TIMSS 2019 Context Questionnaire Framework: International Study Center
TIMSS 2019 Context Questionnaire Framework: International Study Center
TIMSS 2019
Context Questionnaire
Framework
At both the fourth and eighth grades, students participating in TIMSS complete questionnaires about
their experiences, instruction, and attitudes toward learning mathematics and science. Their teachers
and school principals complete questionnaires to provide data about school and classroom resources
and approaches, and parents of fourth graders fill out a questionnaire about students’ home contexts for
learning. To better understand national contexts and policies, representatives from each participating
country complete a curriculum questionnaire and contribute a chapter to the TIMSS 2019 Encyclopedia.
Students taking TIMSS using a computer or tablet also fill out a short questionnaire about their
experiences with computers and the Internet.
The TIMSS questionnaires have undergone a process of evolution and development since TIMSS
was first administered in 1995, a process that continually sought to improve the quality and relevance
of the data while keeping the response burden on principals, teachers, students, and parents to a
minimum. In each four year assessment cycle, the questionnaire development team at the TIMSS &
PIRLS International Study Center worked with the TIMSS Questionnaire Item Review Committee
(QIRC) to review the questionnaires and suggest ways to update them—including adding new topics,
refining individual questions, and deleting questions or topics that are no longer useful.
The TIMSS 2019 Context Questionnaire Framework describes those aspects of the learning context
to be addressed by the TIMSS 2019 questionnaires, together with a rationale for why they should be
included and research literature references as appropriate.
As a study of trends in student achievement and mathematics, TIMSS’ first priority in characterizing
the educational context is to gather data on policy relevant and malleable attributes of the home and
school that can help interpret achievement changes from assessment to assessment. Where possible,
such contextual data are summarized as context questionnaire scales that are used to measure changes
from one assessment to the next. Relating changes in student achievement to changes in educational
policies or practice can be a powerful source of evidence that the policy or practice is beneficial for
student learning.
Language(s) of Instruction
A multilingual population can increase the challenge of implementing the mathematics and science
curricula, and for these reasons the TIMSS 2019 Encyclopedia will contain information about languages
of instruction. Some countries have one commonly spoken language, while others are historically
multilingual. Immigration also can increase the language diversity in countries. Most of the TIMSS
participating countries deliver instruction in multiple languages.
Student Flow
TIMSS 2019 will continue collecting data on student flow through the education system through the
curriculum questionnaire. Student flow decisions made at the national and community levels include
decisions on access to preprimary education, age of entry into formal education, and policies on grade
retention and educational tracking.
Teacher Education
In every country, teachers are the primary implementers of the curriculum, so teacher education policies
and practices are a major interest. TIMSS 2019 will collect information about teacher preparation,
certification, and professional development. As described in the TIMSS 2015 Encyclopedia, many
countries have increased the educational requirements for teachers, particularly for primary school
teachers as well as secondary school science teachers. As of 2015, almost all TIMSS countries called for
fourth and eighth grade teachers to have a four year degree from a university, and the percentage of
teachers at both grade levels who had a bachelor’s degree increased from 2007. A number of countries
Principal Certification
Given the central role principals play in managing teachers, students, and school resources, TIMSS will
continue collecting data on national principal certification policies. To encourage the development of
strong leadership skills, some countries have specific education and training requirements for principals,
such as the completion of certification programs in school leadership or specialized principal training
programs.
Home Contexts
Parents or guardians and the general home environment are very influential on children’s upbringing
and their success in school. To better understand the effects of the home context on student achievement
in mathematics and science, TIMSS 2019 will collect data through the home questionnaire given to the
parents or caregivers of fourth grade students, supplemented by the student questionnaire at the fourth
and eighth grades. This will include the following topics:
• Home resources for learning
• Language(s) spoken in the home
• Early literacy and numeracy activities
• Preprimary education
School Contexts
A school’s environment and organization can be an important determinant of effectiveness in reaching
curricular goals. Accepting that an effective school is not simply a collection of discrete attributes, but
rather a well managed, integrated system where each action or policy directly affects all other parts,
the TIMSS 2019 school questionnaire will focus on a set of well researched school quality indicators:
• School characteristics and demographics
• Instruction affected by mathematics and science resource shortages
• School emphasis on academic success
• Parents’ perception of their child’s school
• Safe and orderly schools
• Student bullying
• Sense of school belonging
Classroom Contexts
Because most teaching and learning in school takes place in the classroom, successful learning is likely
to be influenced by the classroom environment and instructional activities. Through the teacher and
student questionnaires, TIMSS 2019 will focus on the following factors and practices that are influential
to teaching and learning:
• Teacher preparation and experience
• TIMSS mathematics and science topics taught
• Instructional time
• Instructional practices and strategies
• Instructional clarity
• Supportive classroom climate
• Use of technology in instruction
• Challenges faced by teachers
Instructional Time
Key to curriculum implementation is the amount of instructional time teachers have to teach the
mathematics and science curricula. For this reason, TIMSS 2019 will collect information from teachers
and principals on instructional time. TIMSS results show that there is variation among countries in the
intended instructional time prescribed by the curriculum and in the actual time of implementation in
the classroom. Research has found instructional time to be related to student achievement (Hanushek
& Wößmann, 2017), although such relationships may depend on how efficiently and effectively
instructional time is used (Mullis, Martin, & Loveless, 2016). For example, teachers who are strong
classroom managers may be more efficient, as they can focus the instructional time on teaching the
curricular content.
Homework is one way teachers can extend instruction and evaluate student learning. The amount
of homework assigned varies both within and across countries, with homework not assigned at all to
Instructional Clarity
The TIMSS 2019 student and teacher questionnaires will include a renewed focus on instructional
quality, including updating scales measuring instructional clarity (Nilsen, Gustafsson, & Blömeke, 2016).
As described by Ferguson (2012), an important quality of an effective teacher is the ability to provide
clear instruction—explaining the content clearly and gauging student understanding of the topic. For
challenging topics, it is often necessary for the teacher to employ a variety of pedagogical techniques
and explanations to ensure student comprehension. Another way that teachers can increase clarity is
by linking new concepts to things students already know and understand (McLaughlin et al., 2005).
The TIMSS 2019 Instructional Clarity scales benefit from two previous efforts. Five of the 10 items
in each of the TIMSS 2015 Students’ Views on Engaging Teaching scales at fourth and eighth grades
measured instructional clarity. The scales showed positive associations between instructional clarity
and student achievement in many participating countries, especially at the eighth grade. A number
of countries also included a national extension in the fourth grade student questionnaire, and the
results showed higher achievement for students reporting greater instructional clarity by their teachers
(Bergem, Nilsen, & Scherer, 2016).
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