SECTION 3

(URRENT RESEARCH

TH/S SEa/ON OESCR/BES CURRENT PROJECTS THAT ARE UNDER WAY. THE CURRENT PROJECTS ARE THE

COMPUTERS /N EOUCATlON SruOY (COMPED), THE PREPR/MARY SruOY (PREPRIM), THE READ/NG

UTERACY SruOY (RL) AND THE TH/RO INTERNATIONAL MATHEMAT/CS AND SCIENCE SruOY (TIMSS)

THE IEA PROJECT CYCLE

IEA has traditionally undertaken a new study only once an ICC was established and funding was secured. As a result, project planning did not adhere to any regular time sched­ule. Often once studies we re underway, if funding prospects deteriorated, project time tables we re pushed back. In 1989 IEA debated, then decided upon a new approach . A cyde of studies was agreed upon to be undertaken every 12 years or 50. The idea behind this cyde of studies was simple. IEA should begin a care of studies approximately every three years, with smaller pilot studies allowed to form as inte rest dictated.

The actual time table of the cyde of studies is not what was innovative in IENs new thinking, but rather a commitment on the part of IEA members to undertake a series of care subjects every decade or 50. Adding to a list of past studies, IEA members would have the data to make comparisons over time and this trend data would go far in mapping student achievement world wide along with pro~ viding information about what works where and how.

The original plan suggested in 1988 has changed somewhat since then but IEA is trying to remain close to

PROJECTS 1990 1991 1992 1993

Language

MathS/Seienee

Preprimary

Comped

Reading Lite ra ey

FIGURE 10: IEA studies in the 90s

49

that original plan. The Reading Literacy Study, started in 1989 will camplete by the end of 1992. The combined Mathematics and Science Study will be carried out in 1993/94 and again in 1997/98. It is hoped the two subject study will provide extra information by being tested twice in the decade, while the cost of the second phase will be less than the first. With the exception of the Computers in Education and Pre Primary Chiideare studies, both seen as noncore studies, IEA has room for one more study in the 19905. At the moment the topic and timing of this study is still unknown. However, if IEA remains true to its origiani intent, the study should be carried out in the mid 19905 and should cover a nonscience topic such as second lan­guage, written composition, reading literacy, or a combi­nation of all three.

The current and propsosed cyde of studies over the 19905 is displayed in the following Figure. The Thirty­second General Assembly is expected to make some pre­liminary decisions on the topic area and date of the pro­posed study when it meets in late August 1991 .

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

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READING LlTERACY STUDY (RL)

Aims and Expected Outcomes Policy issues are of paramount importance for many of the educational leaders who support the IEA studies interna­tionally. The Reading Literacy Study has been designed to provide results useful for informing policy decisions related to the achievement and practice of literacy among children and adults. The study also coincides with the UNESCO 'World Literacy Year' and will set 1990 as the year in which the first large-scale baseline data are established against which future achievements in literacy will be mea­sured.

For the purposes of this study, reading literacy refers to the linguistic and cognitive processing of those written language forms required by society and/or valued by the individual. As this implies, literacy is regarded as both a cuiturai practice and an intellectual achievement.

The purposes of this study are: 1) to develop and administer a set of measures by which educational leaders can describe the types and levels of Reading Literacy attained by various segments of the population; and 2) to examine the impact of varying educational policies and programs as weil as home influence upon Reading Literacy.

The study attempts to address policy-relevant ques­tians concerning the relationship between instruction and Iiteracy, and the relationship between Iiteracy and national economies. It is also guided by specific research questions, 'Including the following: - How do comparable samples of students in participat­

ing countries campare on various facets of reading achievement at the primary level and the end of com­pulsory education)

- How do educational policies and teaching factors, including standards, materials and teaching strategies, affect reading literacy practices and achievement for the primary school students?

- How do literacy activities in participating countries cam­pare for primary school students and secondary school students?

- How do home literacy activities and values influence the achievement and practices of primary school stu­dents?

- How does the contemporary level of achievement com­pare to levels observed in previous IEA surveys?

The data in the participating countries was collected dur­ing 1990 and 1991 . In addition to achievement measures, data was collected on salient home and school factors which are believed to influence the acquisition of literacy. Since the variation in school programs across countries is

50

greater than that within countries, the effects of more cur­riculum variables can be studied within the international scope of this project.

The products of the international study will be: - Valid measures su itable for measuring literacy aeross

countries; - Estimates of the percentage of each population reach­

ing specified levels of basic Iiteracy, intermediate litera­cy and advanced literacy;

- Estimates of the relative strengths and weaknesses of countries' programs in reading;

- Comparative data aeross countries of literacy campe­tenee on three domains (narrative passages, expository passages, documents) on the international scale;

- The identification of which school, teacher and societa l factors influence literacy and to what extent;

- Comparative data across countries of literacy practices; - The identification of relationships between literacy and

economic indicators; - The establishment of a 1990 baseline database in 30

countries. These products will be of use to each country in that a sys­tem will have hard data on literacy levels which it can relate to economic, health and other educational indica­torso The study will also identify those variables which, if changed, will help to improve literacy rates . Finally, a large 1990 database on an internationallevei will be helpful in assessing changes over time in literacy achievement in future years.

Organization and Management IEA has established an International Coordinating Center and Data Processing C enter at Hamburg University, Germany, and has appointed a Steering Committee and Technical Advisor. The members of the Steering Committee, the International Coordinator and the Data Manager work together with the National Research Coordinators who are responsible for the conduct of the project in their respective countries.

Steeringrr echnical Committee The current members of the Steering Committee are:

Chairperson: Prof. Warwick B. Elley (New Zealand) Prof. John T. Guthrie (U .SA) Prof. Ingvar Lundberg (Sweden) Dr. Francis Mangubhai (Australia Dr. Kenneth N. Ross (Australia) Dr. Alan C. Purves (U.SA)

The Technical Advisor is Dr. Albert Beaton (U.SA)

International Coordinating Center The International Coordinating Center is based at IEA Hamburg . Dr. T. Neville Postlethwaite has the overall responsibility for the international coordination and data processing . Dr. R. Elaine Degenhart is the Assistant International Coordinator and Andreas Schleicher is the International Data Manager. The ICC will hire additional part-time data processors and secretarial personnel as needed. Members of the SteeringfTechnical Committee will also spend time in Hamburg during critical phases of data processing.

National Research Coordinators

Each participating institution has appointed one person as the National Research Coordinator to assume the overall responsibility for the project in its country. The participat­ing institution will provide trave I and sub$istence costs for the NRC to attend NRC meetings and appoint additional staff as required.

National Committees Each National Center will appoint a National Committee composed primarily of leading persons in Reading Literacy. According to further research which national centers wish to attach to the project, persons with other forms of expertise could be added to a national committee.

Participating Countries Belgium Greece New Zealand Switzerland Botswana Hong Kong Nigeria Thailand Canada (B.C.) Hungary Norway Trinidad &Tobago Cyprus Iceland Philippines United States Denmark Indonesia Portugal Venezuela Finland Ireland Singapore Yugoslavia France Italy Spain (Slovenia) Germany Netherlands Sweden Zimbabwe

Research Design Sample Population Two target populations are defined as follows: Population A:

All students attending school on a full-time basis at the grade level in which most students ag ed 9:00-9: 11 years (during the first week of the eighth month of the school year) are enrolled.

Population B: All students attending school on a ful l-time basis at the grade level in which most students ag ed 14:00-14:11 years (during the first week of the eighth month of the school year) are enrolled.

Sampling plans were checked and approved by Dr. Kenneth N. Ross, the International Sampling Referee.

51

Data Collection The main testing took place in the southern hemisphere during Sept.-Dec. 1990 and in the northern hemisphere during Jan.-April 1991. The majority of countries partici­pating in the study are in the northern hemisphere.

International Instruments l. The Reading Test

The Reading Test includes passages and items repre­senting narrative text, expository text and documents. The tasks require an ability to comprehend specific vocabulary and continuous text and to locate and use document information.

2. The Background Questionnaires • Student Questionnaire

The Student Questionnaire will include (among others) questions concerning parents' education and interac­tion with the student and his schooling; the student's reading and leisure time activities; personal descriptive data (sex, age).

• Teacher Questionnaire The Teacher Questionnaire will include (among others) questions concerning training and experience; persona) descriptive data (sex, age); classroom materials and environment; teaching methods.

• School Questionnaire The School Questionnaire will include (among others) questions concerning the principal's training and expe­rience; personal descriptive data (sex, age); school descriptive data (size, library, expenditures).

3. National Case 5tudy Questionnaire The National Case Study Questionnaire will include national information concerning the curriculum, age of school entry, teachers' salaries, hours of instruction, percentage of an age group enrolled in formal school­ing, teacher training emphasis, etc.

Data Analysis A number of constructs have been identified as the basis of the international data analysis (see Figure 11). The major analyses will be performed for Population A.

Publications

A series of four to seven 100-page booklets will be pro­duced with the preliminary (univariate) results of the study. The first two booklets are scheduled to appear in June 1992. At the end of the study, an International Report will be published with univariate and multivariate analyses. There will also be a limited edition Technical Report that will be made available {hrough the IEA Headquarters in The Hague. The proposed publications are:

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IEA Reading Literacy

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR MULTIVARlATE ANALYSES (Population A)

I II III IV BACKGROUND SCHOOL SCHOOl/TEACHER OUTCOMES

VARIABLES INPUTS POLlCIES

Economic Teacher Comprehension 38 Narrative Status 7 Gender I nstruction Comp. Ach.

2 Home Literacy

8 Teacher Skills 39 Expository

Resources Education Instruction Comp. Ach.

3 Home Teacher 27 Literature 40 Documnents

Language 9 Training Emphasis Achievement

4 I Pupil Teacher 28 Assessment 41 Voluntary Gender In-Service Emphasis Rdg . Activity

51 Urban Teacher 29 Homework Rural 11 Experience (Teacherl

Instructional 30 Homework Time (Total) (Student)

13 Instructional 31 Reading in Time (Lang.) Class

14 Instructional 32 Access to Time (Rdg.) Rdg. Materials

15 Teacher 33 Frequency Lib.

Readership Visits (Class)

16 Rdg . Materials 34 Frequency

in Class Borrowing Bks.

17 Rdg . Materials 35 Encouragement

in School to Parents

18 School Pupil- 36 School Rdg . Teacher Ratio Initiatives

19/ Class 37 Principal Size Engagement

20 Pupil Special-Teacher Ratio

21 Public/ Private

22 Principal

Experience

23 Principal Time

in School

24 Unmet Remediai

Demand

FIGURE 11 : Conceptuel framework for multivariate analysis. Reading Literacy.

52

Booklet 1: Achievement in Reading Literacy in 30 Countries

Booklet 2: Booklet 3:

Booklet 4:

Booklet 5:

Reading Activities in 30 Countries The Teaching of Reading Literacy in 30 Countries Effective Schools in Reading: Implications for Educational Planners Gender and Reading Literacy Achievement in 30 Countries

Booklet 6: National Literacy Expectations and Achievement

Booklet 7: The Quaiity of School Life International Report Volume (Pergamon Press, Oxford) Technical Report Volume (available from IEA Headquarters, The Hague)

Timetable

1991 July - Cleaned, coded data files received at ICC from

National Centers August - September - International cleaning of data files October - Steering Committee meeting, 3-4 October, Denmark - NRC meeting 4-10 October, Denmark November - December - Calculation of sampling weights. Preliminary analyses

1992 January

Finalize weighted univariates for all background vari­ables, item analyses and scores. Send on diskettes to NCs.

Create National (ase Study Questionnaire data files Analysis of National Panel Ratings

February - Produce all analyses required for Booklets 1 and 2

March SteeringfTechnical Committee meeting 3rd week

April-May - Multivariate analyses for International Report and for

Booklets 3 and 4

53

June - NRC meeting in Madrid June 8-12 - First 2 booklets published July-August

Continuation of analyses and finalization of NCSQ analyses

- SteeringfTechnical Committee meeting 3rd week of July

September - Technical Committee meeting - Booklets 3 and 4 published October-November - Finalize all chapters for International Report and

Technical Report - NRC meeting in mid-November, Washington, DC December - Reproduce (400 copies) Technical Report. Send to NRCs

and IEA HQ - Send International Report (and other booklets) to

printer - Send cleaned weighted SAS files and documentation

to IEA HQ and finalize of accounts

Funding The International Coordinating Center of the Reading Literacy Study has received funding from The Mellon Foundation, The MacArthur Foundation, NCES/NAS, The European Economic Community, UNESCO, and annual contributions from participating countries. Funding is being sought for 1992, the final year of data analysis and writing of reports.

Information ICC/Reading Literacy University of Hamburg Sedanstrasse 19 D-2000 Hamburg 13 Germany Tel: (49-40) 41233709 Fax: (49-40) 4123 4582

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COMPUTERS IN EDUCATION STUDY (COMPED)

In the history of education the 1980's will stand out as the decade in which in many countries throughout the world computers were introduced on a large scale. This techno­logical innovation is not only unprecedented in its scope, but also in the controversies it raised as to what would be the place of computers in the curriculum, what would be the potential and actual benefits of using computers as a too I in the instructional process and which strategies might be most beneficial in implementing computers in educa­tional practice.

The IEA study 'Computers in Education' is conduct­ed to assess to which extent and how computers are being used in education and what its effects are, what changes are taking place ,over time and how different material (for instance, hardware and of or software availability) as weil as immateriai conditions (such as teacher training facilities, support structure) affect the implementation of the use of computers by educational practitioners.

The study is designed as a two stage survey. During the first stage (running from 1987-1990) data vyere collected at school and teacher level, while the second stage consists of apartiai replication of the data collection for stage 1 (for studying changes over time) as weil as the collection of data on student level for assessing students' functional knowledge and skilIs with respect to new infor­mation technologies and their attitudes towards comput­ers. The following sections contain a description of the design of both stages of the studyas weil as a summary of some of the main fin dings from stage 1, derived from a first report by Pelgrum & Plomp (1991).

Design of the study

The design of the study was based on a conceptual frame­work characterizing the educational system in terms of lev­els of decision-making and identifying the factors con­tributing to effect changes. These factors were taken from literature on educational change (e .g.: Fullan, Miles, &

Anderson, 1988) such as the quaiity, clarity and relevance of the objectives and the characteristics of the innovation (content, materials, instructional strategies); support and leadership; staff development; experiences with innova­tions; and the existence of evaluation and feedback. The framework reflects the hierarchical structure of most edu­cational systems (distinguishing between the macro-, meso- and micro level of an educational system), but acknowledges that decisions which promote or inhibit the implementation of computer-related curricula are made at all leveis, which may cause discrepancies between deci-

sions and expectations that exist at different system leveis. An identification of these discrepancies may in itself be an important starting point for improvement measures in education.

Instrumentation

The instrumentation and respondents for stag e 1 and stage 2 of the study consist of: questionnaires for school principals (of computer using as weil as non using schools), technically informed persons (usually the computer coordi­nator) and teachers of computer education courses. Moreover, in stage 1 also samples of computer using and non using teach ers of mathematics, science and mother tongue were approached . In stage 2 measures at student level will, amongst others, consist of: functional informa­tion technology test, sca les measuring computer related attitudes (Enjoyment, Self Confidence, Relevance, Home Support, Quaiity of Live), computer use in/outside lessons and as an international option a performance test for word processing.

Populations

The populations of interest are located in (1) elementary, (2) lower secondary and (3) upper secondary education. Population l : students in the grade in which the modal age is 10 years in the middle of the school year (if more than one grade has a modal age of 10 years, the grade with the largest num­ber of 10 year olds should be taken). Population 2:

students in the grade in which the modal age is 13 years in the middle of the school year (if more than one grade has a modal age of 13 years, the grade with the largest num­ber of 13 year olds should be taken) Population 3:

students in the final year of secondary education.

Educational systems participating in stage 1 and stage 2

The following systems participated in stage 1 of the study: Austria, Belgium-Flemish, Belgium-French, Canada British Columbia, China, France, Federal Republic of Germany,

~ Greece, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, SWitzerland, United States of America.

54

It is expected that the following systems will partic­

ipate In stage 2 of the study: Austria, Bulg~ia, Canada British Columbia, China, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Israel , Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Sp,ain, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States of America.

Summary of findings from stage 1

Pelgrum & Plomp (1991) provided a first description of data collected from about 60.000 respondents (principals, computer coordinators and teachers) in 19 educational

systems. With respect to hardware and software the results

showed that once computers are available in schools they are used for instructional purposes/ Rapid changes occurred between 1985 and 1989 in the percentage of schools that had access to computers. For lower secondary schools this can be illustrated with Figure 12.

The average number of computers in schools changed more gradually although, in some countries, sud­den jumps could be observed as a result of (governmental) stimulation programs. Table 4 contains estimates of the number of computers in

TABLE 4: Medians of number of computers in 1989 and student: computer ratios (according to computer coordinators)

lower secondary school s in 1989 as weil as the studentcomputer ratios in lower secondary schoois. Although Table 4 shows that In many countries the typical lower secondary school possesses a meaningful number of computers, many educational practitioners still see a lack of software and hardware as one of the most important problems encountered in using computers.

Although many schools in most of the participating educational systems possess computers, in secondary schools onlyasmall percentage of teachers use computers as can be seen in Figure 13 (for lower secondary schools). An exception is the USA where almost half of the teachers in lower secondary schools use computers in their lessons.

It was found that, generally, teachers organize the use of computers in such away that 2-3 students share the available equipment and, if necessary, the class is split up allowing one group to work with computers, while the other students perform other activities. Drill and practice is very frequently mentioned as an approach for which com­puters are used. Many teachers experience a lack of soft­ware and time constraints as the most serious problems in using computers in schoois.

With respect to staff development, it was shown that activities mainly consist of introductory and applica­tion courses. In upper secondary schools in many systems, courses in computer science/programming and in comput­er use in specific subjects are also available. Authorities are quite supportive of staff development. Computer related

Country/Educational System

Use of computers BFL BFR CBe FRA FRG GRE JPN LUX NET NWZ POR SWI USA

# computer 1989 Studentcomputer ration 1989

12 27

12 43 15 34 12 31

Lower secondary schools

11 8 46 52

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0.6

0.4

0.2

7 15 143 48

60 ".... . ..

50 , ............

" ..... .... ..

, .............

20 I ·

10 I

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18 17 26 34

I · ···

I

I ·

III I

5 9 287 21

iii.

18 17

I ~It I

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BFR eec FRA FRG GAE JPN LUX NET NWl POR SWI USA !fl FAG IHO ~ HET HWZ pa. POR StVI USA _ la65 ~ 11186 D 1~7 § 1888 mil 11188

FIGURE 12: Proportion of lower secondary schools having computers over the years.

FIGURE 13: Percentage of teachers using computers.

55

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training mainly deals with applications, problem analysis and programming. It is noteworthy that pedagogic­al/instructional aspects are the least mentioned topics dealt with during staff development courses, although using teachers mention these topics more of ten than non-users. Educational practitioners have very positive attitudes about the educational impact of eomputers in education. The data also showed that there is a large need for training.

With respect to gender equity, the results showed that, in most countries, computer use in schools is male dominated (especially in Japan and the Netherlands). Exceptions are Israel and Portugal in elementary scha0Is. When principals were asked whether the school has a spe­cial policy eoncerning gender issues, only in French-speak­ing countries (Belgium-French, France and Luxembourg) and in Greece (upper seeondary schools in a national pro­ject) do a maJ~rity indicate having such a policy. The gen­der policies of schools mainly eonsist of training for female teachers in eomputer education and selecting females to supervise computer activities. Stimulating female role mod­els is thus the most important policy on school leve!. In the French-speaking eountries (with a majority of schools hav­ing a policy), the main gender policy applied is training of female teachers and selection of female supervisors. When looking at gen der differences in knowledge and skills of eomputer using teach ers, in almost all cases at all three educational leveis, males have higher self-rating scores than females on the knowledge, programming and capa­bil ity sca le.

Time schedule for stage 2 - 1990 Preparations - 1990-1991

- 1991-1992

- 1992-1993

- 1993-1994

Instrument eonstruction Datacollection Dataprocessing Report preparation

56

Information

International Coordinating Centre

University of Twente Department of Education Centre for Applied Educational Research p O. Box 217

7500 AE Ensehede The Netherlands Telephone: +31 53893593

Telefax : +31 53356531 Earn.BitnetTOPELGRM@UTWENTE.NL

International coordinator

Dr. Hans Pelgrum, University Twente (see address above)

Steering Committee

Dr. Tjeerd Plomp (Chair), University Twente, Department of Education, The Netherlands Mr. Ryo Watanabe, National Institute for Educaional

Research, Tokyo, Japan Dr. Richard M. Wolf, Teacher College, Columbia University, New York, USA Dr. Ron A. Anderson, University of Minnesota, USA

Publications

Pelgrum, w.J & Plomp, TJ (1991) The use of computers in education worldwide: results from the IEA 'Camputers in Education' survey in 19 educational sys­tems. Oxford: Pergamon Press.

Staf( at /Cc and Dutch National Center for Comped ·

THE IEA PREPRIMARY PROJECT

Throughout the world, demographic, socia l, and economic changes are prompting an increasing need for early chiId­hood services. At the same time, a growing body of research studies is demonstrating the long-term benefits of high-qua lit y early childhood programs and thus increasing the awareness of the importance of the early years in a child's life. These developments have increased the need for comprehensive information upon which to base policy decisions and program development. In addition, in recent years, nations throughout the world have acknowledged the need for and benefits of collecting and sharing infor­mation about their early childhood services. Such informa­tion sharing would enable a particular nation to study its ear ly childhood services in light of the systems developed by other nations, bring ing a broader perspective to the general examination of services, as weil as to program planning and policy development. However, the supply of this type of information is extremely limited, further increasing the need for extensive data . In response to this for more comprehensive data, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) developed the Preprimary Project.

History

In the late 19705, a small group of IEA researchers con­ceived the Preprimary Project as a response to the dearth of information regarding the care and education experi­ences of children prior to their entry into formal schooling. When the researchers outlined their ideas for IEA member countries in 1980, the proJect generated enough interest to merit the formation of a planning group. In 1982, the IEA General Assembly approved the planning group's draft proposal for the Preprimay Project.

Subsequently, the General Assembly appointed a steering committee for the project consisting of the fol­lowing members: Lilian Katz (United States, (hair), Marcel Crahay (Belgium). Wolfgang Tietze (Federal Republic of Germany) and Richard Wolf (United States). In addition, David Weikart, of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation (United Sates), was invited to serve as the International Coordinator for the Project, and the High/Scope Foundation was selected as the International Coordinating Center (ICC)

In 1984, the Steering Committee and ICC staff completed the final proposal for the three-phase Preprimary Project. Between 1985 and 1988, participating countries we re involved in project-related activities includ­ing location of funding, establishment of research centers,

57

development of Phase 1 sampling plans, data collection instruments, and data analysis plans, and preliminary dis­cussions of Phase 2 plans. Furthermore, each country was engaged in the preparation of a national profile of early childhood care and education that would provide a con­text within which to view each country's data.

Objectives

Beloware same of the key questions inspired by current trends in early childhood care and education that have dic­tated the objectives and design of the Preprimary Project. The approach of the project is also governed by method­ological considerations about the study of young children and the multidisciplinary perspectives that guide public policy in the area of early childhood services. An addition­al consideration is the relative lack of knowledge about preprimary services as compared with the amount of infor­mation available about other sectors of educational sys­tems (e.g., public elementaryand secondary schools).

Phase l • What is the need for and utilization of early childhood

care and education settings by families in different countries around the world?

• What are the factors (e.g., socioeconomic, cuituraI) that influence parents' choices of early childhood care arrangements for their four-year-old children?

• What are the characteristics of the early childhood care and education settings parents choose for their 4-year­old children;

Phase 2 • What is the "quaiity of life" for four-year-old children

in different settings such as preschools, child care cen­ters, family day care homes?

• How do the educational values and expectations of adults (parents, teachers, caregivers) for four-year-old children effect their organization of the environment and activities for these children as weil as their interac­tions with these children 7

• How does the "quaiity of life" for four-year-old chil­dren in early chi Id hood settings in a given nation com­pare with that of four-year-old children in early chiId­hood settings in other nations?

• What is the relationship between specific structural fea­tures and/or interactional processes of settings and chil­dren's developmental status?

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Phase 3 • What is the relationship between four-year-old chil­

dren's experiences in settings and their developmental status?

• What role might early childhood care and education play in preparing children for formal schooling?

Each national study will provide timely information to gUide public policy formation, tailored to address the most salient issues and gaps in knowledge in each participating country. In addition, the cross-national analyses will pro­vide a valuable comparative baseline. By examining a greater range of variation in early childhood experiences than occurs within any one country, it will be possible to test the cross-cultural generalizability of country-specific explanations of ,child development and early school achievement. The study is designed to extend our scientif­ic knowledge about early socialization, and provide data to evaluate models of early childhood policy intended to pro­moted the well-being of children.

Organization and Management

Fifteen countries are currently participating in one or more phases of the Preprimary Project, including Belgium (~rench), G_ermany (Federal Republic). Finland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Korea (Republic of), Nigeria, China (PRC), Poland, Spain, Thailand, and the United States. Each of these countries has established a National Research Center (NRC) and appointed a Research Director to supervise the project, as weil as additional staff to coor­dinate data collection and analysis activities. In its capacity as ICC, the HighlScope Foundation appointed a research team to provide technical assistance to participating coun­tries as necessary. Dr. Leslie Kish, an expert in the field of international sampling, is working cooperatively with the participating countries and the ICC staff to provide techni­cal assistance with sampling issues. Lastly, the ICC will coordinate and carry out the cross-national data analysis.

Research Design

The three interrelated phases of the Preprimary Project are designed:

1) to identify and describe the types of early childhood care and education settings used by families with four­year-old children,

2) to describe the processes which occur within the con­text of various types of early childhood settings, and

3) to look at the differential effects of these settings on children's later development.

Phase l. Phase 1 consisted of a household survey of families with four-year-old children. Researchers in each of the eleven participating countries (Belgium [Frenchl. Germany [Federal Republic]. Finland, Hong Kong, Italy, Nigeria, China [PRe], Portugal, Spain, Thailand, and the United States) interviewed a representative sample of families using the core instrument, the ParentJGuardian Interview, which asked about the types of formal and informal care arrangements used by the families. Other information col­lected with the interview included number of settings used, reason for using care, amount of time child spent in care, level of satisfaction with care arrangements, family background (e.g., parental occupation, family composi­tion) and a detailed description of a typical day in the chi/d's life In addition, a second questionnaire was used to gather data about country-Ievel variables such as female employment rates, characteristics of the population, and support and commitment to early childhood services. The design of Phase 1 allows researchers to establish a typolo­gy of settings and also permits the examination of patterns of use of different settings as they relate to a number of variables such as socioeconomic status and family and community characteristics. As of number 1989, all partici­pating countries had completed their data collection for Phase 1. The cross-national data analysis and report writ­ing is currently under way.

Phase 2. Phase 2 of the Preprimary Project, the "Qua lit y of Life" (QOL) study, is an observation study that will examine, both nationallyand cross-nationally, the characteristics of settings experienced by four-year-olds and the relationship between children's experiences in these settings and devel­opmental status. All countries participating in Phase 2 will study the major settings identified in their national Phase 1 Preprimary Project. Further, whenever possible, countries will include the child's own home as a setting in their national Phase 2 QOL study.

Four key types of setting processes will be addressed through on-site observations during Phase 2; children's activities and adult behaviours (including adult­child and child-child interaction), afffective climate, and the adult's organization of the children's time ("Management of Time"). In addition, the children being observed in each setting will be assessed with respect to several developmental criteria (e.g., Language develop­ment, fine motor coordination). Along with the observa­tion and assessment data, interviews and questionnaires will be used to collect several other types of information in

,the QOL study including: 1) structural characteristics of set­tings, such as adult: child ration, group size, management features, staff qualifications, and materials and equipment;

58

2) family background data, such as socioeconomic infor­mation and household composition; 3) site information (i.e., national-Ievel data), such as per capita income, degree of urbanization, and infant mortality rates; and 4) Adult perception (i.e., educational values and expectations for four-year-old children). With the data obtained through observations, assessments, interviews and ques­tionnaires, researchers will be able to evaluate the effects of the different types of care settings on child develop­ment by exploring the relaionships among the structural features of settings, the socialization processes occurring in settings, various features of the child's social and cuItur­ai background, and the child's developmental status.

Thirteen countries are currently participating in the Phase 2 QOL study: Belgium (French), Finland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Korea (Republic of), Nigeria, China (PRe), Poland, Spain, Thailand" and the United States. Phase 2 data collection is scheduled for fall 1991 to summer 1992, including on-site observations, inter­views with parents/ guardians and care providers, and assessment of children's developmental status.

Phase 3. The third and final phase of the project is afollow-up study of the children observed at age four. The four-year­old children selected for observation and assessment in Phase 2 will be reassessed at age seven, the age when chil­dren from all participating countries will have completed at least one year of primary school. Interviews of parents/ guardians when the children are five and six years old will serve both to maintain contact with the sample families in the project and to learn about any critical experiences the children may have between the Phase 2 and Phase 3 assessments. The evaluation at age 7 will draw on many sources to gather information about the children, includ­ing medical records, school records, interviews with teach­ers and parents/guardians, and assessment tests. Through the use of a wide variety of data sources, it will be possible to determine the effects of children's experiences in vari­ous settings during the preschool years.

Due to the variation among educational systems in the age of school entrance, children in the Follow-up Study will have completed from one to three years of school. Consequently, it may be inappropriate to compare children from different countries based on the same mea­sures of academic performance. The ICC will assist researchers in each country with solutions to this problem, such as the development of nationally appropriate mea­sures of the major constructs that will maximize cross­national comparability while still recognizing national dif­ferences.

59

Timetable 1986

First International Study Committee meeting held in Frascati, Italy: Preliminary discussions concerning instrumentation for Phase 1 undertaken.

1987 - Second International Study Committee meeting held in

Ypsilanti, Michigan: Age-range of children and Phase 1 instrumentation finalized.

- Development of sampling questionnaire. - Pilot testing of Phase 1 instrument. 1988 - Phase 1 sampling plans developed by countries and

approved by sampling referee. - Phase 1 data collection begun. - Third International Study Committee meeting hel d in

Ypsilanti, Michigan: Phase 1 data analysis discussed, preliminary planning for Phase 2 undertaken.

1989 Phase 1 data collection completed. Preliminary Phase 2 instruments submitted to Ice by Phase 2 NRC planning subgroups. Phase 1 data analysis plan developed. Phase 1 data with documentation sent to ICe.

- Publication of National Profil e book. Fourth International Study Committee meeting held in Ypsilanti, Michigan: Discussion of Phase 1 data analysis, and discussion of conceptual framework, sampling issues and instrumen­tation for Phase 2.

1990 Phase 1 data analysis begun.

- Phase 2 instruments pilot-tested. - Fifth International Study Committee meeting held in

Liege, Belgium: - Discussion of Phase 1 data analysis and report, discus-

sion of results of pilot-testing of Phase 2 instruments. 1991 - Ph ase 1 data analysis to be completed. - Phase 1 report writing. - Phase 2 instrument package to be pilot-tested

Ph ase 2 sampling plans to be developed and approved. Sixth International Study Committee meeting to be held in Ypsilanti, Michigan Phase 2 instruments, sampling plans and procedures will be finalized; preliminary discussions of instrumenta­tion for Phase 3 Follow-up Study.

- Training of Phase 2 d,!ta collectors. - Begin Phase 2 data collection.

in > " c o IT'I co o o '"

1992-1996 - Finish Phase 2 data collection. - Develop Phase 2 data analysis plan. - Develop and finalize Phase 3 instrumentation. - Phase 2 data analysis. - Phase 3 data collection and analysis. - Report writing and disseminatlon of findings.

Publications The first major Phase 1 publication is a book of national profiles, prepared by researchers in each participating country. These profiles provide a general picture of the early childhood sfrvices available within each country, the history and char~cteristics of these services, and the role of government in supporting these services. In addition, each country's official policies regarding the care and education of young children are induded.

Olmsted, P.P., & Weikart, D.P. (Eds.) (1989). How nations serve young children; Profiles of child care and education in fourteen countries. Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Press.

A minimum of two cross-national reports will be prepared for each phase of the Preprimary Project: a technical report

and a report of the findings. Further, each participating country will produce a major national report for each phase of the project.

Two additional publicatians have been completed: Olmsted, P.P ., & Hoas, H. (1989). Preschool teach er train­

ing in Finland, Hang Kong, Italy, and Thailand: Accounts from the IEA Preprimary ProJect. Childhood Education, 65, 283-287.

Bridgman, A (1989). The IEA Preprimary Project: How a dream became areality Childhood Education, 65, 157-159.

60

Funding

Each participating country is responsible for locating the funds and other resources necessary to conduct the Preprimary Project. Support for the ICC has been provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Carnegie Corporation, and the National Academy of Sciences.

Information

International Coordinating Center

High/Scope Educational Research Foundation 600 North River Street Ypsilanti, Michigan 48198-2898 USA Telephone. + 1 313 485 Z 000

International Coordinator

Dr. David P Weikart, High/Scope Foundation, USA

International Oeputy Coordinator

Or. Patricia P. Olmsted, High/Scope Foundation, USA

International data Analyst

Dr. Zhenkui Ma, High/Scope Foundation, USA

Sampling Referee

Dr. Leslie Kish, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, USA

Steering Committee

Dr. Marcel Crahay (Chair), University of Liege, Belgium Dr. Sylvia Oppe r, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Dr. Lilian Katz, University of Illinois, USA

Chair of International 5tudy Committee

Dr. David P Weikart

THE THIRD INTERNATIONAL MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE STUDY (TIMSS)

Introduction

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) will be the major international assessment activity during the 1990s. It will not only measure students achievement in mathematics and science internationally, but will also investigate differences in curriculum and instruction, and include alternative assessment options.

International comparisons are of great interest today, and it is imperative that such comparisons be done in a valid and reliable way. TIMSS is designed to achieve that goal.

The design of TIMSS includes a b&sic set of investi­gations, and participating countries will be free to select one or more studies, and a number of international options. TIMSS will focus on the teaching and learning of mathematics and science at three levels of the school sys­tem: the grade or level at which most students attain the age of nine, the grade or level at which most students attain the age of thirteen, and the population of students completing the last year of secondary education. One of the studies for the latter population will concentrate on an investigation of the scientific and mathematical attain­ments of students completing secondary school with som e degree of specialzation in either mathematics or science. An international option for participating countries will be concerned with an in-depth investigation of students prob­lem solving strategies.

A second option will examine the linkage between teaching practices and changes in students achievement and attitudes. These studies will be focussed on Populations 1 and 2. The major source of data on students achievement in mathematics and science in TIMSS will be collections of multiple-choice items selected on the basis of their relationship to the international curriculum grids developed for the study. The item pool is being construct­ed so as to include items designed to measure cognitive behaviors at all leveis, and will also include some open ended items as weil as performance tasks.

Questionnaires designed to elicitinformation about students and teach ers backgrounds will be included for descriptive comparisons and to act ' as controls for mul­tivariate analyses. School and classroom variables, includ­ing school climate, opportunity to learn, and time on task, will be invetigated in a variety of relational analyses to be conducted.

61

The International Coordinating Centre

The International Coordinating Centre (ICC) for TIMSS is located in the Department of Mathematics and Science Education (MSED), at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada . Dr. David Robitaille, the Chair of MSED, is the International Coordinator for the study. Over the past fifteen years in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia, personnel from the Department of Mathematics and Science Education (MSED), the Educational Measurement Research Group (EMRG), and the recentlyestablished Centre for Applied Studies in Evaluation (CASE) have extensive experience in conducting assessment and evaluation projects within Canada as weil as internationally. Dr. Michael Marshall of CASE/EMRG is the Executive Director of the ICe.

Throughout the study, the ICC will draw upon the expertise accumulated across the IEA community during the almost thirty years of that organizations existence. The roi e of the ICC is to coordinate the development of time­lines, instruments, sampling procedures, data entry proce­dures, analysis methods, translation verification systems, and reports from the data supplied by the participating countries. To insure the integrity of the study, national centres will use standardized procedures and systems. More than thirty countries, from all regions of the world and at all levels of economic development, will participate in TIMSS. Participation from developing nations is encour­ag ed by several agencies, IEA Headquaters, and the ICe. Efforts are being made to provide appropriate opportuni­ties for meaningful involvement by these countries*. Australia France Netherlands Austria Germany New Zealand Belgium (FL) Greece Poland Belgium (FR) Hong Kong Portugal Bulgaria Hungary Romania Canada leeiand Spain Cyprus Czechoslovakia Denmark England

* as of June '91

Indonesia Israel Korea Luxembourg

Singapore Slovenia Switzerland USA

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Importance of TIMSS

Previous IEA studies in the areas of mathematics and sci­

ence have produced valuable insights into a number of

aspects of the teaching and learning process. In addition,

they have provided a number of important lessons with

respect to the design and conduct of large scale interna­

tional research projects in education. TIMSS will build on

this foundation, and provide further information about

several important matters such as: 1. The need to provide current national and international

information which countries can use to compare and contrast their curricula, teaching practices, and student

outcomes with those from other countries of interest.

2. An assessment of the potential impact that alternative

curricular offferings, teaching strategies, and adminis­

trative arrangement's have on learning.

3. An identification of what is possible in the teaching of

mathematics and science. For example, results from the

Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS) showed

extremely high growth rates in two countries, and that

finding indicates that more significant growth rates might be possible in other countries. Identification of

the underlying causes of those high growth rates would have profound educational implications.

4. Agreater understanding of how and why student atti­

tudes change, and what relationship the development

of positive attitudes bears to c1assroom practices. Such

an understanding is crucial to the development of a more complete picture of how science and mathemat­

ics learning takes place.

Educational inputs, processes, and outputs constitute three basic components of the educational system, and each of these is related to the others in a complex, inte­

grated whole . An important objective of international

studies in education is to examine the comparative influ­

ence of a variety of constituent variables within each com­

ponent on the success of a given educational system as

indicated by measures of students acheivement, participa­

tion, and attitudes and aspirations. The dates for major

activities in TIMSS are shown in the timeline below.

62

Timetable

June 1991

Achievement measurement conference complete devel­

opment of proposed curricula r grid complete initial

tables of specifications for ach ievement items.

August 1991

Meeting of TIMSS InternationalSteering Committee

Meeting of NationalProject Coordinators IEA General

Assembly.

October 1991

Complete development of Questionnaires on Classroom Process, Attitudes, background, school ,

opportunity-to-Iearn questionnaires.

December 1991

Final ize list of participating countri es

March 1992

Pilot schools identif ied National Centres print pilot

materials

May 1992

Pilot testing in northern hemisphere

July 1992

Curriculum analysis report prepared for publication August 1992

Pilot testing in southern hemisphere

December 1992

Prepare report or pilot test results

Apri/1993

National sampling plans approved by ICC September 1993

Main data collection for northern hemisphere pretest

phase of longitudinal study.

May 1994

Main data collection for southern hemishpere pretest

phase of longitudinal study Posttest data collection in northern hemishpere

August 1994

Posttest data collection in southeren hemisphere

February 1995

IC C distributes preliminary northern national reports

(northern hemisphere)

July 1995

ICC distributes preliminary south er n national reports