| Although a number of factors have been identified to predict the mathematics achievement gap between American and Asian students, including instructional, individual, social, and infrastructural variables, the variance remains unexplained. The purpose of this study was to find out if there is an international mathematics achievement gap and, if so, to determine whether the dependence of mathematics achievement on social and instructional factors differs by location. The mathematics knowledge score (MK) for 309 Grade 8 students in Kolkata, India, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, were compared using the same posttest in both locations. Students' prior mathematics knowledge (PMK) was measured by a pretest. Four independent variables, namely, students' out-of-school activities (SOA), instructional strategy (ISS), extra lessons and homework (ELHW), and attitudes toward mathematics (ATM), were measured in a survey. The results suggest that the students in Kolkata outperformed their counterparts in Milwaukee. The study also identifies that students' prior mathematics knowledge (PMK) and the teaching strategy "We begin a new topic in mathematics by having the teacher ask us what we know related to the new topic" have been found to be significant predictors of mathematics knowledge (MK). This study was an attempt to build on previous empirical findings by bridging psychological and educational constructs and theory. The results warrant additional research on mathematics achievement-related variables in predicting an international mathematics achievement gap. |
