TIMSS Advanced 2008

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study Advanced 2008

First administered in 16 countries in 1995, the IEA Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) Advanced 2008 assessed school-leaving students with special preparation in advanced mathematics and physics.

The advanced mathematics assessment covered three content areas: algebra, calculus, and geometry. The physics assessment measured four content areas: mechanics, electricity and magnetism, heat and temperature, and atomic and nuclear physics. Three cognitive domains (knowing, applying, and reasoning) were assessed in relation to the mathematics and physics content. The study also measured changes in students' achievement between 1995 and 2008 for the five countries that participated in both cycles of the project. The data collection was conducted in 2008.

For the advanced mathematics assessment, the target population consisted of students in their final year of secondary school who were taking or had taken courses in advanced mathematics. For physics, the target population was final-year secondary students who were taking or had taken courses in physics.

Depending on the size of the country and the percentages of students in these courses or tracks/programs, the size of the target population varied from country to country. The representative sample for most countries involved a minimum of 120 schools and approximately 2,000 students from each target population, allowing the same schools to be selected for both populations where appropriate.

Armenia, Iran, Italy, Lebanon, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Russian Federation, Slovenia, and Sweden.

Curriculum for advanced mathematics and physics

The percentages of students having received advanced mathematics education in each of the participating countries ranged from 40.5% in Slovenia and 20% in Italy, to 1.4% in the Russian Federation and just about 1% in the Philippines. In physics, the TIMSS coverage index was more comparable across countries than was the case for advanced mathematics, ranging from 11% in Sweden to 2.6% in the Russian Federation.

The programs for advanced mathematics and physics varied considerably in duration and intensity across countries, illustrating the wide range of educational choices that were in effect in those countries. The programs in advanced mathematics and physics ranged from two to five years, though in general, students had fewer instructional hours in physics than in mathematics. Students in Iran, Lebanon, and the Russian Federation received over 200 hours of advanced mathematics instruction per year, which was higher than in most of the participating countries (whose programs ranged from 100 to 200 instructional hours per year). In physics, the number of instructional hours per year was in the range of 100 to 140 hours for most countries, with Lebanon reporting a somewhat higher time allocation of 166 hours per year.

Student achievement

Within most countries, there was a wide range between the highest and lowest achieving students. Across countries, there was also a large gap between the highest and lowest performing countries. In advanced mathematics, the three top performing countries (Russian Federation, Netherlands, Lebanon) scored higher than the international average and had very similar levels of achievement compared to the rest of the participating countries.

In physics, the Netherlands was the top performer. The next highest achieving countries, Slovenia and Norway, had very similar average achievement. These three countries, together with the Russian Federation, had higher achievement in physics than the majority of other participants.

Among the four countries measuring trends in advanced mathematics, the Russian Federation showed little change in average achievement since 1995, while there were declines in the other three countries. In physics, Slovenia had essentially no change in average achievement between the 1995 and 2008 assessments. The other three countries showed signs of decline, with significant decreases in two countries.

Gender differences

In most countries, the majority of students taking advanced courses in mathematics were male. In the Netherlands, Lebanon, Italy, Norway, and Sweden, there were 60% or more male students. In contrast, there was a 60/40 split favoring female students in the Philippines and Slovenia. On average, female students had significantly higher achievement in Lebanon, while male students had significantly higher achievement in the Philippines, Iran, Slovenia, the Russian Federation, and Sweden.

In all countries except Armenia, more males than females were studying physics. At the extreme, 81% of the physics students were male in the top performing Netherlands, and more than 70% were male in Slovenia, Lebanon, and Norway. There was little or no difference in average achievement between female and male students in Slovenia, Armenia, Sweden, and Lebanon. In the other five countries (Russian Federation, Iran, Italy, Norway, Netherlands), male students had significantly higher average achievement than female students.

Learning and teaching

Calculators were used much more frequently than computers in advanced mathematics and physics classes, though this varied across countries.

Almost all of the students taking courses in advanced mathematics or physics indicated that they planned to continue their education after finishing secondary school. Students planned to study a variety of subjects in their post-secondary careers. Engineering was the most popular choice for both advanced mathematics and physics students, with more choosing it than any other field in a number of countries. Business was the next most popular choice.

A striking result is that many of the TIMSS Advanced teachers were nearing retirement age. In a number of countries, around 60% or more of the advanced mathematics or physics students were taught by teachers who were at least 50 years old. Most of these teachers were very experienced and well educated, with postgraduate degrees.

For more information, please contact the TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center.

Arora, A., Foy, P., Martin, M.O., & Mullis, I.V.S. (Eds.). (2009). TIMSS Advanced 2008 technical report. Chestnut Hill, MA: Boston College.

Foy, P., & Arora, A. (Eds.). (2009). TIMSS Advanced 2008 user guide for the international database. Chestnut Hill, MA: Boston College.

Garden, R.A., Lie, S., Robitaille, D.F., Angell, C., Martin, M.O., Mullis, I.V.S., Foy, P., & Arora, A. (2006). TIMSS Advanced 2008 assessment frameworks. Chestnut Hill, MA: Boston College.

Mullis, I.V.S., Martin, M.O., Robitaille, D.F., & Foy, P. (2009). TIMSS Advanced 2008 international report: Findings from IEA's study of achievement in advanced mathematics and physics in the final year of secondary school. Chestnut Hill, MA: Boston College.