Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2019: National Report for England

The percentage of Year 9 pupils in England performing below the low international benchmark in science has more than doubled in four years.

This study by the UCL Institute of Education has found that teenagers in England are performing significantly worse in science than in 2015. The study looked at the mathematics and science performance of 64 countries in 2019.

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      string(332) "high standard has been maintained at both grades.England’s performance at the international benchmarks· The proportion of pupils reaching each international benchmark in England was usually very close to that of countries performing at a similar level overall, but behind that of the high scoring Pacific Rim countries.· The ..."
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      string(690) "This is the NFER national report for England, detailing England's achievement in TIMSS 2007. TIMSS is a worldwide research project, taking place every four years and providing data about trends in mathematics and science achievement over time. It assesses the knowledge and skills of pupils aged 9-10 and 13-14 around the world, and enables researchers to collect extensive background information about the quantity, quality, and content of teaching, which can be used to make comparisons between participating countries. A conference was held in London in May 2009 for teachers from schools which participated in TIMSS 2007. 
Leadership Briefings Issue 4.02 (38)"
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      string(3727) "high standard has been maintained at both grades.England’s performance at the international benchmarks· The proportion of pupils reaching each international benchmark in England was usually very close to that of countries performing at a similar level overall, but behind that of the high scoring Pacific Rim countries.· The proportion of pupils reaching each international benchmark in England was very similar for grade 4 mathematics and science and for grade 8 science, around 15 per cent for the advanced benchmark, 48 per cent for high, 80 per cent for intermediate and 94 per cent for low. This reflected England’s very close overall scores in these three assessments. The proportions in grade 8 mathematics were lower, matching the lower overall score for this assessment.· The improvement in performance in mathematics at both grades was accompanied by higher numbers of pupils reaching the high and intermediate benchmarks, but not the advanced benchmark. The improved overall performance was associated most strongly by improvement in the middle score range.England’s performance in the content and cognitive domainsWithin England’s high level of performance, relative strengths and weaknesses were:· In grade 4 science England’s performance in the different content areas was reasonably consistent, but at grade 8 greater differences were evident, pupils scoring highest in physics and lowest in earth science.· Differences in mathematics content areas were more marked. In grade 4 the score for number was significantly lower than that for geometric shapes and measures or for data display. At grade 8, data display was England’s real strength and algebra a large weakness.· In the cognitive domains performance at grade 4 was reasonably consistent. In grade 8 science items assessing reasoning were England’s strong point while in grade 8 mathematics scores for applying were lower than those for knowing and reasoning.· Countries outscoring England overall showed varied profiles across both the content and cognitive domains in both subjects and grades. No one pattern of performance was associated with higher score levels than that of England.· Similarly, countries scoring at a similar level to England displayed a range of different relative strengths and weaknesses in both the content and cognitive domains.Gender differences· England was relatively unusual in showing no overall gender differences for mathematics and science in either grade.· Girls improved their performance in grade 4 mathematics, while at grade 8 the boys improved on previous mathematics performance.Attitudes· Between half and two thirds of pupils have a high level of enjoyment and confidence in their learning in mathematics and science, with the exception of mathematics at grade 8, where the comparable figure for enjoyment was only 40 percent.· England’s profile, of high performance but relatively low enjoyment, was common in other high scoring countries.· In each area, boys had higher levels of confidence than girls, despite no overall differences in attainment.· At grade 8, pupils generally valued their learning in mathematics, despite their relative lack of enjoyment of it; they clearly recognise that it can be useful to them. The same is true of science to a lesser extent.The pupils and the home· Computers in the home were almost universal with around 90 per cent of pupils also having internet access.· The amount of books in the home remains high, but grade 8 pupils reported having fewer books than in 2003.ActionNotesAuthorRaspal Chima, Imaginative MindsDate CreatedJune 2009Enquiries to:raspal.chima@yahoo.co.uk (Authoring Unit)Month / YearPage 1 of 1©Birmingham City Council"
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Leadership

TIMSS 2007: National Report for England

12 Jun 2009

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Leadership Briefing 12.06 (138)"
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      string(477) "... reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents.PERFORMANCE IN TIMSS 2015 OFDISADVANTAGED PUPILS IN NORTHERNIRELANDKeywordsDisadvantagedPupils, NorthernIreland,performance,mathematics,science, TIMSS,deprivedbackgrounds,attainmentSummaryThis NFER study uses data from the 2015 cycle of the Trends in International Mathematics andScience Study (TIMSS) to investigate the role socioeconomic ..."
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Leadership Briefing 12.06 (138)"
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      string(4043) "Leadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents.PERFORMANCE IN TIMSS 2015 OFDISADVANTAGED PUPILS IN NORTHERNIRELANDKeywordsDisadvantagedPupils, NorthernIreland,performance,mathematics,science, TIMSS,deprivedbackgrounds,attainmentSummaryThis NFER study uses data from the 2015 cycle of the Trends in International Mathematics andScience Study (TIMSS) to investigate the role socioeconomic status plays in the education of9-10-year olds in Northern Ireland.By using information on home resources and parents’ backgrounds it constructs a new index ofsocioeconomic status that goes beyond the standard analysis usually possible from TIMSS data.The relatively low achievement of young people from more deprived backgrounds has been a matterof recent debate in Northern Ireland. While the focus of the debate is generally attainment at post –primary level, analysis of data from the TIMMSS study gives us the opportunity to examine how gapsmay be apparent at a younger age when they are preparing for their progression to post – primaryschool.Key Findings: ■ There is a strong association between pupils’ socioeconomic status and their attainment in mathsand science. ■ This association is stronger than in other countries and it appears to be increasing. ■ Attainment in mathematics has increased among the most advantaged groups but not among theleast advantaged. ■ Early learning education up to the age of three shows a positive association with TIMSS scores,and higher socioeconomic groups have much higher levels of participation in early learning. ■ Participation in pre-primary education is also associated with higher scores but is more universal,with no difference in participation among socioeconomic groups. ■ Extra mathematics tuition is associated with higher mathematics scores. Those in the highestsocioeconomic group are twice as likely to have extra tuition as those in the lowest.Conclusions: ■ A clear message from this analysis is that socioeconomic background has a strong associationwith TIMSS achievement in Northern Ireland. This is particularly evident in mathematics where,although Northern Ireland achieves well internationally and pupils in the highest socioeconomicWeek Commencing 26th February 2018https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/education/Performance-in-TIMSS-2015-of-disadvantaged-pupils-in-Northern-Ireland.pdfhttps://www.education-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/education/Performance-in-TIMSS-2015-of-disadvantaged-pupils-in-Northern-Ireland.pdfhttps://www.education-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/education/Performance-in-TIMSS-2015-of-disadvantaged-pupils-in-Northern-Ireland.pdfLeadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents.groups have scores which compare well with similarly advantaged pupils in other countries, thepupils in the most deprived groups have much lower scores than their more privileged peers. ■ The gap between the highest and lowest socioeconomic groups in mathematics is the largestamong the comparator countries and has also increased since TIMSS 2011. ■ Analysis of the TIMSS data suggests that this gap is already evident at primary school and that itmay begin to develop even earlier, since those in higher socioeconomic groups are more likely toparticipate in early years education.WEB LINKPerformance In TIMSS 2015 Of Disadvantaged Pupils In Northern Irelandhttps://www.education-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/education/Performance-in-TIMSS-2015-of-disadvantaged-pupils-in-Northern-Ireland.pdf"
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Leadership

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21 Feb 2018

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      string(2099) "elements of Earth Science are taught through the geography curriculum in England).· Teacher career satisfaction in England was similar to or higher than in the highest achieving countries. However, higher levels of career satisfaction did not appear to be associated with increased pupil achievement.· More collaborative teaching practices were reported in primary schools compared with secondary schools. Nearly half of Year 5 pupils were taught by teachers who had very collaborative teaching practices whereas the equivalent percentage for Year 9 pupils was approximately a quarter.· In England, headteachers’ and teachers’ reports indicated a higher emphasis on academic success compared with other participating countries. This was found at both primary and secondary level for both subjects.· There was a positive association between average achievement in Year 5 mathematics and science and attending a school perceived to be safe and orderly. This relationship was not seen for Year 9 mathematics and science.· Most Year 5 pupils attended schools where there were hardly any perceived discipline or safety issues. This was not so for Year 9 pupils: fewer than a fifth of Year 9 pupils were in schools perceived to have Hardly Any discipline or safety issues.· For both subjects at Year 5, there was a difference in the average achievement scores between pupils whose teachers reported that their ability to teach is limited a lot (by disruptive or uninterested pupils) and those who reported that their teaching is limited to some extent or not at all. The same only applied to mathematics at Year 9.· Sizeable proportions of pupils (just under half at Year 5 and just over two thirds at Year 9) reported that they almost never experienced bullying behaviours. However, 20 per cent of Year 5 pupils in England reported that they experienced some form of bullying behaviour about weekly, corresponding to the international average.ActionNotesAuthorR ChimaDate CreatedDecember 2012Enquiries to:raspal.chima@yahoo.co.uk(Authoring Unit)Month / YearPage 1 of 1©Birmingham City Council"
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      string(2401) "family wealth, fewer home educational resources (such as access to a desk or the internet) and fewer ICT resources, they reported significantly greater enjoyment of reading than their counterparts in the UK, and they reported having more cultural possessions in their homes such as musical instruments, books and works of art. Both of these factors are associated with higher reading scores. Family attitudes towards reading have been shown to impact on the performance of pupils from lower income households. Lower-attaining pupils in the Republic of Ireland were also found to have higher aspirations for the future and more positive perception of their reading competence.Taking the learning forwardWhile experts in all UK countries and in Republic of Ireland identified many similar areas of effective reading policy, probably the main difference between the UK countries and the Republic of Ireland is the timescale during which education policy has been specifically targeted at disadvantaged pupils. Although there has been an increased focus on this in UK countries since the early 2000s, in the Republic of Ireland it began several decades earlier. Education policy takes time to become fully embedded in practice and even longer to be reflected in pupil attainment. Nevertheless, international studies such as PISA, PIRLS and TIMSS provide a wealth of data to support reflective practice and policy analysis of system level successes. Countries can compare and learn from each other as the UK countries have explored the Republic of Ireland’s approach to literacy policy. Other English-speaking countries may well look to policy in England to unpick the reasons for its strong performance in science, just as many countries have embraced Shanghai maths. Cultural differences between countries are clearly important when making comparisons and there is increasing interest in important non-cognitive measures that look beyond simple attainment, such as pupil well-being. There are clear advantages from sharing learning between countries so that the learning experiences and life experiences of our children and young people can be improved.Juliet Sizmur is aSenior Research Manager at  the National Foundation for Educational Research in the UKThe report: https://www.nfer.ac.uk/pisa-2018-additional-analyses-using-pisa-2018-to-inform-policy-learning-from-the-republic-of-ireland/"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

What Lies Beneath Ireland’s Striking Success In Reading Literacy?

18 Jul 2021

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