----

##  TIMSS: What Have We Learned about Math and Science Teaching? ERIC               Digest.                                                                      

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS),                  conducted during the 1994-95 school year, has been used extensively             to compare the mathematics and science achievement of students and              the instructional practices of schools worldwide.  TIMSS followed in            the wake of other reports and documents (National Commission on                 Excellence in Education, 1983; National Council of Teachers of                  Mathematics, 1989; 1995; American Association for the Advancement of            science, 1989, 1993; Executive Office of the President, 1990) that              have focused attention on the importance, conditions, and goals of              science and mathematics education.  In addition to providing data on            the progress of U.S. students towards national goals, TIMSS has                 enabled comparisons of some U.S. educational practices to those of              other countries.  Tests were designed to reflect the mathematics and            science curricular goals of several TIMSS countries, and students in            both public and private schools were tested three levels: 9 years of            age, 13 years of age, and those in their final year of secondary                school. CRITICAL QUESTIONSIn the U.S., the TIMSS data have                been used to address five main questions:   (1) How does student                knowledge of mathematics and science in the U.S. compare to that of             students in other nations?  (2) How do science and mathematics                  curricula and expectations for student learning in the U.S. compare             to those of other nations?  (3) How does classroom instruction in               the U.S. compare with that of other nations?  (4) Do U. S. teachers             receive as much support in their efforts to teach as do their                   counterparts in other nations?  and (5) Are U. S. students as                   focused on their studies as their international                                 counterparts? (USDOE, 1997, p. 4). DATA COLLECTION METHODSIn              order to gain a broad picture of educational systems, several                   different types of data were collected: 
* Assessments lasting 90              minutes were administered, with all students receiving both                     multiple-choice and free-response items.  A smaller number of                   participants also completed hands-on assessments. 
* Questionnaires            given to students, teachers, and school administrators focused on               beliefs about mathematics and science, teaching practices, and                  school polices. 
* Curriculum guides and textbooks from                        participating countries were examined to determine subject-matter               content, sequencing, and expected learning outcomes. 
* In the                 U.S., Germany, and Japan, selected classrooms of 13-year-olds were              videotaped so that instructional practices could be studied and                 compared. 
* Researchers spent three months in the U.S., Germany,              and Japan observing and interviewing educators, students, and                   parents to prepare ethnographic case studies.  Findings were used to            evaluate the educational and social environments of schooling in the            three countries. KEY RESULTSAchievement.  U. S. 4th-graders               scored above the international average in both mathematics and                  science, while 8th-graders scored below average in mathematics.                 Mathematics achievement among U.S. students seemed weakest in the               areas of geometry, measurement, and proportionality. 
Curriculum.              The majority of participating countries have a national curriculum,             with only nine, including the U.S., leaving curriculum decisions to             educators at the local or state levels.  The 8th-grade mathematics              curriculum in the U.S. seems comparable to the average 7th-grade                curriculum for other participating countries, putting U.S. students             a full year behind their global counterparts at age thirteen.  Even             though they are falling behind in mathematics, it is interesting to             note that, on average, students in the U.S. spend more hours in                 mathematics and science classes than do students in Germany and                 Japan. Curricular comparisons with Germany and Japan show that less             high-level mathematical thought is required of U.S.                             students. 
Teaching. Through talking with teachers it was                      discovered that the primary goal of U. S. mathematics teachers is to            teach students how to obtain answers, while teachers in other                   countries are more concerned with helping students understand                   mathematical concepts. Also, most Japanese teachers who were                    observed practiced elements of the reform movement, while U. S.                 teachers reported familiarity with reform principles without                    necessarily implementing them (USDOE, 1997). 
Teachers' Lives. U.S.            teachers generally have more college education than their                       international counterparts.  German and Japanese teachers undergo               long-term structured apprenticeship programs, however, and teachers             in Japan reported more opportunities to discuss teaching-related                issues than did U. S. teachers. 
Students' Lives.  Tracking seems              to be implemented differently in the U.S., Germany, and Japan.                  Students of differing abilities are typically divided into separate             classrooms in the U.S. and Germany, but in Japan there is no ability            grouping until after testing at grade ten.  Also, differences in the            content of mathematics courses were noted among different ability               groups in the U.S., while in Germany and Japan the same concepts                were addressed in all groups, with differences being limited to the             depth or rigor of approach. 
More homework is given and more class             time is spent discussing it in the U.S., but time spent on homework             out of school was about the same for all three countries.  Many of              the same distractions are seen in all nations; heavy television                 viewing was noted for both U.S. and Japanese students. 
For more               details about TIMSS and its findings, visit the Website at                      timss.bc.edu/timss1995.html. TIMSS-RIn 1999, the Third                    International Mathematics and Science Study-Repeat (TIMSS-R) focused            on the mathematics and science achievement of 8th-graders. With 38              nations participating, the U.S. was able to compare the achievement             of its 8th-graders in the original TIMSS to the achievement of its              8th-graders four years later, as well as to their international                 counterparts. TIMSS-R also included a videotape study of 8th-grade              mathematics and science teaching in seven nations.   Preliminary                findings include the following: 
* Between 1995 and 1999, there was            no change in 8th-grade mathematics or science achievement in the U,             S. 
* In mathematics, U.S. 8th-graders outperformed peers in 17                nations, and performed lower than peers in 14. 
* In science, U.S.             8th-graders outperformed their peers in 18 nations, and performed               lower than peers in 14. 
* Among the 17 nations whose 4th-graders              participated in the original TIMSS and whose 8th-graders                        participated in TIMSS-R, the relative mathematics and science                   performance of U.S. students was lower for 8th-graders in 1999 than             it was for 4th-graders in 1995. 
* According to their teachers,                U.S. 8th-graders were less likely than their international                      counterparts to be taught mathematics by teachers with a major or               concentration in mathematics, but as likely as international peers              to have teachers who majored in mathematics education. 
* Among                U.S. 8th-graders in 1999, 86% reported working from worksheets or               textbooks on their own almost always or pretty often during                     mathematics lessons, compared to the international average of                   59 %. 
* A higher percentage of U.S. 8th-graders reported that they            could almost always or pretty often begin their mathematics or                  science homework during class (74%and 57%, respectively) than their             international peers (42% and 41%, respectively). 
Finally, compared            to international students in 1999, a higher percentage of U.S.                  8th-graders reported having to explain the reasoning behind an idea             in most science lessons, conducting experiments or investigations in            science lessons, using computers in mathematics and science lessons,            and attending schools with Internet access.  For more information,              visit the TIMSS-R Website at                                                    nces.ed.gov/timss/timss-r/index.asp. CONCLUSIONSThere is no               easy answer to the question of how to help U.S. students move to the            top of the international comparisons, but the results from TIMSS and            TIMSS-R have important implications. The TIMSS National Research                Center suggests:  (a) Providing better preservice and inservice                 opportunities to enhance teacher knowledge of mathematics and                   science; (b) Improving the consistency and focus curricula; (c)                 Increasing opportunities for teachers to interact within and across             subject areas; (4) Aligning national standards, curriculum                      frameworks, instructional methods, and assessment practices; (5)                Eliminating tracking; and (6) Encouraging policy changes that will              support improved curriculum and instruction. 
It is interesting to             note that despite having greater access to computers, the Internet,             and experiential lessons, a higher percentage of U.S. students than             international students reported working on their own from worksheets            and textbooks in 1999. Clearly, the access to more resources within             classrooms has not dramatically altered routine classroom                       experiences. RESOURCESFor more information on TIMSS and                   TIMSS-R, please visit the following Websites: 
U.S. National                   Research Center for TIMSS ustimss.msu.edu 
TIMSS pages at the                  National Center for Educational Statistics nces.ed.gov/timss 
-The             International Study Center at Boston College timss.bc.edu 
TIMSS               resources at the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse                              www.enc.org/topics/timss/ 
-Mathematics and Science Education                  Around the World: What Can We Learn From The Survey of Mathematics              and Science Opportunities (SMSO) and the Third International                    Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)?                                          www.nap.edu/books/0309056314/html/1.html 
Executive summary: A                 Splintered Vision: An Investigation of U.S. Science and Mathematics             Education  ivc.uidaho.edu/timss/splintrd.html 
A TIMSS                         Primer (Fordham Report)                                                         www.edexcellence.net/library/timss.html REFERENCESAmerican                Association for the Advancement of Science. (1989). "Science for all            Americans." New York: Oxford. 
American Association for the                    Advancement of Science.  (1993). "Benchmarks for science literacy."             New York:  Oxford. 
Executive Office of the                                    President.  (1990). "National goals for education."  Washington,                DC:  Author.  [ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 319                    143] 
National Commission on Excellence in Education.  (1983). "A              nation at risk."  Washington, DC:  Author. 
National Council of                Teachers of Mathematics.  (1989). "Curriculum and evaluation                    standards for school mathematics."  Reston, VA:  Author. 
National             Council of Teachers of Mathematics.  (1995). "Professional standards            for teaching mathematics."  Reston, VA:  Author. 
U. S. Department             of Education, Office of Educational Research and                                Improvement.  (1997). "Attaining Excellence: A TIMSS Resource Kit."             Washington, DC: Author. 
U. S. TIMSS National Research Center.  "A             Splintered Vision."  East Lansing, MI:  Michigan State University,              College of Education. 
----- 
This digest was funded by the Office            of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of                     Education, under contract no. ED-99-CO-0024. Opinions expressed in              this digest do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of             OERI or the U.S. Department of Education.                                    **Title:** TIMSS: What Have We Learned about Math and Science Teaching? ERIC               Digest.                                                                      **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC/CSMEE, 1929 Kenny Road, Columbus, OH 43210-1080, email:                    [email protected], website: www.ericse.org                                      **Descriptors:**  Academic Achievement,  Comparative Analysis, Elementary Secondary              Education,  Instruction,  Mathematics Education, Science Education           **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests, Third International Mathematics and Science Study              
###
[Return to ERIC Digest Search Page]