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International Achievement Comparison: Interesting Debates on Inconclusive Findings
Author(s) -
Wang Jianjun
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
school science and mathematics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.135
H-Index - 2
eISSN - 1949-8594
pISSN - 0036-6803
DOI - 10.1111/j.1949-8594.1998.tb17308.x
Subject(s) - curriculum , student achievement , educational research , mathematics education , comparative education , academic achievement , pedagogy , psychology , sociology , political science , higher education , law
International achievement comparison has drawn dramatic attention from the American public. However, the empirical findings have been quite confusing, due to conflicting interpretations disseminated in the research community. Evolution of the existing debates is reviewed in this article with emphases on some of the TIMSS responses relevant to educational practitioners. Technical issues in developing free‐response items, conducting curriculum analyses, and evaluating videotape findings are also highlighted to penetrate potentially overlooked aspects of TIMSS. The balanced discussion illustrates some of the inconclusive features in comparative education.