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TIMSS 07 : Taking a Closer Look at Mathematics and Science in Australia Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Catherine Underwood and Marina Nicholas

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TIMSS 07 : Taking a Closer Look at Mathematics and Science in Australia Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Catherine Underwood and Marina Nicholas TIMSS 07: Taking a closer look at mathematics and science in Australia TIMSS 07 Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Catherine Underwood and Marina Nicholas : Taking a closer look at mathematics and science in Australia : Taking www.acer.edu.au Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Catherine Underwood and Marina Nicholas Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Results from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007 National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Author: Thomson, Sue. Title: TIMSS 07 : taking a closer look at mathematics and science in Australia/ Sue Thomson ... [et al.]. ISBN: 9780864319166 (pbk.) Series: TIMSS Australia monograph ; 11. Notes: Bibliography. Subjects: Mathematics--Study and teaching--Australia--Evaluation. Mathematical ability--Testing--Statistics. Science--Study and teaching--Australia--Evaluation. Scientific ability--Australia--Statistics. Other Authors/ Contributors: Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. Australian Council for Educational Research. Dewey Number: 371.260994 ❖ Table of Contents Executive Summary . i List of Tables . xi List of Figures . .xiv Acknowledgements . xvii Membership of the National Advisory Committee . .xviii Reader’s Guide . .xix Chapter 1 Introduction . .1 Why TIMSS . .1 Research model for IEA studies . .2 Organisation of TIMSS . .3 What is assessed in TIMSS? . .4 Development of the TIMSS assessment tasks . .4 What did TIMSS 2007 participants do? . .4 How results are reported . .5 Who participates in TIMSS? . .6 Countries . .6 Schools and students . .6 TIMSS and PISA . .9 Organisation of this report . .9 Chapter 2 Assessing mathematics and science in TIMSS . .11 The Australian education system . .11 National goals for schooling . .12 Statements of learning . .12 TIMSS and the National Assessment Program . .12 How are mathematics and science assessed in TIMSS? . .13 Content domains . .13 Cognitive domains . .15 Scientific inquiry . .15 TIMSS Contextual Framework . .16 The structure of the TIMSS assessment . .16 Question types and scoring the responses . .17 TIMSS benchmarks . .18 Year 4 Mathematics – Descriptors of performance at the international benchmarks . .19 Year 4 Mathematics – Performance at the advanced international benchmark . .20 Year 4 Mathematics – Performance at the high international benchmark . .21 Year 4 Mathematics – Performance at the intermediate international benchmark . .23 Year 4 Mathematics – Performance at the low international benchmark . .24 TIMSS 2007: Taking a closer look at mathematics and science in Australia Year 4 Science – Descriptors of performance at the international benchmarks . .25 Year 4 Science – Performance at the advanced international benchmark . .26 Year 4 Science – Performance at the high international benchmark . .28 Year 4 Science – Performance at the intermediate international benchmark . .30 Year 4 Science – Performance at the low international benchmark . .31 Year 8 Mathematics – Descriptors of performance at the international benchmarks . .33 Year 8 Mathematics – Performance at the advanced international benchmark . .35 Year 8 Mathematics – Performance at the high international benchmark . .37 Year 8 Mathematics – Performance at the intermediate international benchmark . .38 Year 8 Mathematics – Performance at the low international benchmark . .40 Year 8 Science – Descriptors of performance at the international benchmarks . .41 Year 8 Science – Performance at the advanced international benchmark . .43 Year 8 Science – Performance at the high international benchmark . .45 Year 8 Science – Performance at the intermediate international benchmark . .46 Year 8 Science – Performance at the low international benchmark . .48 Chapter 3 Australian students’ achievement in mathematics . .49 Overall achievement in mathematics . .49 An international perspective . .49 Performance at the international benchmarks . .54 Performance by gender . .58 Performance by state . .62 Gender differences by state . .65 Performance at the international benchmarks by state . .66 Performance at the international benchmarks by gender within states . .67 Performance of Indigenous students . .69 Performance by geographic location of the school . .71 Performance by language background . .74 Performance by level of parental education . .76 Achievement in the TIMSS content and cognitive domains . .78 Achievement in the content and cognitive domains by state . .82 Achievement in the content and cognitive domains by gender . .87 Summary . .88 Chapter 4 Australian students’ achievement in science . .91 Overall achievement in science . .91 An international perspective . .91 Performance at the international benchmarks . .96 Performance by gender . .100 Performance by state . .104 Gender differences by state . .107 Performance at the international benchmarks by state . .108 Performance at the international benchmarks by gender within states . .109 Performance of Indigenous students . .110 Performance by geographic location of the school . .112 Performance by language background . .115 Performance by level of parental education . .117 Achievement in the TIMSS content and cognitive domains . .119 Achievement in the content and cognitive domains by state . .123 Achievement in the content and cognitive domains by gender . .128 Summary . .129 TIMSS 2007: Taking a closer look at mathematics and science in Australia Chapter 5 Trends in mathematics and science achievement . .133 International trends in Year 4 mathematics . .134 International trends in Year 8 mathematics . .136 International trends in Year 4 science . .138 International trends in Year 8 science . .140 State trends in Year 4 mathematics . .142 State trends in Year 8 mathematics . .142 State trends in Year 4 science . .143 State trends in Year 8 science . .143 International cohort comparisons . .144 State cohort comparisons . .145 Trends in achievement by gender . .146 Mathematics . .146 Science . .147 Trends for Indigenous students . .148 Summary . .149 Chapter 6 Student home background factors, attitudes, aspirations and their relationship to achievement . .151 Educational resources in the home . .151 Books in the home . .151 Computers and Internet access in the home . .153 Computer use at home and at school . .154 Time spent on mathematics and science homework . .156 Students’ attitudes toward mathematics and science . .161 Students’ positive affect toward mathematics and science . .161 Students’ valuing of mathematics and science . .164 Students’ self-confidence in learning mathematics and science . .165 Gender and self-confidence in learning mathematics and science . .168 Students’ attitudes toward school . .171 Students’ positive affect toward school . .171 Students’ educational aspirations . .172 Summary . .172 Chapter 7 The contexts of learning mathematics and science in Australia: TIMSS schools and teachers . .175 Australian mathematics and science teachers and their preparation for teaching . .176 Age and gender . ..
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