TIMSS 2019 International Results: Home, School, and Classroom Contexts for Teaching and Learning

Summary

TIMSS 2019 provides critical insights into the factors affecting student achievement in mathematics and science globally. The study found that early learning, parental engagement, and a supportive home environment are key to higher academic success. Schools emphasizing academic success, with a focus on teacher quality and a safe, disciplined environment, also correlate with better achievement. Furthermore, students' sense of school belonging and positive attitudes toward learning significantly influence performance. However, professional development gaps for teachers highlight the need for improved training in areas like technology integration and critical thinking. These findings can help shape educational policies to improve outcomes worldwide.

Takeaways

• 😀 TIMSS is the world's longest-running global assessment of student achievement in mathematics and science, providing valuable data for policymakers and educators.
• 😀 TIMSS has been monitoring trends in student achievement for 24 years, collecting data on a 4-year cycle to support curriculum and policy changes.
• 😀 Contextual data gathered by TIMSS helps understand the influence of home and school environments on student learning and academic success.
• 😀 Students with more educational resources at home, such as books and internet access, tend to perform better in mathematics and science.
• 😀 An early start in literacy and numeracy activities, as well as attending preprimary education, correlates with higher academic achievement later on.
• 😀 Schools that emphasize academic success, with well-prepared teachers and supportive parents, see higher achievement from their students.
• 😀 A strong sense of school belonging is associated with higher student achievement, especially when students have good relationships with their teachers.
• 😀 Schools with fewer discipline problems and safer environments generally show higher student achievement in both mathematics and science.
• 😀 Bullying, including cyberbullying, negatively impacts student achievement, with students experiencing bullying performing worse on assessments.
• 😀 Students with positive attitudes toward mathematics and science, including confidence in their abilities, tend to achieve higher scores in these subjects.
• 😀 Teacher clarity in instruction, including clear expectations and effective teaching methods, is strongly linked to higher student achievement in both mathematics and science.

Q & A

What is the TIMSS assessment, and how long has it been conducted?

TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) is the world's longest-running global assessment of student achievement in mathematics and science. It has been conducted for 24 years, gathering data every 4 years.

How does TIMSS contribute to educational policy and practice?

TIMSS provides high-quality data that policymakers and educators use to make informed decisions on curriculum and policy changes. It also offers insights into the home, school, and classroom contexts that influence student learning.

How many students participated in TIMSS 2019, and from how many countries?

In TIMSS 2019, nearly 600,000 students from 64 countries and 8 benchmarking systems participated.

What is the significance of early educational engagement, according to TIMSS?

TIMSS found that students whose parents engaged them in literacy and numeracy activities at an early age had higher achievement later in school, particularly by the time they reached fourth grade. Attending preprimary education was also associated with higher achievement.

What role do teachers and principals play in influencing student achievement according to TIMSS?

TIMSS indicates that schools with highly skilled teachers, a strong emphasis on academic success, and supportive parents contribute to higher student achievement. Principals report that schools with a high focus on academic goals see better performance, especially at eighth grade.

How does a student's sense of school belonging impact their academic performance?

Students with a higher sense of school belonging—those who like being at school, feel they belong, and have good relationships with teachers—tend to have higher average achievement in both mathematics and science.

What were the trends in school safety and discipline problems according to the TIMSS data?

The TIMSS data showed that most students attended schools with safe environments and minimal discipline problems. However, while 60% of fourth-grade students were in schools with no discipline issues, this number decreased to 45% at eighth grade. Higher achievement was linked to schools with fewer discipline problems.

How do bullying behaviors affect student achievement according to the TIMSS report?

TIMSS found that students who were bullied more frequently had considerably lower average achievement. Students who were never or almost never bullied performed better academically in both mathematics and science.

What did TIMSS reveal about students' attitudes toward mathematics and science?

TIMSS showed that students with positive attitudes toward mathematics and science—those who enjoy learning the subjects and feel confident in them—achieved better in both subjects. However, negative attitudes toward mathematics were more common in eighth grade (41%) than in fourth grade (20%).

What role does teacher clarity in instruction play in student achievement according to TIMSS?

TIMSS found that higher student achievement was linked to greater clarity in teacher instruction. Students who reported that their teachers were clear and effective in explaining concepts performed better in both mathematics and science.