It was also observed that reading comprehension performance was a predictor of
mathematics in primary school; suggesting that student with a higher level of reading
comprehension in primary school achieve better (Grimm, 2008).
Multilevel mathematics China
7
To summarize, the available theoretical and empirical research puts forward the
need to adopt a complex model to describe and explain mathematics performance.
Multiple sets of variables should be considered, such as found in the
opportunity-propensity framework (Byrnes & Miller, 2007). In contrast to the latter
approach in which hierarchical regression and structural equation modeling were
adopted, we focus explicitly on the relationship between levels in the predictor
variables. In a concrete educational setting, variables are nested into hierarchical
levels. Individual learner variables are nested within class variables that are nested
with school level variables (Raudenbush & Bryk, 2002). This requires the adoption of
multilevel analysis techniques. In the following figure, we integrate the levels and
variables as discussed before and included the variables that will be used in our study