The Role of Learning Resources, School Environment, and Climate in Transforming Schools from Buildings to Learning Communities

Abstract

International large-scale assessments can play a critical role in identifying factors that have an effect on student learning and achievement. IEA’s Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), as the only international study of primary level mathematics and science education, is increasingly important in supporting continuous improvement in the quality of education and education systems. TIMSS also collects background information about the material and non-material factors that potentially affect teaching and learning processes, and the 2019 cycle of TIMSS provided a unique opportunity to analyze the role these factors play in education across the Dinaric region. Previous research has suggested that there are two especially important sets of socioeconomic background variables that need to be taken into consideration when analyzing possible factors related to student achievement and their attitudes toward teaching and learning at school. These are, firstly, personal student characteristics and their home resources and, secondly, school climate and material resources. Modeling of the TIMSS 2019 data for the Dinaric education systems indicated that material, environmental, and school climate factors were only weakly associated with student achievement across the region, explaining less than 12% of the variance in student achievement in science and less than 11% of the variance in mathematics achievement. These results indicate that education authorities in the region should not automatically assume that the material characteristics of the school environment, as well as elements of school climate, are the best or only areas for potential improvement. Access to home learning resources, parental support, and students’ and teachers’ attitudes toward learning and teaching seem to be more important factors in explaining differences in student achievement across the Dinaric region than previously perceived.