Cross-national comparisons of educational achievement rely upon each participating country collecting nationally representative data. While obtaining high response rates is a key part of reaching this goal, other potentially important factors may also be at play. This paper focuses on one such issue--exclusion rates--which has received relatively…

Creativity is a multifaceted construct, yet traditionally measured as divergent thinking (DT) with originality as its main focus. As originality tends to be discouraged in East Asian cultures, this measurement discrepancy is especially problematic in cross-cultural studies. Given cultural variations in the centrality of context, in the current…

This study examined the similarities/differences between the social phenotypes of Williams syndrome (WS) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As cultural norms may affect symptom evaluation, this study administered the Social Responsiveness Scale-2 to Japanese individuals with WS (n = 78, 4.4-44.0 years) and ASD (n = 75, 4.7-55.4 years). The scores…

The present research aims to examine whether the questions in the Program for the International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009 reading literacy instrument display differential item functioning (DIF) among the Turkish, French, and American samples based on univariate and multivariate matching techniques before and after the total score, which is…

The measures of mathematical knowledge for teaching developed at the University of Michigan in the U.S., have been adapted and used in studies measuring teacher knowledge in several countries around the world. In the adaptation, many of these studies relied on comparisons of item parameters and none of them considered a comparison of raw data. In…

In the dynamic academic landscape of the 21st century, the imperative to equip engineering students with robust critical reading skills, in tandem with their technical expertise, has come to the forefront. Recognizing the intrinsic value of critical thinking and reading in cultivating an ethos of lifelong learning among future engineers, this…

International large-scale assessments, such as Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), are a crucial source of information for education researchers and policymakers. The assessment also includes a student questionnaire, however, the data can be biased by the differences in reporting behavior between students. In this paper, we…

Background: As delays or disorders in early language and communication are the most prevalent symptom in children with disabilities, early screening is crucial to promote prevention, early diagnosis, and intervention. However, to the best of our knowledge, no screening tool is available for the joint assessment of early language and social…

Background: We investigated adolescents' feelings of thermal comfort during the educational process in various geographical locations far apart and present recommendations for the adjustment of the thermal environment in schools. Methods: The prospective international multicenter study took place in 8 locations on different continents. The survey…

This study conducted a comparative analysis of critical reading skills among engineering students at private universities in Malaysia and Vietnam, using the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reading framework. Involving 182 undergraduates, the research included a quantitative critical reading test followed by statistical…

In the context of Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), paradoxical findings concerning the relationship between questionnaire scales and student achievement are often documented. These questionnaire scales are found to correlate positively with student achievement within countries at the individual level, but negatively at the…

Effective communication is a fundamental aspect of children's daily living, enabling interaction with adults and peers. A rich literature suggests that communicative abilities develop with age, while little is known about cross-cultural differences and similarities. This study presents a comparison of the communicative performance of Finnish (n =…

This study investigated if the gender composition of teams impacts performance by examining the relationship between student-level variables of cultural intelligence and global knowledge and team-level variables of team performance. Data were collected from 1,922 students across 40 countries participating in 446 teams. Results of independent…

This study compares the financial knowledge of Korean (N = 1006) and German (N = 1346) university students. The country-specific adaptations of the US-American Test of Financial Literacy was used to assess financial knowledge. Financial knowledge can be divided into three areas (everyday money management; banking; insurance). German students show…

University lecturers and coordinators of business and economics courses around the world are faced with the challenge that beginning students in these courses have heterogeneous entry conditions in terms of personal characteristics. This article focuses on the economic knowledge of German and Japanese beginning students in a business and economics…