Exploring Factors Linked to the Mathematics Achievement of Ethnic Minority Students in China for Sustainable Development: A Multilevel Modeling Analysis

Abstract

To improve the sustainable development of minority education and ensure equitable quality education, this study explored student- and school-related factors linked to the mathematics achievement of minority senior high school students in China. Based on the data obtained from 932 teachers and 1873 students, within 31 interior ethnic boarding schools in 14 provinces of China, multilevel analysis showed that gender, class organization, learning strategies, and learning self-efficacy were significant student-level predictors of mathematics achievement. Students were more likely to score highly if they were boys, were in mixed classes, had more self-efficacy in learning mathematics, and used more effective mathematics learning strategies. At the school level, teachers’ job satisfaction positively predicted students’ mathematics achievement. Additionally, there was a significant interaction between school location and expected class organization in relationship to students’ mathematics achievement. For schools located in the urban center, the effect of class organization on students’ mathematics achievement was greater than schools located in the suburbs. For the sustainable development of minority education, it is necessary to further promote mixed-class teaching, set such schools in the suburbs, and improve teachers’ job satisfaction through multiple measures.