Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is a series of international assessments carried out in countries around the world to measure trends in mathematics and science learning at middle primary and lower secondary school levels. New Zealand took part in this mathematics and science study in 1994, 1998 and most recently in 2002 (TIMSS-02/03). New Zealand is currently taking part in the fourth cycle of TIMSS (TIMSS-06/07).

Executive Summary

The international findings for TIMSS-02/03 were released in December 2004. The Ministry of Education prepared two summary reports on these international results, with a focus on New Zealand. These were sent out to all primary and secondary schools to coincide with the international release.¹

The frameworks underlying TIMSS assessments are organised along two dimensions – content domains and cognitive domains. To respond to TIMSS test items, students need to be familiar with the five content areas,² but they also need to draw on a range of cognitive skills.

Since the first round of TIMSS in 1994, we have reported on both overall mathematics achievement and achievement for each content domain. More recently, however, the TIMSS international research team undertook a developmental project to describe mathematics achievement by three mutually exclusive cognitive domains. This report focuses on the achievement of New Zealand students in an international context in each of those cognitive domains.

The three cognitive domains cover the set of behaviours, skills and abilities expected of students as they engage with mathematics content.³ They are:

• Knowing facts, procedures and concepts;
• Applying knowledge and understanding; and
• Reasoning.

This summary is an overview of the findings from the developmental project on achievement in mathematics cognitive domains.⁴ It is based on the data from TIMSS-02/03, the third cycle of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. In New Zealand approximately 4,300 Year 5 students, 3,800 Year 9 students and 600 teachers from 390 schools participated in the study in November 2002.

Key Findings

• Overall, the performance of New Zealand Year 5 and Year 9 students in TIMSS-02/03 was stronger in the area of cognitive reasoning, which requires students to go beyond the solution of routine problem solving, than in the domains of knowing facts, procedures and concepts, or applying knowledge and understanding.
• The performance of New Zealand Year 9 students was typically stronger than that of Year 5 students across all three domains, when placed in an international context.
• Gender gaps in achievement were minimal in all domains except for reasoning at Year 9 level, where on average, girls achieved at a significantly⁵ higher level than boys.

Footnotes

1. These two summaries provide an overview of the mathematics and science achievement results. Information on students’ attitudes to mathematics and science are also presented, as well as descriptions of the home, school and classroom environments.
2. The five content areas are number, patterns and relationships (Year5)/algebra (Year 9), measurement, geometry and data.
3. The rationale for the third cycle of TIMSS in 2002-2003 is set out in the TIMSS Assessment Frameworks and Specifications. This document included both mathematics and science content and the cognitive domains which were to be assessed. The work from this developmental project has subsequently contributed to updating the framework for the fourth cycle of TIMSS: the TIMSS 2007 Assessment Frameworks.
4. The information presented in this summary is drawn from material presented in IEA’s TIMSS 2003 International Report on Achievement in the Mathematical Cognitive Domains: Findings from a Developmental Project.
5. The use of the term ‘significant’ refers to statistical significance at the 0.05 level.