The determinants of school performance in selected MENA countries: what role of the education system’s characteristics?

Abstract

Based on data from the 2011 TIMSS international survey related to the 2nd year of secondary school of eleven MENA countries, this work aims to identify the characteristics of the educational system that influence the students' academic performance in mathematics in these countries, while highlighting the case of Morocco. The estimation of an empty three-level model, to explain the probability of achieving a score of 400 points or more in mathematics, showed that a significant and non-negligible part (8.04%) of the total variance is due to the differences between the characteristics of the countries. The results of this study showed that, particularly in Morocco, students' academic performance could be improved by providing autonomy to schools to choose the syllabus, by making preschool a obligatory educational cycle and by increasing the volume of time reserved for teaching mathematics.