Research in Education

Recent studies have suggested that performance-related differences between private and public schools disappear once student background characteristics are accounted for. However, given the sometimes significant variation in economic, social and cultural norms across countries these findings may not have universal relevance. The main purpose of this study was to determine whether or not literacy in private and public schools in Qatar differs in key areas such as mathematics, reading and science, and if such differences exist then whether or not they persist after controlling for student demographic characteristics such as age, gender, parental occupation, parental education, family wealth, cultural possessions and availability of educational resources at home. Our results indicate that there is indeed a significant mean difference in literacy between private and public schools in Qatar, and that this difference does not disappear even after controlling for student background characteristics. Implications were discussed.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of cooperative learning on the science lessons achievement of primary school students and to designate their views on cooperative learning process. 135 sixth-grade students attending the same school took part in the study. The model of this study was the Solomon four-group model. In the study, the Cooperative Learning Process Scale and the Science Achievement Test were used to collect data. In the light of the findings, the cooperative learning activities done in the experimental group have meaningfully increased the student achievement in comparison to the control group. According to the findings, it was determined that the activities were prepared appropriately to the cooperative learning and that they were organised considering the basic principles of cooperative learning. 85.07 per cent of the students have stated that the activities done were appropriate for high level cooperative learning.

This study investigated the relationship between parental involvement in children's education and the academic achievement of primary six pupils in Edo State, Nigeria. The ex-post facto research design was employed in this study. The sample consisted of 1895 primary six pupils (1024 males and 863 females drawn from 37,908 primary six pupils in Edo State, Nigeria. An instrument labeled (PIRS) was used to collect data from the sample. Data analysis indicated that parental involvement significantly influenced pupils' academic achievements in three core subjects, English Language, Mathematics and Integrated Science, in primary school and that the higher the parental involvement, the higher the achievement of pupils in the three core subjects. Based on these findings, it was recommended that parents be more involved in the education of their children/wards and that parents monitor their children's school attendance. In addition, school counsellors and educational psychologists should employ diverse approaches to achieve greater parental involvement in their schools.

This study examined the relationships among children's computer game use, academic achievement and parental governing approach to propose probable answers for the doubts of Taiwanese parents. 355 children (ages 11–14) were randomly sampled from 20 elementary schools in a typically urbanised county in Taiwan. Questionnaire survey (five questions) and statistical analyses were employed. The findings included the following: (a) parents’ active engagement in computer game supervision had a significant impact on children's computer game use; (b) greater participation in computer games correlated significantly with lower academic achievement, but parents’ desire to prevent their children from playing computer games did not make children get the best academic achievement; and (c) the significant interaction effect of gender and parental governing approach on children's academic achievement suggested the adoption of a ‘flexible parenting’ strategy. Finally, several recommendations were provided with parents for supervising children's computer game use and assisting them in obtaining better academic achievement.