Using the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2003 data, this study built mathematics achievement models of 8th graders in four countries: the USA, Russia, Singapore and South ...Africa. These 4 countries represent the full spectrum of mathematics achievement. In addition, they represent 4 continents, and they include 2 countries hugely influential in world events (the USA and Russia). In each country, students’ self-concept of ability in mathematics, mathematics values, perception of school, teachers’ and principals’ perceptions of school and other characteristics related to the classroom and school were incorporated to build an achievement model through hierarchical linear modelling. The final achievement models suggested that among student variables, self-concept of ability in mathematics had the highest relation to 8th graders’ mathematics achievement in all 4 countries. The relation between mathematics achievement and other student characteristics, along with the family, teacher and school variables, differed across the 4 countries. This suggests that self-concept of ability is a key variable for understanding achievement in high and low achieving countries and that other contextual variables vary in the magnitude of relations to mathematics achievement across countries.
How are teachers teaching? De Witte, Kristof; Klaveren, Chris van
Education economics,
01/2014, Letnik:
22, Številka:
1/2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
This paper examines which configuration of teaching activities maximizes student performance. For this purpose a nonparametric efficiency model is formulated that accounts for (1) self-selection of ...students and teachers in better schools and (2) complementary teaching activities. The analysis distinguishes both individual teaching (i.e., a personal teaching style adapted to the individual needs of the student) and collective teaching (i.e., a similar style for all students in a class). Moreover, we examine to which group of students the teacher is adapting his/her teaching style. The model is applied on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2003 data. The main results show that high test scores are associated with teaching styles that emphasize problem solving and homework. In addition, teachers seem to adapt their optimal teaching style to the 70% least performing students.
This study explores the reported level of test-taking motivation and the relation between test-taking motivation and mathematics achievement in a sample of Swedish eighth-grade students (n = 343) ...participating in Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003. A majority of students reported that they were motivated to do their best in TIMSS. Test-taking motivation was positively related to mathematics achievement, but the effect was small and not statistically significant when other relevant variables were held constant. Further, gender comparisons showed that test-taking motivation was positively, but not significantly related to achievement in boys, and was unrelated to achievement in girls. This result was probably due to the larger variability in boys' ratings. It was concluded that the Swedish TIMSS mathematics result is unlikely to be affected by a lack of student motivation, but that further research on the relation between test-taking motivation and test achievement is warranted.
Okumura (2007) proposed a simulation-based method of sample size determination for hierarchical linear models using posterior predictive distribution. In this article, Okumura's method is applied to ...a social psychological research which focuses on the difference of self-evaluation score of mathematics achievement in TIMSS 2003 between Japanese and American 8th grade students. The result says that we can keep high statistical power and can estimate the difference in high precision using a sample of about 240 students, and the size of the difference is considered to be the one that cannot be ignored from the psychometrical viewpoint.
The purposes of the present study were (a) to compare US and Korean 8th graders' mastery of knowledge and skills in the mathematics test of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study ...(TIMSS) 2003 using a cognitive diagnostic testing method and (b) to find links between teachers' instruction and students' mastery of mathematics knowledge and skills. The participants included 740 US and 439 Korean 8th graders who took the Booklet 3 mathematics test. The results showed substantial differences between the US and Korean students' performance in problem restructuring and reasoning, measurement, and geometry. The most helpful instructional strategy for both Korean and US students was encouraging students' independent problem solving. Reviewing, re-teaching, and clarifying content were especially effective for the US students. Implications for teaching and learning are discussed.
The present study investigated whether two summated rating scales used in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 2003), Mathematics Self-Concept (MSC), and Students' Valuing ...of Mathematics (VoM) seemed appropriate, meaningful, and useful in a Swedish context. The 4,256 Swedish eighth-grade students involved in TIMSS 2003 participated in the study. Items in the TIMSS Student Background Questionnaire asking for motivational beliefs were subjected to item analyses, principal components analyses, and confirmatory factor analyses. Factor scores were saved and regressed on mathematics score. The results indicated that the MSC scale was internally consistent, showed a simple factor structure that fitted the data rather well, and was positively related to mathematics achievement. The VoM scale was unrelated to mathematics score, showed a poor model-data fit, and the items in the scale were rather heterogeneous. The findings are discussed from an expectancy-value perspective and suggestions for researchers performing secondary analyses on TIMSS data are presented.
The paper considers the main results and some educational implications of the TIMSS 2003 assessment conducted in Serbia in the fields of the science achievement of Serbian eighth grade students and ...the science curriculum context of their achievement. There were 4264 students in the sample. It was confirmed that Serbian eighth graders had made average scale score of 468 points in the science, and with this achievement they are placed in the zone of the top of low international benchmarking level, very close to the point of intermediate benchmark. The average science achievement of the Serbian eighth graders is somewhat below the general international science achievement. The best results were achieved in the science content domain of "chemistry", and the lower results in the content domain of "environmental science". Across the defined science cognitive domains, it was confirmed that the Serbian students had achieved the best results in cognitive domain of "factual knowledge" and weaker results in "reasoning and analysis". The achieved results raise many questions about contents of the science curriculum in Serbia, its overall quality and basic characteristics of its implementation. These results can be eligibly used to improve the science curricula and teaching in Serbian primary school. .
U radu se razmatraju glavni rezultati i odredjene pedagoske implikacije istrazivanja TIMSS 2003 realizovanog u Srbiji, u oblasti utvrdjivanja postignuca ucenika osmog razreda iz prirodnih nauka, u kontekstu nastavnih programa za prirodne nauke. Ustanovljeno je da su ucenici osmog razreda u Srbiji, uzorak od 4.296 ucenika, postigli rezultat od 468 skalnih poena i sa ovim postignucem oni se nalaze u vrhu niskog medjunarodnog referentnog nivoa, veoma blizu granice srednjeg medjunarodnog nivoa. Prosecno postignuce ucenika osmog razreda je nesto ispod opsteg medjunarodnog proseka u oblasti prirodnih nauka. Najbolji rezultat postignut je u oblasti hemije, a najslabiji rezultat u oblasti nauke o zivotnoj sredini. U okviru definisanih kognitivnih domena za prirodne nauke, utvrdjeno je da su ucenici osmog razreda u Srbiji postigli najbolje rezultate u okviru kognitivnog domena "znanje cinjenica" a najslabije rezultate u okviru domena "rezonovanje i analiza". Postignuti rezultati otvaraju brojna pitanja o sadrzaju nastavnih programa za prirodne nauke u Srbiji i karakteristikama njihove implementacije. Ovi rezultati mogu biti na odredjeni nacin korisceni u cilju unapredjenja nastavnog programa i nastave prirodnih nauka u osnovnoj skoli u Srbiji. .
This paper considers the main results and some educational implications of the TIMSS 2003 assessment conducted in Serbia, in the fields of mathematics achievement of Serbian eighth grade students and ...the mathematics curriculum context of their achievement. It was confirmed that Serbian eighth graders have made average scale score of 477 points, and with this achievement they are placed in the zone of intermediate international benchmarking level. The average mathematics achievement of the Serbian eighth graders is somewhat above the average international mathematics achievement. The best result was achieved in the content domain of "algebra", and the lower result in the content domains of "measurement" and "data". In the defined cognitive domains the Serbian students have achieved the best results in "solving routine problems" and "knowing facts and procedures", and the weaker result in "reasoning". Statistically significant difference was found in the mathematics achievement between girls and boys in the Serbian TIMSS 2003 sample, so the girls? average scale score was 480 points and the same value for the boys was 473 points. The achieved results raise many questions about the contents of mathematics curriculum in Serbia, its quality and basic characteristics of its implementation. These results can be eligibly used to improve the mathematics curriculum and teaching in Serbian primary school.
U radu se razmatraju glavni rezultati i odredjene pedagoske implikacije istrazivanja TIMSS 2003 realizovanog u Srbiji, u oblasti utvrdjivanja postignuca ucenika osmog razreda iz matematike, u kontekstu nastavnog programa matematike. Ustanovljeno je da su ucenici osmog razreda u Srbiji postigli rezultat od 477 skalnih poena i sa ovim rezultatom oni se nalaze u oblasti srednjeg medjunarodnog referentnog nivoa. Najbolji rezultat iz matematike postignut je u oblasti "algebra", a najslabiji rezultati u oblastima "merenje" i "podaci". U okviru definisanih kognitivnih domena osmaci u Srbiji postigli su najbolje rezultate u okviru domena "resavanje rutinskih problema" i "znanje cinjenica i postupaka", a najslabiji rezultat u okviru domena "rezonovanje". Statisticki znacajna razlika utvrdjena je za postignuce devojcica i decaka, u okviru TIMSS 2003 uzorka u Srbiji, tako da je prosecan rezultat devojcica 480 skalnih poena, dok je prosecan rezultat decaka 473 skalnih poena. Postignuti rezultati otvaraju brojna pitanja o sadrzaju nastavnog programa matematike u Srbiji, njegovom kvalitetu i realizaciji. Ovi rezultati mogu biti na odredjeni nacin korisceni u cilju unapredjenja nastavnog programa i nastave matematike u osnovnoj skoli u Srbiji.
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