Trend Analysis on Mathematics Achievements: A Comparative Study Using TIMSS Data

Abstract

Research addressed the importance of mathematics education for the students' preparation to enter scientific and technological workforce. This paper utilized Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 data to conduct a global comparative analysis on mathematics performance at varied International Benchmark levels. The countries in comparison are Chinese Taipei, Singapore, and the USA. Results show that the trends of mathematics performance for Chinese Taipei, Singapore, and the USA are dissimilar. The distribution of mathematics scores for Chinese Taipei students is bimodal, the distribution of mathematics achievement of Singapore is skew to the left, and the distribution of mathematics performance for the USA students is skew to the right. Overall, for all these three countries, at the same grade, the mathematics achievements of the students show improvement over time. However, students' abilities on mathematics deteriorate over their schools years.