Preliminary evaluation of a novel Brief Mathematics Achievement Test as a proxy for measuring quality of education in culturally and linguistically diverse populations.

Abstract

Objectives: Reading ability is commonly used as a proxy for educational quality but may be unsuitable for cross-cultural comparisons. This study aimed to evaluate a novel Brief Mathematics Achievement Test (BMAT) as a proxy measure of quality of education (QoE) in culturally and linguistically diverse populations.

Methods: Data on demographic variables, socioeconomic status (SES), country-level QoE, and performance on the BMAT and brief cognitive tests, were collected from 157 cognitively healthy participants (18-89 years) including native-born and immigrant populations in five European countries.

Results: No significant differences were found between females and males or between participants with native-born and immigrant backgrounds in BMAT scores. In correlation analyses, BMAT scores were strongly correlated with SES, level of education, and performance on a brief cognitive composite, moderately with student-teacher ratio, country income classification, and a quality of education index, and weakly with age. In regression models controlling for key demographic variables and socioeconomic status, BMAT scores were significantly associated with level of education and the QoE index, while showing no significant relationship with immigrant status. Also, after controlling for demographic variables, SES, and the quality of education index, BMAT scores were the only significant predictor of performance on the brief cognitive composite.

Conclusions: These findings provide preliminary evidence supporting the potential utility of the BMAT as an objective proxy measure of QoE in culturally and linguistically diverse populations.