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Motivation and self-concept count among the educationally most relevant factors and the evaluation of many educational interventions requires their valid measurement. The present study examined the psychometric properties of a shortened version of the Students' Approaches to Learning questionnaire measuring 10 distinct motivational and self-concept constructs. This large-scale study drew a nationally representative sample (N = 6209; 49% female) from a population of 11-12-year-old Czech students. The assessment of construct validity indicated (1) the structural relations between the constructs; (2) the predictive relations to scores in standardized achievement tests or teacher-assigned grades; and (3) the distinct differences in constructs' latent means between genders and students of the academic and mainstream track were mostly consistent with theory-derived predictions. The nomological network of the measure maps relatively well onto the observed relations. Although not intended for individual assessment, the measure allows for psychometrically sound group inferences in relatively diverse student populations.

In many countries, out-of-school tutoring in academic subjects has become a widespread phenomenon that affects high proportions of students. Scholarly literature has considered various determinants of participation in such tutoring, but school quality has as yet been rather neglected. The aim of the study is to explore the relationship between the quality of school instruction and perceived learning environments on the one hand, and participation in additional instruction in science on the other. Using the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 dataset, we analysed data on five post-socialist countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia). By employing two-level logistic regression models, we estimated the probabilities of taking additional instruction in science in and outside of the school building. Different aspects of learning environments as perceived by students have a somewhat indirect influence, which is mediated through the students' individual performance in science. Except in Bulgaria, school overall achievement is not related to taking additional tutoring.

Educational effectiveness research has provided evidence about the importance of teacher beliefs and attitudes for teaching and learning. This study builds on the concept of academic optimism, which combines 3 aspects of a teacher's professional creed: self-efficacy, trust, and academic emphasis. The study explores the functioning of the collective and individual measures of academic optimism in the Czech environment and studies its impact on students' outcomes. The analyses are based on pilot data from 39 schools, 325 teachers, and 1,316 Grade 9 students and on the data from the Czech Longitudinal Study in Education (CLoSE), covering 163 schools, 1,469 teachers, and 4,798 students. The individual measure was selected for further studies based on 2-level confirmatory factor analysis. Two-level structural equation modelling showed a significant impact of a school's academic optimism on students' achievement even after controlling for prior achievement and socioeconomic status at both the student and the school level.

The Czech education system is characterised by early tracking and high educational inequalities. The most controversial element of the system is the academic track, which is attended by students after the completion of primary school. The paper focuses on fifth graders' application process and their success in entrance examinations. The process is examined by binary logistic regression and descriptive analyses of the data collected in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study conducted in 2011 in grade 4, and in a survey of students attending grade 5 implemented on the same sample within the Czech Longitudinal Study in Education. The analyses show that students' family background has a significant effect on both application and success during admission procedures. The paper discusses the role of the family in the application process and in preparation for the entrance examinations, and compares the situation in the Czech Republic with that in other countries.

Introduction: A smooth transition to primary school is positively related to children's later school experience. Certain parental school-readiness beliefs and parenting styles, among other factors, contribute to the smoothness of this transition. Methods: Therefore, this study adopted a latent profile analysis to examine the patterns of Chinese parents' school-readiness beliefs and their parenting styles and investigated socioeconomic status (SES) differentials in both. Twostage probability sampling method is adopted in this study and a total of 1,204 Chinese parents of 5-to 6 years-old children were investigated with schoolreadiness beliefs scale, Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire, as well as scale of attitudes regarding roles in school readiness All data analyses were processed in Mplus 8.6. Results and discussion: Three profiles were identified: (1) supportive parenting with a very strong emphasis on school readiness; (2) partially supportive parenting with a reflection of school readiness; (3) weakly supportive parenting with no emphasis on school readiness. Higher SES was found to be more likely to be associated with membership in Profile 1 rather than Profile 2. The present study shows quantitative support for Anette Lareau's work and has implications for the development of more targeted parental intervention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]