An IERI – International Educational Research Institute Journal
Table 1 Overview of all latent variables included
Latent variable | Question | Response options | Questionnaire | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Aspects of school climate, predictors | School emphasis on academic success | How would you characterize each of the following within your school?? 12 equal items in 2015 and 2019, e.g. «Teachers’ understanding of the school’s curricular goal» | very low, medium, high, very high | Teacher questionnaire, question 6 in both 2015 and 2019 |
School safety | Thinking about your current school, indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each of the following statements. 8 items, e.g. «I feel safe at this school» | disagree a lot, disagree a little, agree a little, agree a lot | Teacher questionnaire, question 7 in both 2015 and 2019 | |
School belongingness and well being | What do you think about your school? Tell how much you agree with these statements. 4 equal items in 2015 and 2019, e.g. « I like being in school», «I feel like I belong at this school» | disagree a lot, disagree a little, agree a little, agree a lot | Student questionnaire, question 15 in 2015 and question 12 in 2019 | |
Bullying | During this school year, how often have other students from your school done any of the following things to you, including through texting or the Internet? 4 equal items in 2015 and 2019, e.g. «Stole something from me», «Spread lies about me» | Never, a few times a year, once or twice a month, at least once a week | Student questionnaire, question 16 in 2015 and question 13 in 2019 | |
Aspects of student motivation, and self-concept, predictors | Interest-enjoyment value | How much do you agree with these statements about learning mathematics? 9 items, e.g. « I enjoy learning mathematics» | disagree a lot, disagree a little, agree a little, agree a lot | Student questionnaire, questions 17 in 2015 and questions 16 in 2019 |
Utility value | How much do you agree with these statements about learning mathematics? 9 items, e.g. « I would like a job that involves using mathematics» | disagree a lot, disagree a little, agree a little, agree a lot | Student questionnaire, question 20 in 2015 and 2019 | |
Self-concept | How much do you agree with these statements about learning mathematics? 8 items, e.g. « I usually do well in mathematics» | disagree a lot, disagree a little, agree a little, agree a lot | Student questionnaire, questions 19 in 2015 and 2019 | |
SES, control variable | Books at home | About how many books are there in your home? | 5-point scale from None or very few (0–10 books) to Enough to fill three or more bookcases (more than 200) | Student questionnaire, question 4 in 2015 and 2019 |
Parents’ education | What is the highest level of education completed by your < parents/guardians > ? | From ISCED level 1 to 8 | Student questionnaire, question 6A and 6B in 2019 and question 7A and 7B in 2015 | |
Dependent variable | Achievement in mathematics | More than 200 items spread approximately equally among the three cognitive dimensions (knowing, applying, reasoning) and the four content dimensions (number, algebra, geometry, and data and probability). About half of the items are multiple choice and the other half are open questions. Achievement is measured by 5 PVs as mentioned | ||