Fabio Alivernini, is a researcher at the Italian National Institute for the Evaluation of the Education System (INVALSI). Fabio Alivernini is also the National Research Coordinator for Italy in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). He completed his Master's degree in Evaluation and PhD in "Innovation, Collective Efficacy In Educational Context" at University of Rome La Sapienza. He has taught courses on Multivariate Data Analysis and on Mixed Methods Data Analysis at University of Rome La Sapienza. He has conducted numerous methodological and substantive studies involving large-scale databases, studies about validity issues in measurement, studies about the integration of qualitative and quantitative data.
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Fabio Alivernini è un ricercatore presso l'Istituto Nazionale per la Valutazione del Sistema Educativo di Istruzione e di Formazione (INVALSI). Ha conseguito una specializzazione in valutazione e, successivamente, un dottorato di ricerca in "Innovazione ed efficacia collettiva nei contesti educativi ed organizzativi” presso l'Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza". Presso la stessa università è stato professore a contratto per l'insegnamento "Tecniche di analisi multivariata". Nel corso degli anni ha condotto numerosi studi riguardanti la ricerca valutativa, la costruzione e validazione di strumenti di misura e il problema dell'integrazione di dati quantitativi e qualitativi.
Abstract: The aim of the present study, based on data from 20 countries, is to identify the pattern of variables (at country, school and student levels), which are typical of students performing below the Low International Benchmark compared to students performing at the Advanced Performance Benchmark, in PIRLS 2006. The dependent variable of the analysis is a dichotomous variable, the values of which represent the two different performance groups of students. The independent variables are two sets of OECD educational indicators, variables from PIRLS 2006 Reading Curriculum Questionnaire data, variables and indices based on data obtained from questionnaires for teachers, schools, parents and students. The analysis is based on classification and regression trees (CART), which is a full hierarchical non-parametric method suited to detecting and interpreting complex reciprocal influences between a large number of independent variables. The results show that pupilsâ performance can be predicted by the relationships between country level variables (the changes in teachersâ salaries at the top of the salary scale), school context variables (e.g. percentages of students from economically affluent home) and home educational resources and variables at student level (e.g. studentsâ reading self-concept).
Abstract: The teaching style is important because it influences studentsâ school-related motivation, emotion, and performance. The main purpose of this study is to examine psychometric properties and construct validity of a short version of the Problems In School questionnaire (PIS). A multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MCFA) is performed to test the scale theoretical structure and the metric invariance across teachersâ length of service. Results of MCFA are consistent with the hypothesized scale structure and show measurement invariance across different lengths of teaching service. The reliability of the scales in terms of internal consistency ranged from .61 to .69.
Abstract: There is a strong interest in acquiring a better understanding of what influences interest in science since it is supposed to be related to pupilsâ future scientific skills and studies. The aim of this study is to examine, for the Italian Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007 data, the relationship between contextual factors, at school level and at pupil level, and the studentsâ interest in science. A multilevel analysis is conducted considering the home/student level nested under the school/teacher level. Results and implications for future studies are discussed.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure and the measurement invariance of a reading literacy scale in the Italian context. The subjects are Italian pupils who took part in Progress in International Reading Literacy Study 2006. A confirmatory factor analysis approach was used and a full measurement invariance model was assessed. Results showed that the reading literacy is a factorially valid measure with metric invariance across gender and students with different immigration background. Results also suggested possible limitations of using PIRLS 2006 data when making within-country comparisons.
Abstract: The main purpose of this study was to examine psychometric properties and construct validity of the Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire (ASRQ). Subjects were Italian pupils who took part in PIRLS 2011 Field-Trial. A multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MCFA) was performed to test the scale theoretical structure and the measurement invariance across gender. Moreover, construct validity was assessed examining the structure of latent correlations among the subscales and by means of structural equation modeling. Results of MCFA were consistent with the hypothesized scale structure and showed measurement invariance across gender, moreover evidence from SEM supported the construct validity of the ASRQ.
Abstract: The International Civic and Citizenship Study investigates the role of schooling in preparing students for their roles as citizens. The present paper tests a model in which openness in classroom discussion is a school factor that can affect civic knowledge. A multilevel regression model with two levels was tested considering the ICSS-scaled score for civic knowledge as a dependent variable and studentsâ perceptions of openness in classroom discussion as an independent variable at the school level. Various control variables were analyzed. Studentsâ civic knowledge scores resulted significantly higher if in their school there was an open classroom climate for discussion.
Abstract: PIRLS 2006 collected data about reading literacy and various factors connected to educational policies and school, family and student contexts, using a large sample of European fourth grade students. The aim of the present study is to examine, for European data (N = 96177), the interplay between educational policy, school, teacher, family and student factors, and their relationships to reading literacy. A structural equation model (SEM) comprising school, teachers, parents, and pupils variables is developed and tested. The influence of curriculum policies in various European countries was tested in terms of an interaction effect by means of multiple sample SEM.
Abstract: By means of a longitudinal design the authors sought to determine the role of students' self-determined motivation in reducing the intention to drop out of high school over time, while taking into account the impact of academic performance and of socioeconomic status. The effects of students' self-efficacy and perceived support from parents and teachers were examined. A total of 426 students of grades 9-13 completed self-report estimates and their official school grades were also taken into consideration. Results showed that the level of self-determined motivation in students, which was directly related to the perception of teachersâ autonomy support, was the best predictor of the intention to drop out of school. Self-efficacy had a significant impact both on self-determined motivation and academic performance.
Notes: This is the most read article in The Journal of Educational Research.
Abstract: Questionnaire data from the PIRLS 2006 study in Italy provided a number of indices in order to summarize factors of educational context influencing reading achievement. The aim of the present paper is to study the relationships between school factors, teacher factors, family factors, student factors and reading achievement by means of multilevel regression analysis. Results show that pupilsâ attainment in reading is significantly related to home educational resources (home/student level effect), to parentsâ attitudes toward reading (home/student level effect), to studentsâ attitudes toward reading, to studentsâ reading self-concept and to teacher career satisfaction (school/teacher level).
Abstract: In this article Self-determination theory (SDT) is analyzed in terms of its application in
school context reviewing major findings. The theory postulates the existence of a selfdetermination continuum reflecting differences in the ways in which studentsâ academic motivation can be regulated. The paper discusses the measures of self-determination according to SDT framework, the development of intrinsic motivation in school context and reviews studies about potential consequences and potential antecedents of being self-determinated at school. Researches reviewed suggest that high self-determination significatively predicts important educational outcomes (e.g. positive academic performance, reduced risk of school dropout), and that teachersâ and
parental autonomy support behavior can promote self-determination.
Abstract: The main purpose of this study was to validate an Italian version of the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS). A sample of 618 high school students completed the Italian translation of the AMS, also indicating their intentions to persist in versus drop out of school and their performance in a series of exams. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the five-factor structure of the AMS and showed factorial invariance across gender and types of schools. The Italian version of the AMS had satisfactory levels of internal consistency and the correlations among the AMS subscales were consistent with the simplex pattern hypothesized by the Self-Determination Theory (SDT). In addition, the relationships between the AMS scores and the two measured motivational consequences were confirmed. In sum, the present findings provide adequate support for the factorial validity and reliability of the AMS and support its use in educational research on motivation.
Abstract: This article uses a computer assisted mixed methods approach to investigate academic motivation in a large sample (N = 878) of young students. The purposes of the study were to explore the various aspects connected to motivation in primary and secondary school, using a mixed methodology (both inductive data-driven and deductive theory-driven) and to assess the findings by means of a powerful statistical inferential test. The results show that intrinsic motivation tends to decrease in the transition from primary to secondary school, but they also reveal a hitherto undemonstrated trend, which is the significant increase, during this phase, of identified motivation, a different, yet still highly self-determined, form of regulation, involving the conscious attribution of value to studying. On the whole the results suggest that the elements dictating student motivation at school are more complex than indicated by previous studies.
Abstract: There is a strong interest in acquiring a better understanding of what influences interest in science since it is supposed to be related to pupilsâ future scientific skills and studies. The aim of this study is to examine, for the Italian Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007 data, the relationship between contextual factors, at school level and at pupil level, and the studentsâ interest in science. A multilevel analysis is conducted considering the home/student level nested under the school/teacher level. Results and implications for future studies are discussed.
Abstract: In a wide conception of positive educational outcomes, fostering favourable attitudes toward reading is an important goal. Data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study in Italy yielded a number of variables potentially associated with students' attitudes toward reading. The purpose of the present study is to explore the relationship between these variables at the school as well as the student levels and the students' attitudes. A multilevel analysis was conducted using two levels: the student level nested under the school. First results show that pupilsâ attitudes toward reading are significantly related to gender, to home educational resources and to the parentsâ attitudes toward reading.
Abstract: PIRLS 2006 collected data about reading literacy and about factors connected to school, family and student context for Italian fourth grade students. The aim of the present study is to examine, in Italian data, the interplay between school, teacher, family and student factors, and their relationships to reading literacy. A structural equation model comprising school, teachers, parents, and pupils variables is tested. This model as a whole accounted for 37% of variance in reading literacy in Italian fourth grade pupils. Home variables accounted for 18% of variance, students' variables for 14% and school and teacher variables for 5% of variance. An important part of home variables effect is related to the direct and indirect influence (through other variables) of educational resources, whereas the importance of economic resources seems to be very small in total. Variables connected with students seem to strongly influence the effect of home variables. Finally as concerns school and teachers variables, material resources available in schools have a very small effect on reading literacy. The most important variable in this latter context proves to be the time spent by students in reading activities at school.
Abstract: The aim of the present secondary study, based on data from 25 countries, is to identify the pattern of variables (at country, school and student levels), which are typical of students performing below the Low International Benchmark compared to students performing at the Advanced Performance Benchmark, in PIRLS 2006. The dependent variable of the analysis is a dichotomous variable, the values of which represent the two different performance groups of students. The independent variables are two sets of OECD educational indicators, variables from PIRLS 2006 Reading Curriculum Questionnaire data, variables and indices based on data obtained from questionnaires for teachers, schools, parents and students. The analysis is based on classification and regression trees (CART), which is a full hierarchical non-parametric method suited to detecting and interpreting complex reciprocal influences between a large number of independent variables. Results show that pupilsâ performance is predicted by an interaction between country level variables such as the changes in teachersâ salaries at the top of the salary scale, school context variables (e.g. percentages of students from economically affluent home) and home educational resources and variables at student level (e.g. studentsâ reading self-concept).
Abstract: Background indices in the TIMSS 2007 data are complex variables referring to educational contexts which are presumed to affect studentsâ achievement in science subjects. The objective of this paper is to examine, for the Italian 4th grade data, the relationships between these indices both at school and at pupil level and the proficiency scores for overall achievement in science subjects. A multilevel analysis was conducted adopting a four-stage procedure and considering the home/student level nested under the school/teacher level. The results showed that pupilsâ performance in science subjects is significantly related to being a native student, to gender, to home educational resources, such as the number of books at home, to student self-confidence in learning science and to student perception of being safe at school.
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