Explaining variation in CCE outcomes (Chapters 7 & 8)

1. Explaining variation in CCE outcomes(Chapters 7 & 8) National Research Coordinators Meeting Madrid, February 2010

2. Content of presentation • Student background measures • Statistics included in tables • Data presentation • Chapter 7 and 8 outline

3. Background variables and measures

4. Variables • Cultural/ethnic family background • Immigrant background • Language use at home • Social background • Parental socioeconomic status (occupations) • Parental educational attainment • Home literacy resources (books) • Parental interest in political & social issues

5. Measures

6. Statistics

7. Statistical representations • Group means of scale scores • Country and international averages for groups • Percentages of students in each group • Country and international averages for groups • Regression coefficients • Unstandardised prediction of outcome • Represent strength of relationship • Percentage variance explained

8. Immigrant Status

9. Socioeconomic status (SEI)

10. Parent Education

11. Home literacy (NBOOKS)

12. Parental Interest

13. REGRESSION CK

14. REGRESSION CK % VARIANCE

15. REGRESSIONINTEREST IN POLITICS

16. REGRESSION INTPOL% Variance

17. REGRESSION Expected Electoral Participation

18. REGRESSION ELECTORAL PARTICIPATION

19. Chapter 7 outline

20. Chapter 7 Outline • Research question 6 influence of background on outcomes • civic knowledge • expected electoral participation • student interest in political and social issues • Cultural/ethnic family background • Immigrant background • native students, students with parents born abroad and students born abroad) and effects • Language use at home

21. Chapter 7 Outline (Cont) • Socio-economic family background • Parental occupation • Parental education and effects • Home literacy • Parental interest • Combined influences • Regression models

22. Chapter 8: Model • Hierarchical Linear Models • Students nested within classroom (in most countries equivalent to schools) • So far unweighted analysis and listwise exclusion of missing values • Criterion variables: • Civic knowledge • Expected electoral participation

23. Chapter 8: Explanatory variables • Student characteristics • Gender (female=1, male=0) • Test language at home (yes=1, no=0) • Expected educational level (in approximate years of further education) • Students’ interest in political and social issues

24. Chapter 8: Explanatory variables (cont.) • Home background variables • Index of socio-cultural background” derived from highest parental occupation, education and home literacy • Factor scores from principal component analysis • Mean of 0 and SD of 1 for equally weighted countries • Highest parental interest

25. Chapter 8: Explanatory variables (cont.) • Indicators of students’ activities • Reading for enjoyment (5-point scale) • Watching TV news (4-point scale) • Time spent with friends (5-point scale)

26. Chapter 8: Explanatory variables (cont.) • School-related variables at the individual level • Student participation at school (scale) • Perception of openness in classroom discussions

27. Chapter 8: Explanatory variables (cont.) • Classroom level variables • Average scores of the students’ index of socio-cultural background • Average of scale scores on perception of openness in classroom discussions

28. Modelling results in general • Need for summarising results across country (not yet in draft tables) • In many cases results similar to finding from CIVED • Effects of variables AFTER controlling for all other variables • Sometimes results may be different for factors presented in earlier tables

29. Example of table with results

30. Modelling results: Civic knowledge • Female gender generally positive effect • Test language only in countries with higher percentages of students speaking another language • Expected education consistent positive predictor • Student interest only in few countries positive (weak) predictor

31. Modelling results: Civic knowledge (cont.) • Both reading for enjoyment and watching TV news tend to be positive predictors of civic knowledge • Spending time with friends negative predictor of civic knowledge • Both school-based civic participation and individual perceptions of openness in classroom discussion positive predictors

32. Modelling results: Civic knowledge (cont.) • Context level variables: • Average socio-cultural background index scores positive predictor in most countries • Average scores of perceptions of openness in classroom discussions also tends to be positive predictor • Model explanation • 62 percent at classroom level • 23 percent at student level

33. Modelling results: Expected electoral participation • Gender and test language not consistent predictors • Expected education only weak to moderate effects • Higher levels of civic knowledge have consistently positive effects • Hardly any influence of index of socio-cultural background • Parental interest important predictor

34. Modelling results: Expected electoral participation (cont.) • Watching TV news positive predictor • Both civic participation at school and perceptions of openness in classroom discussions tend to have positive effects • Few countries with significant effects for the average socio-cultural background and average perceptions of openness in classroom discussions

35. Modelling results: Expected electoral participation (cont.) • Model explanation • 64 percent of the class-level • 23 percent of the student level variance

36. NRC feedback on: • Appropriateness of • Presented statistics • Included items and scales • Tables and figures • Coverage of report • Aspects that are missing • Content that may be omitted from report

38. Questions or comments?