 332 teachers in Estonia
(of which 92 with Russian as their native
tongue), and 1,096 teachers in the Russian Federation. We have found that differences between teachers in different
countries were statistically important in
all the variables used in the study, regardless of whether Estonian and Latvian teachers were Russian-speaking or
not. All teachers implemented their beliefs in their everyday classroom practices. 36% of teachers in Russia had a
high level of constructivism (as compared to 26% in Latvia and 18% in Estonia). Proportion of teachers with low levels of traditionalism in Latvia and Estonia
(appr. 25% in both) was higher than the
same proportion among Russian teachers (17.5%). We have come to a conclusion that different approaches to education system reforms in Russia and in
the Baltic states have resulted in a significant diversity of beliefs among teachers of mathematics. Thus, proportion of
teachers with low levels of traditionalist
beliefs has grown in the Baltic countries
more than in Russia, which explains to some extent higher PISA points of Estonian and Latvian students.
changed in order to introduce modern
teaching methods in education. The notion of “belief” combines the ideas, attitudes, and personal philosophies teachers apply in their work. We differentiate
between traditional beliefs about teaching as a direct transfer of knowledge and
constructivist beliefs assuming that students construct their knowledge themselves through specifically organized activities. We have analyzed the key teacher belief research projects: theOECD’s
Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), the cross-cultural Teacher Education and Development Study in
Mathematics (TEDS-M), and the Nordic-Baltic Comparative Research in
Mathematics Education (NoRBA) that
we borrowed a questionnaire from. Our
survey involved teachers of mathematics in three countries: 390 teachers in
Latvia (of which 95 with Russian as their
native tongue), 332 teachers in Estonia
(of which 92 with Russian as their native
tongue), and 1,096 teachers in the Russian Federation. We have found that differences between teachers in different
countries were statistically important in
all the variables used in the study, regardless of whether Estonian and Latvian teachers were Russian-speaking or
not. All teachers implemented their beliefs in their everyday classroom practices. 36% of teachers in Russia had a
high level of constructivism (as compared to 26% in Latvia and 18% in Estonia). Proportion of teachers with low levels of traditionalism in Latvia and Estonia
(appr. 25% in both) was higher than the
same proportion among Russian teachers (17.5%). We have come to a conclusion that different approaches to education system reforms in Russia and in
the Baltic states have resulted in a significant diversity of beliefs among teachers of mathematics. Thus, proportion of
teachers with low levels of traditionalist
beliefs has grown in the Baltic countries
more than in Russia, which explains to some extent higher PISA points of Estonian and Latvian students.