1. Shudong Wang NWEA Liru Zhang Delaware Department of Education
Exploring Impact of Student Perceptions of Family, School, and Individual Factors on Student Achievement Gap
Shudong Wang NWEA Liru Zhang Delaware Department of Education
Paper presented at the NCSA National Conference on Student Assessment June 20-22, 2016, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

2. I. Introduction Achievement Gap (AG)
* Indicates statistically significant difference
Male
Female
Two-Sample
t statistics*
Content N
Mean
Std Dev
Read
3934
53.1
11.8
4076
56.4
10.9
-13.03
Math
41.7
15.9
40.6
3.04
Science
36.5
12.4
0.19
Social S
27.3
11.5
-0.07
African American
White
Two-Sample
t statistics*
Content N
Mean
Std Dev
Read
2599
50.0
11.5
4619
57.6
10.4
-27.59
Math
33.1
13.8
45.7
15.0
-36.34
Science
30.0
10.7
40.3
11.1
-38.53
Social S
22.0
9.9
30.3
-32.67

3. Major factors that affect AG
In general, AG is a historical, economical, and sociopolitical phenomenon
More specifically, there are family, school, and individual student factors

4. Some of Variables Classified as School, Family, and Student Factors
School Factors:
School funding, school safety and disciplinary, high mobility, student/teacher ratio, percent students receiving free/reduced lunch,
curriculum content and instructional materials, classroom activities,
teacher’s perception (expectation, experience, and behavior), teaching methods and instruction, peer pressure, etc.
Family Factors:
Family background (parental schooling, income, single-parent families), parenting strategies and participation, parent encouragement and support, poverty, substandard housing, poor nutrition, hunger, and low birth weight, high violence and substance abuse, etc.
Student Factors:
Peer culture, social network, work ethic, motivation, effort, belief , gender, television watching, the “Summer Effect”, etc.

5. Effects Causes Student perceptions of family factor,
Rest of Factors
Effects
Causes
High mobility
Parental income
School funding
Hunger
Teaching methods and instruction
Achievement
Parenting strategies, participation
Student/teacher ratio
Motivation
Single-parent families
Parent encouragement and support
Social network
Curriculum content and instructional materials
Teacher’s perception
Work ethic
Classroom activities
Parental schooling
Peer pressure
Belief
Substandard housing High violence and substance abuse
School safety and disciplinary
Poor nutrition
Student perceptions of family factor,
school factor, and student factor
Percent students receiving free/reduced lunch
Peer culture
Summer Effect
Low birth weight
Effort
Poverty
Television watching

6. Purposes of This Study
To investigate the effect of student perceptions of
family, school, and student factors on a statewide
achievement test by gender and race.

7. Research Questions:
Do student perceptions of family, school, and student factors affect their overall achievement measured by Reading, Math, Science, and Social Science?
Is the effect the same for Caucasian and African American students?
Is the effect the same for Male and Female students?

8. II. Method 1. Data source and instrument
A sample of 7980 grade 8 students scores on reading, math, science, and social science were collected from a statewide summative assessment that was given in conjunction with the student survey questions.
There are 22 questions in the survey; 21 questions used either a 3-point or 4-point Likert scale to indicate frequency and degree of agreement with each survey statement.
Survey questions were classified into three overlapping categories: Family Factor (e.g., encouragement, support), Student Factor (motivation, effort), and School Factor (e.g., classroom activities, instructional materials, curriculum content).

9. 2. Data analysis
The theoretical model tested in this study specified causal relationships between achievement and several latent variables, such as family, school, and student (motivation and effort) factors by using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).
Both Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) methods was used in this study to analyze relationships among several latent constructs across gender and race.
CFA: A Measurement Model specifies relationships between the latent constructs and their indicator variables and for both overall achievement results (4 content areas) and survey (21 questions).
SEM: A Structural Model (Causal model) specifies causal relationships between the latent constructs themselves.
SEM can simultaneously test and determine whether Measurement Model + Structural Model (combined model) as a whole, provides an acceptable fit to data.
All data were analyzed using Proc Calis (SAS Institute, Cary, NC).

10. Figure 1. Measurement Model for Achievement
eR1
Reading R1
eR1 R1
eR1 M1
eM1 M1
eM1
Math M1
eM1 M1
eM1
Achievement S1
eS1 S1
eS1
Science S1
eS1 S1
eS1
Sub-Test Scores O1
eO1 O1
eO1
SOS O1
eO1 O1
eS1

11. Figure 2. Measurement Model for Student Factor
eMo6
Mo10
eMo10
Motivation
Mo16
eMo16
eM22
Mo22
Student Factor
Survey Question
Ef9
eEf9
Ef15
eEf15
Effort
Ef20
eEf20
eEf21
Ef21

12. Figure 3. Measurement Model for Family and School Factors
F1_r1
EF1 F1
EF1
F2_r2
EF2 F2
EF2 F3
EF3 F3
EF3
Family
School F4
EF4 F4
EF4 F5
EF5 F5
EF5
F17
EF17
F17
EF17
Survey Question

13. Figure 4. Structural Model
Regression weight or
Standardized regression coefficient
Family
Motivation
Achievement
Student
Effort
School

14. Figure 5. SEM model (Combined Model)

15. III. Results 1. CFA results for survey
Table 1 presents the rotated factor pattern and loadings of each
survey questions on a given factor.

16. Table 1. Varimax - Rotated Factor Loading (Pattern)*
Question number Factor Factor Factor Factor4
Student Motivation *
Student Motivation *
Student Motivation *
Student Motivation * *
Student Effort *
Student Effort *
Student Effort *
Student Effort * *
Family *
Family *
Family *
Family * *
Family *
Family *
Family *
Family *
School *
School *
School * *
School *
School
*: Values are multiplied by 100 and rounded to the nearest integer. Values greater than 0.25 are flagged.

17. 2. Structural Equation Modeling
2.1 First baseline model without concern on across group was tested
2.2 Then baseline model were tested across gender (Male vs. Female) and
ethnicity (White vs. Africa American).
Table 2 shows the fit results between data and model is acceptable.
Table 2. Goodness-of-Fit of Model*
Model df 2
GFI
NFI
SRMR
RMSEA
Overall
517
8637.1
.94
.93
.07
.04
Male
4283.5
Female
4557.8
White
5278.5
African American
2680.4
.06
*: All 2 statistics are significant at α = 0.01.

18. Table 3. Standardized Effects (Absolute Value) on Overall Achievement
Group
Path
Estimate
Standard Error
t Value
Pr>|t|
R-Squared
Overall
Student
-0.04
0.05
-0.92
0.36
0.10
Family
0.30
0.04
6.76
<.00
School
0.13
0.02
8.09
Male
-0.06
0.06
-0.97
0.33
0.08
0.26
4.35
0.15
6.57
Female
0.34
0.73
0.14
0.31
5.33
0.12
5.27
White
-0.08
-1.07
0.28
0.07
4.69
0.03
1.16
0.25
African American
0.42
0.67
2.21
0.09
3.50
Among 3 factors (Family, School, Student), only two factors (Family, School) have significant
direct effects on achievement. For example, for 1-point increase on Family standard deviation,
one can expect, on average, an increase of 0.30 on Achievement standard deviation for overall
group.
2. Family factor has the most impact on Achievement.
3. All three factors explain about 10.3% of the variability on student’s Achievement.

19. IV. Conclusions
1. The results of this study suggest that Family factor and
School factor defined by this study have statistically
significant impact on students overall Achievement.
2. All three factors explain about 10.3% of the variability of
student’s achievement for whole group.
3. Among three factors, the Family factor has the largest
effect on overall Achievement.
4. These results may vary across different groups.

20. Thank you ! For any question: