Excellence gaps are differences in advanced education outcomes among student groups. This study replicates and extends an earlier study on the prevalence and magnitude of excellence gaps based on student sex and immigrant status using Grade 8 TIMSS data. Data were included for the 12 countries that have participated in each TIMSS administration…

Globally, the private school share of enrollment increased from about 14 percent in 2000 to about 18 percent in 2019. We estimate the systemic effect of private enrollment share on learning outcomes. Estimates of the systemic effect of private school enrollment capture any competitive effects as well as any differences between public and private…

We investigated two research questions: which students are more likely to respond inconsistently to mixed-worded questionnaire scales, and which country samples have larger shares of inconsistent respondents? We defined an inconsistent response as strongly agreeing or disagreeing with both positively and negatively worded items of the same scale.…

The aim of this study was to identify students' motivational beliefs in science and revealed the connections between the profiles and three cognitive dimensions of science achievement through the examination of the socio-economic status (SES) and gender covariates of the profile memberships. Latent profile analysis using science motivational…

This study capitalizes on response and process data from the computer-based TIMSS 2019 Problem Solving and Inquiry tasks to investigate gender differences in test-taking behaviors and their association with mathematics achievement at the eighth grade. Specifically, a recently proposed hierarchical speed-accuracy-revisits (SAR) model was adapted to…

In poor-performing, resource-constrained education systems, such as South Africa, solutions to improve academic achievement have tended to focus on resources and cognitive factors. An area that requires more attention is the importance of non-cognitive, psychosocial factors and their relationship with academic performance. These factors are…

Background: Comparative educational research has studied inequality in educational outcomes through large-scale assessments like PISA and TIMSS, by identifying achievement gaps within social groups (e.g., gender, parental education, and immigrant gaps) to inform investment in intervention programs and educational policies. However, the focus of…

This study was to examine the big-fish-little-pond effects (BFLPE) on mathematics achievement by the students' positive attitude toward mathematics (PATM) of Taiwanese eighth-grade students in the Trends of International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The SLM (students like learning mathematics), SVM (students value mathematics), and SCM…

This study aims to develop an evaluation framework to assess the mathematical deductive reasoning competence (MDRC) of eighth-grade students in China based on Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The framework includes four dimensions of MDRC: cognitive level,…

In this research, structural equation modeling and TIMSS data were employed to examine the impact of school belonging on math achievement among secondary students in Japan, Korea, and the United States, with a focus on the roles of math attitude and disorderly behavior. Utilizing SmartPLS 4.0, the study delved into the reliability and validity of…

Digital literacy is considered to be crucial for social and professional participation. Hence, several projects have been launched in school, as well as extracurricular activities to promote digital literacy in middle school. They aim, among other things, to increase interest in the so-called STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and…

The quality of education is a predictor of a country's economic performance -- which is why comparative international education surveys are important. South Africa performed poorly in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 2019. The score of 374 for mathematics and 324 for science is poor compared to the mid-point of…

According to the World Economic Forum, the occupational gender gap with men dominating well-remunerated STEM careers is a key factor in the gender pay gap. However, the problem of underrepresentation of women in STEM fields is mitigated or reversed in some Eastern European and Islamic countries. This disparity suggests that cultural factors are at…