This study aims to demonstrate the optimal way to determine the cut-off score to be used to interpret the total scores obtained from an achievement test or scale using the Artificial Neural Networks method. To this end, the multiple-choice item responses in the Booklet-11 Mathematics subtest at the 8th grade level in the TIMSS 2015 Turkey sample…

Measurement invariance is crucial for making valid comparisons across different groups (Kline, 2016; Vandenberg, 2002). To address the challenges associated with invariance testing such as large sample size requirements, the complexity of the model, etc., applied researchers have incorporated parcels. Parcels have been shown to alleviate skewness,…

Reports of international studies of student achievement often receive public attention worldwide. However, this attention overly focuses on the national rankings of average student performance. To move beyond the simplistic comparison of national mean scores, this study investigates (a) country differences in the measures of variability as well as…

In 2010, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation's Education Program has established the Deeper Learning Initiative, which focuses on students' development of deeper learning skills (i.e., the mastery of core academic content, critical-thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, communication, and "learn-how-to-learn" skills). Two test…

Research on globalization and education involves the study of intertwined worldwide discourses, processes, and institutions affecting local educational practices and policies. The four major theoretical perspectives concerning globalization and education are world culture, world systems, postcolonial, and culturalist. The major global educational…

Discusses the research design for the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). Asserts that the TIMSS is a compromise between longitudinal and cross-sectional survey designs and will yield more information about student achievement. (CFR)

Uses three methods to analyze the intended curriculum in countries participating in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Explains the use of Topic Trace Mapping as a tool to examine the issue of depth versus breadth in the curriculum. Includes three figures illustrating the results of Topic Trace Mapping. (CFR)

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) endeavored to achieve a balance between student learning of school science in a competitive sense and the variety of science learnings that contemporary curricula for science expect. The impact of science-technology-society (STS) on science curricula is used to explore these tensions in…

The traditional kappa statistic in assessing interrater agreement is not adequate when multiraters and multiattributes are involved. In this article, latent trait models are proposed to assess the multirater multiattribute (MRMA) agreement. Data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Studies (TIMSS) are used to illustrate the…

The Board on International Comparative Studies in Education (BICSE) was established by the National Research Council (NRC) in 1988 at the request of the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). Under its initial mandate, the board monitored U.S. participation in…