The lack of exposure to practical work in primary schools leads to incompetency in manipulative skills and students may carry this problem with them to secondary school. To address this issues, an in-depth qualitative study was conducted during transition from primary to secondary school. The research involved 10 primary school students (grade 6)…

The results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) published in 1977 suggested that the achievement of New Zealand students in science could be considerably improved. A significant barrier to improving achievement, particularly in the physical sciences, was identified as a lack of teacher knowledge of the scientific…

Discusses physics, earth science, and physical science concepts that are challenging for students and teachers because they are difficult to understand and demonstrate. Identifies ratio and inverse-square as a unifying-concept approach according to the National Education Standards. Supports teaching based on student-centered activities, long-term…

This study was conceived when it was observed that in the laboratory, with few exceptions, college freshmen chemistry students did not know how to make accurate measurements. Once the students were made aware of this, they easily learned how. From this experience and in the interest of breaking the cycle, it was decided to assess the ability of…

Describes mathematics and science instruction in the Czech Republic and results from the performance assessment of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Czech performance on the written test was excellent, but performance assessment results show the low priority given hands-on tasks and performance assessment in the Czech…

Discusses results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in the Netherlands. The TIMSS was given at a time of curricular innovation in the Netherlands. By the time of the 1999 TIMSS data collection, students may be more used to hands-on tasks than they are at present. (SLD)

Describes the achievement of Israeli fourth and eight graders on the performance assessment of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The Israeli educational system has stressed practical tasks, and as expected, performance of Israeli students on the TIMSS performance assessment is quite high. (SLD)

This report is the second in a series of monographs in which the results of Australian student performance in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) are presented. The main purpose of these reports is to describe the schools, teachers, and students who participated in TIMSS and to present student achievement results.…

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) covered five different grade levels, with more than 40 countries collecting data in more than 30 different languages. More than a million students were tested. The present report contains the TIMSS results for students in the final year of secondary school. Mathematics and science…