The Effects of Teachers’, Parents’, and Students’ Attitudes and Behavior on 4th and 8th Graders’ Science/math Achievements: A model of School Leaders’ Perspectives

Abstract

The study provided a multi-group structural equation model (SEM) of school leaderships’ views of teachers’, parents’, and students’ characteristics related to students’ performances in TIMSS 2015 science and math assessment for 4th and 8th grade students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). For both student groups, school questionnaire items concerning school leaders’ perception of teachers, parents, and students were used for the analysis (13 items). The analysis employed exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to construct the models. Both models provided acceptable fit statistics with several, but different significant paths. The SEM models of both Grade 4 and Grade 8 students almost replicated each other. Results pointed to the significance of attitudes and behavior of teachers, parents, and students. There were significant paths from teachers to students, from parents to both students and TIMSS scores, and from students to TIMSS scores. The direct impact of the parent construct on TIMSS scores was elaborated carefully. Implications of the study were addressed along with future research directions.