Canadian students scored significantly higher than the international
average in the world’s largest test of mathematics and science skills
written by students representing more than 40 countries.
Results of phase one of the Third International Mathematics and
Science Study (TIMSS), surveying grades 7 and 8 students, indicate
that Canadian Grade 8 students averaged 59 per cent in both subjects,
four percentage points higher than the international mean in mathematics,
and three percentage points higher than the international mean in
science.
Comparing overall achievement in mathematics between Canada and
other participating nations, 10 scored higher, 10 attained the same
results and 20 had lower averages. In science, nine countries surpassed
Canadian scores, 14 achieved the same averages and 17 scored lower.
“The results will help Canadian educators and policy-makers in
planning for reform of curriculum and teaching in these two important
areas so that Canadian students can be given the best education
we can provide,” said Prof. David Robitaille, international co-ordinator
of TIMSS and head of UBC Faculty of Education’s Dept. of Curriculum
Studies.
For the first time in an international study, Canada was represented
by a national sample of schools, including public, private, separate,
and English and French-speaking. Five provinces–B.C., Alberta,
Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland–selected samples large
enough to make inter-provincial comparisons possible.
British Columbia and Alberta placed higher in mathematics than
Canada as a whole while both Ontario and New Brunswick scored significantly
lower than the Canadian average.
“Overall, the performance of Canadian students was very good, but
there are important differences among the provinces,” Robitaille
said. “Undoubtedly, the ministries of education involved will want
to closely examine the implications of those differences.”
About 500,000 students in 15,000 schools worldwide participated
in the study, launched in 1991, which compared mathematics and science
curricula and teaching methods of school systems, as well as achievement
scores and attitudes of students toward the subjects. Approximately
150,000 of those students were involved in the grades 7 and 8 surveys
and tests.
Each student wrote one 90-minute test containing mathematics and
science components, and responded to a questionnaire. All test materials
were developed in English then translated by participants into 30
other languages. Final translations were verified and approved centrally.
In addition to testing grade 7 and 8 mathematics and science students,
surveys and tests were also performed of Grade 3 and 4 students
and students in the final year of secondary school. Reports on those
findings will be published in 1997.
Canadian girls and boys performed equally well in mathematics and
science which represents a significant change over the past 20 years,
the report said.
Both girls and boys attained an average of 59 per cent in mathematics.
In science, boys averaged 60 per cent and girls scored 58 per cent.
Similar findings were reported in many other countries.
TIMSS was conducted under the auspices of the International Association
for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), an association
of universities, research institutes and ministries of education
that conducts co-operative international research studies in education.
Funding for Canadian participation and international co-ordination
of the study was also provided by Human Resources Development Canada,
Industry Canada and the B.C. Ministry of Education.
-30-
