Opportunities to learn, contexts and achievement of Mexican students in Mathematics

The present study aimed at testing four multilevel hierarchical models in order to explain the mathematics achievement of Mexican students in PISA 2012. Eight variables of Opportunities to Learn (OTL) were included as predictors (three indexes of Teaching Practices and five indexes of Quality of Teaching), four control variables (School Sustainability; School Level; Social, Economic and Cultural Status Index (ESCS); Average of Social, Economic and Cultural Status Index by School (MESCS)), as well as the interaction of the OTL variables with the ESCS. The explained variance among the schools decreased by 12% when the variables related to personal and cultural characteristics of the student were included. The effects of control variables on mathematic achievement explained more than one-half of the standard deviation; on the other hand, the OTL variables explained almost 33 points, while the interaction of OTL with ESCS, explained only 1.4 points. Four Quality of teaching s variables impacted positively on achievement, while regarding Teaching Practices, only Student-oriented instruction influenced significantly but negatively mathematics learning, as well as the interaction of ESCS with the variable Classroom management.