It is aimed to compare the countries of South Korea, Finland and Canada, which are highly successful in PISA exam, and Turkey in terms of the transition system between educational levels. Document analysis method was used in the study. In the universe of the study, there are thirty-eight countries from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and…

A quality education system is not measured solely by national test scores, but by whether all students are successful in primary school. This simply stated goal is surprisingly difficult to achieve where substantial numbers of children are at risk of failing to complete a primary education. This paper explores the challenges and the diverse…

Results from this two-culture contrast support the conclusion that the relation between locus of control and achievement behaviors are comparable across cultures. (Author)

One-hundred eighty Nigerian schoolchildren (ages 9 to 13 years) were studied to determine (1) the relationships among locus of control orientation, academic achievement (mathematics and reading/language), and motivation (teachers' ratings), and (2) sex differences in children's locus of control orientation, academic achievement, and motivation.

Investigated the high academic achievement of Chinese and Japanese children as compared to American children. Members of the three cultures differed significantly in terms of parents' interest, standards, and expectations concerning academic achievement; family involvement in children's education; and parents' and children's beliefs about the…

Cultural differences in the amount of time spent on homework and in beliefs and attitudes about homework were investigated through interviews with elementary school students, their mothers, and their teachers in China, Japan, and the United States. (PCB)

Three measures of field dependence were used to determine whether: (1) Mexican American students are more field dependent than Anglo Americans; (2) intercorrelations between the tests are significant and comparable for both cultures; and (3) field dependence significantly affects academic performance. These assumptions were generally not…

Presents a case study of a child whose parents are recent Chinese immigrants to the United States. Concludes that the child's emotional condition and her academic success might be jeopardized by her bilingualism and bicultural environment if her latent problems are not solved by her parents or teachers. (FL)

Compared adult attitudes concerning child psychopathology. Jamaican and U.S. parents, teachers, and clinicians (total n=382) judged vignettes of two children, one with overcontrolled and one with undercontrolled problems. Although years of education affected some adult ratings, culture had most profound effect. Jamaican parents and teachers rated…

This study examined the cross-cultural differences involved in Chinese and American students' attitudes towards education. Examined were students' daily experiences, wishes, aspirations, likes, and dislikes. Data were obtained through interviews with 396 Chinese and 720 American students from the 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades. Students attended 11…

An investigation was made of possible ethnic differences in academically relevant environmental variables in order to help account for ethnic differences in achievement (in particular, West Indian underachievement) in a town in the British Midlands. Questionnaires were completed by the parents of 35 West Indian, 33 Indian, and 43 nonminority…

Student achievement as reflected in standardized test scores is not a unitary construct, but a set of interdependent components representing degrees of knowledge of various subject areas. The interdependency of achievement components imply a positive feedback process. Weaknesses in one area reinforce weaknesses in others; strengths in one area…

Reports the findings of a comparative study of elementary students in the United States, Japan, Taiwan, and mainland China. Contrasts student attitude and behavior, intelligence, and achievement levels, and teacher and parent attitudes. Focuses on the factors behind the relative slowness of American children to acquire mathematics skills. (KH)

Examined whether children's causality beliefs about school performance show similar developmental profiles across six distinct sociocultural settings. Found markedly similar developmental patterns in their beliefs about the importance of effort, ability, luck, teachers, and unknown factors as influences on school performance. Found that factors…

Studied development of school performance-related belief and their link with actual academic performance in Moscow children and compared this similar data for Western children. Found considerable intercultural convergence as well as specific differences in beliefs about teachers and ability. Differences across gender were also found. (ET)