IEA has released a new TIMSS 2023 Insights report, Student Absenteeism and Academic Achievement: Evidence from the TIMSS 2023 Longitudinal Study, examining the relationship between student absences, achievement, and learning growth.
Drawing on data from the TIMSS 2023 Longitudinal Study, the report explores patterns of student-reported absences across Grades 4 and 5 in 2023 and 2024. It examines the extent to which absences across the two years are associated with mathematics and science achievement in Grade 5, after accounting for students’ prior achievement in Grade 4 and other contextual factors.
The report investigates patterns across participating education systems* and considers how continued absences relate to student achievement and learning growth.
By following students over two years, the analysis sheds light on how patterns of absence are linked to students’ achievement and learning growth. The report concludes with key takeaways and suggestions for future research using TIMSS 2023 Longitudinal data, including alternative analytical approaches and opportunities to extend the analysis to Grades 8 and 9.
Key Takeaways
- In Grades 4 and 5, regular school attendance is the norm for many students in the TIMSS 2023 Longitudinal education systems. In seven of nine education systems, more than 50 percent of students were rarely absent in either assessment year. Conversely, 20 percent or less were frequently absent in both years for all nine education systems.
- Students who reported high rates of absenteeism in Grade 4 did not necessarily report the same level of absenteeism in Grade 5. This finding suggests that frequent absences in one year, while still potentially harmful, do not necessarily imply that a student is on a long-term trajectory of showing frequent absences throughout schooling.
- Students’ reports of frequent absences in Grade 4, Grade 5, or both grades are strong negative predictors of mathematics and science achievement, with more recent absences appearing to be more detrimental. This suggests that it may be possible for students to recoup missed learning due to absences over time, provided that frequent absences do not continue across multiple school years.
Read the Full Report
TIMSS 2023 Longitudinal Publications
TIMSS 2023 Longitudinal International Results in Mathematics and Science: provides a summary of student growth in mathematics and science between the fourth and fifth and eighth and ninth grades, as well as how contextual factors relate to students’ achievement and growth.
TIMSS 2023 Longitudinal Technical Report: details operational and analytical procedures specific to TIMSS 2023 Longitudinal.
TIMSS 2023 Longitudinal Context Questionnaires: shows the international versions of the contextual questionnaires to which students, parents, school principals, and teachers responded in 2024.
TIMSS 2023 Longitudinal International Database: includes data collected from the mathematics and science assessments and context questionnaires and achievement and contextual scale estimates, as well as estimates for growth in achievement between the two assessment years. The accompanying User Guide provides information about database contents and analysis resources.
* Exhibit 1: TIMSS 2023 Longitudinal Participants
