DRAFT

1
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS IN COMPARATIVE AND
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION

Department of International & Transcultural Studies
Teachers College, Columbia University

ITSF 4101 | CRN 33542 | Fall 2014

Class: Wednesday 3:00-4:40pm | Location TBA
Lab: Wednesday 5:10-6:10pm | Location HM234

Instructor: Dr. Oren Pizmony-Levy
Office: Grace Dodge Hall 370
Office Hours: Monday 5:007:00pm (drop in)
Wednesday 1:00-2:00pm (by appointment)
Email: [email protected]
Office Telephone 212-678-3180

Lab Instructor: Linh (Phoebe) Doan
Office Hours: TBA
Email: [email protected]


COURSE DESCRIPTION
As the field of Comparative and International Education (CIE) grows, more information is
produced to inform and support policy reforms. This trend requires professionals in the field to
have good understanding of and confidence in conducting quantitative analysis. This course
serves as an introduction to quantitative analysis as applied to the field of CIE. The course is
organized into three sections. The first section covers the fundamental concepts of quantitative
analysis, including descriptive statistics (i.e., techniques for summarizing and describing single
variables). The second section focuses on inferential statistics where the goal is to make
conclusions (inferences) about an entire population based on observing only a small part of that
population (a sample). The final section of the course introduces the assumptions and mechanics
of the classical normal linear regression model.

The course will also provide some practical experience working with Stata, a widely used
program for statistical analysis. You will also have the opportunity to work with data from the
most recent wave of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).

Students meet once a week for a 140 minute lecture on statistical fundamentals, theory,
applications, and topics. Students also attend (weekly) one-hour lab sessions that focus on
computing methods and data analysis techniques. These lab sessions are required and led by the
Lab Instructor, Linh (Phoebe) Doan.

PREREQUISITES
There are no prerequisites for this course.
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2
COURSE OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES
After completing the course, you will be able to:

1. Consume scholarly articles and reports that include quantitative analysis.
2. Interpret output of basic quantitative analysis (descriptive statics, contingency tables, and
group comparisons).
3. Interpret output of regression analysis, including the coefficient estimates and their
statistical significance.
4. Examine critically the application of regression analysis to particular problems.
5. Use statistical software to generate and present basic quantitative analysis and regression
analysis.
6. Conduct secondary analysis of TIMSS 2011 International Database.
7. Conduct independent empirical analysis of quantitative data.

STATISTICAL SOFTWARE
We use Stata 13.0 in this class (the name Stata is a syllabic abbreviation of the
words statistics and data). Stata is common statistical software in the field of Comparative and
International Education, and is used by international organizations, such as OECD (PISA),
UNDP, UNESCO and the World Bank. In short, data analysis using Stata is a skill that many
employers in the field value and something that you can and should put on your resum after
completing this class.

Stata Campus GradPlan software can be purchased from Columbia Bookstore or online:
https://cuit.columbia.edu/stata-ordering-information

DATABASE
In order to provide hands-on experience with quantitative analysis, we will use the Trends in
International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 International Database, which is
conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement
(IEA). TIMSS 2011 is the fifth in IEAs series of international assessments of student
achievement. First conducted in 1995, TIMSS reports every four years on the achievement of
fourth and eighth grade students.

More information about TIMSS 2011 and the educational systems that participated in this
assessment is available online: http://timssandpirls.bc.edu/timss2011/index.html

ASSIGNMENTS
Your grade of the course will be based on the following:

Active Participation in Discussion (10% of the grade)
You are expected to come to class having read the assigned readings and any other materials that
will be discussed. Participation and engagement in discussion will help you to better process and
understand the material covered in the reading and in the lecture. Moreover, your participation
and perspective on the reading will contribute to the collective understanding and will stimulate
new and exciting questions.

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3
Lab Assignments (40% of the grade)
You are required to complete 6 lab assignments during the course of the semester. Each of the
assignments includes data analysis exercises using Stata and the course data extracts provided
(TIMSS 2011 sample of eights grade from the Republic of Korea).

It is critical that you keep up with assignments. Assignments should be handed to the lab
instructor on the due date at the start of class. Late assignments will be penalized. In no case will
assignments be accepted on or after the sixth calendar day after the due date.

Title Due date
Assignment 1. Introduction to Stata and data management September 24
Assignment 2. Descriptive statistics October 1
Assignment 3. Comparing groups October 15
Assignment 4. Analysis of variance and covariance November 12
Assignment 5. Simple regression November 19
Assignment 6. Multiple regression December 10

Midterm exam (25% of the grade)
The midterm exam will cover weeks 1 7. The exam will include multiple choice and open-
ended questions. This is an open book / open notes exam.

Final Paper (25% of the grade)
You semesters work will pave the way to a final research paper. The paper will focus on one of
the countries that participated in TIMSS 2011 and will allow you to apply the skills you have
developed during the semester. You will need to work in teams of 2-3 students. On Wednesday,
October 1
st
you will commit to your group and to the country you plan to analyze.

Extra Credit Opportunities
If you would like to improve your grade, you could gain extra credit points by completing a
written critical review of two peer-reviewed articles that include a regression analysis. You
should identify the articles (that is, you cannot use articles assigned in the syllabus), and write no
more than five pages of summary and review. The summary should be submitted no later than
December 10
th
, 2014.

Reflection Paper (ungraded)
I believe reflections are useful for both students and for instructors. Reflections provide an
opportunity for students to explore the big picture - ways in which ideas and concepts from the
course are linked to their broad interests in research and practice. Reflections provide the
instructors with further feedback and point to gaps in the learning. This should be a short
reflection (two pages) on your experiences in the course.

You are encouraged to discuss the assignments with others, but your papers must reflect your
efforts alone. Use proper citations to the ideas and works of others. Please read carefully the
section on Academic Integrity.

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APA (AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION) STYLE
For all written assignments, please use APA style (except for its requirement that you include a
cover sheet there is no need for this). In an effort to conserve resources, please use double-
sided printing or print on scratch paper.

Helpful APA Style Resources:
Kahn, J . (n.d.). Reporting statistics in APA style. Available online at:
http://my.ilstu.edu/~jhkahn/apastats.html
Purdue Online Writing Lab (n.d.). Statistics in APA. Available online at:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/22/
University of Washington-Psychology Writing Center (n.d.). Reporting results of
common statistical tests in APA format. Available online at:
http://web.psych.washington.edu/writingcenter/writingguides/pdf/stats.pdf

GRADES: DEFINITIONS
Final grades are assigned to course average scores based on the following scale:

A+ Rare performance. Reserved for highly exceptional, rare achievement.
A Excellent. Outstanding achievement.
A- Excellent work but not quite outstanding.
B+ Very good. Solid achievement expected of most graduate students.
B Good. Acceptable achievement.
B- Acceptable achievement but below what is generally expected of graduate students.
C+ Fair achievement, above minimally acceptable level.
C Fair achievement but only minimally acceptable.
C- Very low performance. The records of students receiving such grades are subject to
review. The result of this review could be denial of permission to register for further
study at Teachers College. No more than 3 points of C- may be credited toward any
degree or diploma. Students completing requirements for more than one degree or
diploma may count 3 points of C- toward only one such award. A student who
accumulates 8 points or more in C- or lower grades will not be permitted to continue
study at the College and will not be awarded a degree or diploma.
Failure The records of students receiving such grades are subject to review. The result of this
review could be denial of permission to register for further study at Teachers College.
A course usually may not be repeated unless it is a required course. When the course is
required, the student will reregister and obtain a satisfactory grade. The previous grade
remains on the transcript.
Source: TC Office of the Registrar
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5
REQUIRED TEXT
The following book is required and available for purchase at Columbia University Bookstore
and/or online (www.alibris.com; www.amazon.com; www.barnesandnoble.com). All other
required readings will be made available through Moodle or placed on reserve at the TC library.

Urdan, T. C. (2010). Statistics in Plain English (3
rd
Edition). New York, NY: Routledge.

Recommended texts:
Long, J . S. (2009). The Workflow of Data Analysis Using Stata. Stata Press.

Longest, K. C. (2014). Using Stata for Quantitative Analysis (2
nd
Edition). Thousand Oaks, CA:
SAGE Publications, Inc.

Michael S. L. (Ed.). (1980). Applied Regression. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Miller, J . E. (2006). Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers. University of Chicago Press.

Miller, J . E. (2013). The Chicago Guide to Writing about Multivariate Analysis. University of
Chicago Press.

ACCOMMODATIONS
The College will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities.
Students are encouraged to contact the Office of Access and Services for Individuals with
Disabilities (OASID) for information about registering with the office. You can reach OASID by
email at [email protected], stop by 163 Thorndike Hall or call 212-678-3689. Services are
available only to students who are registered and submit appropriate documentation. As your
instructor, I am happy to discuss specific needs with you as well.

INCOMPLETE
The grade of Incomplete will be assigned only when the course attendance requirement has been
met but, for reasons satisfactory to the instructor, the granting of a final grade has been
postponed because certain course assignments are outstanding. If the outstanding assignments
are completed within one calendar year from the date of the close of term in which the grade of
Incomplete was received and a final grade submitted, the final grade will be recorded on the
permanent transcript, replacing the grade of Incomplete, with a transcript notation indicating the
date that the grade of Incomplete was replaced by a final grade. If the outstanding work is not
completed within one calendar year from the date of the close of term in which the grade of
Incomplete was received, the grade will remain as a permanent Incomplete on the transcript. In
such instances, if the course is a required course or part of an approved program of study,
students will be required to re-enroll in the course including repayment of all tuition and fee
charges for the new registration and satisfactorily complete all course requirements. If the
required course is not offered in subsequent terms, the student should speak with the faculty
advisor or Program Coordinator about their options for fulfilling the degree requirement.
Doctoral students with six or more credits with grades of Incomplete included on their program
of study will not be allowed to sit for the certification exam.

DRAFT
6
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY NETWORK ID AND TC EMAIL
Teachers College students have the responsibility for activating the Columbia University
Network ID (UNI) and a free TC Gmail account. As official communications from the College
e.g., information on graduation, announcements of closing due to severe storm, flu epidemic,
transportation disruption, etc. -- will be sent to the students TC Gmail account, students are
responsible for either reading email there, or, for utilizing the mail forwarding option to forward
mail from their account to an email address which they will monitor.

OBSERVANCE OF RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS
It is the policy of Teachers College to respect its members observance of their major religious
holidays. Students should notify instructors at the beginning of the semester about their wishes to
observe holidays on days when class sessions are scheduled. Where academic scheduling
conflicts prove unavoidable, no student will be penalized for absence due to religious reasons,
and alternative means will be sought for satisfying the academic requirements involved. If a
suitable arrangement cannot be worked out between the student and the instructor, students and
instructors should consult the appropriate department chair or director. If an additional appeal is
needed, it may be taken to the Provost.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Students who intentionally submit work either not their own or without clear attribution to the
original source, fabricate data or other information, engage in cheating, or misrepresentation of
academic records may be subject to charges. Sanctions may include dismissal from the college
for violation of the TC principles of academic and professional integrity fundamental to the
purpose of the College.

COURSE OUTLINE AND SCHEDULE
I reserve the right to make changes to the schedule of readings and/or lectures during the course
of the semester. I will announce any such changes in class and post them on the courses website.
You are responsible for noting the changes and preparing for class appropriately.

Week #1: September 3, 2014
Course introduction and overview
Definition of key concepts: variables, values, missing values, types of variables (nominal,
ordinal, interval and ratio variables), and scales
Introduction to Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011

Read:
Urdan 2010, Chapter 1
Bray, M. (2007). Actors and purposes in Comparative Education. In M. Bary, B.
Adamson, M. Mason, Comparative Education research: Approaches and Methods.
CERC Studies in Comparative Education. Volume 19, pp. 15-38.
TIMSS 2011 Assessment Framework (Read Introduction, Chapters 3 and 4; skim
Chapters 1 and 2).
TIMSS 2011 Student Questionnaire

DRAFT
7
Week #2: September 10, 2014
Searching for validity, reliability, and generalizability in CIE
Population vs. sample

Read:
Ravid, R. (2010). Practical Statistics for Educators. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
o Chapter 13: Reliability
o Chapter 14: Validity
Rust, K. (1994). Issues in sampling for international comparative studies in education: the
case of the IEA Reading Literacy study. Methodological issues in comparative
educational studies. Washington, US: Department of Education, Office for Educational
Research and Improvement.
TIMSS 2011 Technical Report: Sample Design and Implementation

Week #3: September 17, 2014
Research models in CIE: dependent and independent variables
Crafting a good research and policy question
The logic of hypotheses testing

Read:
Urdan 2010, Chapters 4 and 7
Firebaugh, G. (2008). Seven Rules for Social Research. Princeton Press.
o Chapter 1: There Should be the Possibility of Surprise in Social Research
Week #4: September 24, 2014
Describing data in CIE: frequency tables, measures of central tendency and dispersion

Read:
Urdan 2010, Chapters 2, 3, and 5
Dorius, S. F. (2013). The Rise and Fall of Worldwide Education Inequality from 1870 to
2010 Measurement and Trends. Sociology of Education, 86(2), 158-173.
Wu, C. C. (2011). High graduate unemployment rate and Taiwanese undergraduate
education. International Journal of Educational Development, 31(3), 303-310. [read
pages 303-306]

Week #5: October 1, 2014
Comparing two groups and bivariate analysis in CIE: contingency tables and chi-square
Charts, graphs, and tables

Read:
Urdan 2010, Chapter 14
Miller, J . E. (2006). Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers. University of Chicago
Press.
o Chapter 6: Creating effective tables
o Chapter 7: Creating effective charts
DRAFT
8
Zhang, Y., Kao, G., & Hannum, E. (2007). Do mothers in rural China practice gender
equality in educational aspirations for their children? Comparative Education
Review, 51(2), 131-157. [read pages 131-146]

Week #6: October 8, 2014
Comparing two groups and bivariate analysis in CIE: t-Test

Read:
Urdan 2010, Chapter 9
Example text TBA

Week #7: October 15, 2014
Comparing within and between groups: Analysis of variance (ANOVA)
Application of ANOVA to policy question about differences between organizational units
(classrooms, schools, and countries)

Read:
Urdan 2010, Chapter 10
Hardman, F., Abd-Kadir, J ., Agg, C., Migwi, J ., Ndambuku, J ., & Smith, F. (2009).
Changing pedagogical practice in Kenyan primary schools: the impact of school-based
training. Comparative Education, 45(1), 65-86.

Week #8: October 22, 2014
** Midterm exam **

Week #9: October 29, 2014
Searching for associations in CIE: scatter plots and Pearsons correlation
Correlation vs. causation
Ecological fallacy

Read:
Urdan 2010, Chapter 8
Freedman, D., Pisani, R., & Purves, R. (2007). Statistics (4
th
edition).
o Chapter 8: Correlation
o Chapter 9: More about correlation
Han, C., Hoskins, B., & Sim, J . B. Y. (2013). The relationship between civic attitudes and
voting intention: an analysis of vocational upper secondary schools in England and
Singapore. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 44(5): 801-
825.

Week #10: November 5, 2014
Introduction of Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression model

Read:
Urdan 2010, Chapter 13
Example text TBA
DRAFT
9
Week #11: November 12, 2014
Simple regression analysis: motivations and applications, estimation, interpretation, fit

Read:
Freedman, D., Pisani, R., & Purves, R. (2007). Statistics (4
th
Edition). W. W. Norton &
Company.
o Chapter 10: Regression
o Chapter 11: The RMS Error for Regression
o Chapter 12: The Regression Line

Week #12: November 19, 2014
Multiple regression analysis: motivations and applications, estimation, interpretation

Read:
Byun, S. Y., Schofer, E., & Kim, K. K. (2012). Revisiting the Role of Cultural Capital in
East Asian Educational Systems The Case of South Korea. Sociology of
Education, 85(3), 219-239.
Baker, D. P., Goesling, B., & LeTendre, G. K. (2002). Socioeconomic Status, School
Quality, and National Economic Development: A Cross-National Analysis of the
Heyneman-Loxley Effect on Mathematics and Science Achievement. Comparative
Education Review, 46(3), 291-312.

Week #13: November 26, 2014
** NO CLASS: Thanksgiving **

Week #14: December 3, 2014
Multiple regression analysis: multicolinearity, fit (R
2
, Adjusted R
2
)
How to write about multivariate analyses?

Read:
Chudgar, Amita, Thomas F. Luschei, and Yisu Zhou. (2013). Science and Mathematics
Achievement and the Importance of Classroom Composition: Multicountry Analysis
Using TIMSS 2007. American Journal of Education 119(2): 295-316.

Week #15: December 10, 2014
Multiple regression analysis: dummy variables and interaction terms

Read:
Park, H. (2008). The Varied Educational Effects of Parent-Child Communication: A
Comparative Study of Fourteen Countries. Comparative Education Review, 52(2), 219-
243.

DRAFT
10

Week #16: December 17, 2014
Extending the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression model: categorical outcomes
(logistic and multinomial regression), and multilevel analysis
Course summary: Where are we now? What is next?

Read:
Long, J .S. (1997). Regression Models for Categorical and Limited Dependent
Variables. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
o Chapter 3: Binary Outcomes
Raudenbush, S. W., and Bryk, A. S. (2002). Hierarchical Linear Models: Applications
and Data Analysis Methods (Vol. 1). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
o Chapter 1: Introduction
Zhang, Y., Kao, G., & Hannum, E. (2007). Do mothers in rural China practice gender
equality in educational aspirations for their children? Comparative Education
Review, 51(2), 131-157.
McDaniel, A. (2010). Cross-National Gender Gaps in Educational Expectations: The
Influence of National-Level Gender Ideology and Educational Systems. Comparative
Education Review, 54(1), 27-50.

SUMMARY OF CLASS AND LABS WEEKLY TOPICS
Week Class Lab
1 Course introduction and overview Introduction to Stata 13 and Workflow
2 Population and sample Downloading TIMSS 2011 data
3 Research models in CIE Data management (part 1)
4 Describing data in CIE Frequency tables, descriptive statistics
5 Comparing groups and bivariate analysis, part 1 Crosstabs and chi-square
6 Comparing groups and bivariate analysis, part 2 t-Tests
7 Comparing within and between groups ANOVA
8 ** Midterm exam ** ** No lab **
9 Correlations Pearsons correlation
10 Introduction to OLS model Data management (part 2)
11 Simple regression Simple regression, exporting tables
12 Multiple regression Multiple regression (part 1)
13 ** Thanksgiving | no class ** ** Thanksgiving | no lab **
14 Multiple regression Multiple regression (part 2)
15 Multiple regression Open lab for final paper
16 Extending the OLS model Open lab for final paper