1. Trends in International Mathematics Study Results for Lebanon
- Author
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Rana Rizkallah Sabbagh
- Abstract
Lebanon has been participating in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study assessment (TIMSS) since 2003, however, data indicate a continuous decline in performance of Grade 8 students. The purpose of this study is to examine the factors critical to the achievement of Lebanese Grade 8 students and investigate the reasons for their low performance in the TIMSS mathematics examination. The study is guided by three guiding questions which seek to determine the student-related, teacher-related and school-related factors which influenced the performance of Lebanese students in the TIMSS 2019. Chapter 1 presents an introduction to the topic, providing an overview of the TIMSS assessment, stating the rational and purpose of the study, the guiding questions and the limitations of the study. Chapter 2 presents a brief history of Lebanon, its education system, as well as studies on factors influencing mathematics achievements relating to home, school and classroom context, and students' attitudes to learning. Chapter 3 outlines the methodology of this study. The TIMSS 2019 mathematics test results along with the context questionnaires answered by the students, teachers, and principals were analyzed. A total of 23 student variables, 22 teacher variables and 8 school variables were identified as predictor variables. Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) was used for data analysis, whereby two two-level hierarchical models were applied, a student-teacher model and a student-school model, and a total of eight HLM analyses were performed for each model. Chapter Four presents the results from this study. The factors which were found to be statistically significant for the performance of students were gender, mother's educational level, amount of homework perceived by the student, outside tutoring, student perception of instructional practices, self-confidence in mathematics, perceiving mathematics learning as difficult, the amount of homework given by the teacher and teacher's years of experience, as well as shortage of school resources. Chapter 5 presents the conclusions and recommendations for improvements of students' performance in mathematics based on the study results, as well as recommendations for future research. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
- Published
- 2023