The influence of school- and teaching quality on reading achievement of socially disadvantaged pupils

Author(s):

Michael Pfeifer(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2011

Network:

11. Educational Effectiveness and Quality Assurance

Format:

Paper

Session Information

11 SES 08 A, Inclusive Education and Training on Diversity

Paper Session

Time:

2011-09-15

08:30-10:00

Room:

JK 26/101,G, 36

Chair:

Rita Birzina

Contribution

Objectives / purposes of the research

This contribution presents the outcomes of multilevel analysis in the context of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2001. The main research purpose was, to indentify certain concepts and methods of teaching that contribute to the reading competence of pupils with a low socio-economic status (SES) background and with migrational background.

Theoretical framework

The dynamic model of educational effectiveness (Creemers & Kyriakides, 2008) has been used as a starting point and as a theoretical framework for the analyses. The model is based on three dimensions of school quality: Inputs (system preconditions, system and regional steering), processes (education on school and classroom level) and outputs (quality of student achievements, attitudes and behaviours) (cp. also Ditton, 2007; Scheerens & Bosker, 1997). Also the SES of the pupils as an individual precondition is included in the model of Creemers and Kyriakides (ibid.).

Method

Methodology/ Research Design As a main research technique multilevel analyses with the software HLM (Raudenbush & Bryk, 2006) had been conducted. This technique makes it possible to have a separated view on the effects of the individual level (e.g. pupils SES) and of the classroom level (e.g. special concepts of teaching) on the pupils’ reading competence. Furthermore cluster analyses and Latent Class Analyses (LCA) had been conducted to identify certain types and patterns of teaching. The sample size of the primary pupils (individual level) was N = 5935, the sample size of the teachers (classroom level) was N = 308 and the sample size of the principals (school level) was N = 166.

Expected Outcomes

Results As a result of the analyses certain concepts and elements of teaching could be identified that contribute to a better reading competence of pupils with a low SES background. The results indicate that an elaborated teaching culture can contribute to a better acquirement of reading competence of pupils from a low socio-economic status (SES) background. This work indicates that it is important to consider the composition of pupils in the classroom when conducting related studies and analyzes. This work can be seen as a basis for further (longitudinal) research in this field.

References

References Creemers, B. P. M., & Kyriakides, L. (2008). The dynamics of educational effectiveness : a contribution to policy, practice and theory in contemporary schools. London u.a.: Routledge. Ditton, H. (2007). Schulqualität – Modelle zwischen Konstruktion, empirischen Befunden und Implementierung. In J. van Buer & C. Wagner (Eds.), Qualität von Schule : ein kritisches Handbuch (pp. 83-92). Frankfurt a.M.: Lang. Raudenbush, S. W., & Bryk, A. S. (2006). Hierarchical linear models : applications and data analysis methods (2. ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA u.a.: Sage Publications. Scheerens, J., & Bosker, R. J. (1997). The foundations of educational effectiveness. Oxford: Pergamon.

Author Information

Michael Pfeifer (presenting / submitting)

Institute for School Development Research (IFS), University of Technology Dortmund

Dortmund

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