Phillip VAUGHAN, Texas State University, United States
Michael SOLEM, Texas State University, United States
With support from the U.S. National Science Foundation, the research team recently completed a descriptive analysis of national gaps and trends in geography achievement in eighth grade from 1994 - 2018 (Solem, Vaughan, Savage, and De Nadai 2021). Statistical models comprising student- and school-level variables were developed to predict achievement using data provided by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Although there were statistically significant relationships between achievement and school-level attributes such as geographic region and school sector, the magnitudes of the coefficients were relatively minor and inconsistent over time compared with student-level characteristics such as gender, race, ethnicity, and parental education.
The two-level predictive model of geography achievement is serving as the foundation for research that further leverages NAEP data to analyze relationships between geography achievement and different categories of opportunity-to-learn (OTL) variables. OTL variables, conceptually, include content exposure, curriculum organization, instructional modalities and processes, and teacher characteristics, as well as equal access to those opportunities for all students. Recognizing that NAEP data are hierarchically structured, with students nested in classrooms and classrooms nested in schools, the project researchers will approach the quantitative analysis in phases using hierarchical linear modeling with plausible values as dependent variables. The researchers will follow a consistent algorithm to identify potential shifts in the strength, direction, and statistical significance of relationships between geography achievement and opportunity to learn (OTL) factors over time.
Keywords: Geographic knowledge|Geographic skills|Assessment|Secondary education
A102975MS