Key Findings

Science achievement of New Zealand Year 9 students since 1994

• The average (mean) science achievement of New Zealand Year 9 students in 2023 was similar to the first cycle in 1994 (not statistically different) but significantly¹ lower than 2002 and 2014.
• The range (interquartile) of science achievement among Year 9 students in New Zealand in 2023 was wide compared to earlier cycles and compared to high-performing and the English-speaking countries.
• While New Zealand’s mean science achievement hasn’t changed since 2019, only 3 countries had a significant increase in average score. Fifteen countries had a significant decrease in science score in 2023 compared with the previous cycle.

Classifying New Zealand Year 9 students’ performances

• Ten percent of New Zealand Year 9 students were classified as advanced performers (reached the advanced benchmark) in 2023, while 16 percent were classified as below low performers who did not perform simple scientific tasks.
• The proportions of Year 9 students reaching the advanced benchmark was significantly higher in 2023 compared with the previous cycle in 2019, though there were no significant changes in any other benchmark.

Strengths and weaknesses of New Zealand Year 9 students within science

• The area of Earth science was a relative strength for Year 9 students in 2023, while biology was a relative weakness.
• Between 2019 and 2023 New Zealand Year 9 student’s performance increased significantly on chemistry but not on any other area of science.

TIMSS and the New Zealand science curriculum

• When the TIMSS test was compared to curriculum expectations for New Zealand Year 9 students, 82 percent of the score points were considered relevant to mathematics in the NZC. That is, eighteen percent of the score points were considered more advanced than our curriculum.
• When analysis reduced the test to contain only those questions appropriate to New Zealand Year 9 students, the average science score would not have improved by much and other lower secondary students in high-performing countries would still have done much better, on average, on the test.

Science achievement of Year 9 boys, girls, and those who identified with another gender

• The average Year 9 boy had higher science achievement than the average Year 9 girl. The average student of another gender did not have significantly different science achievement from the average boy or the average girl.
• 2023 is the third cycle when Year 9 boys had higher science achievement than girls, the other two cycles being 1994 and 2010.

Footnote

1. The word 'significant' is used to describe statistical significance. Statistical tests show that these results are 95% certain.