Examining modelling ability before educational reforms: findings of cross-country comparisons of grade 8 data from TIMSS 2011

ABSTRACT

Modelling ability is one of the essential elements of the latest educational reforms, and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is a curriculum-based assessment which allows educational systems worldwide to inspect the curricular influences. The aims of this study were to examine the role of modelling ability in the generalized Grade 8 (G8) curriculum via TIMSS 2011 and to compare the G8 students’ modelling ability among the four top-performing countries (i.e., Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan) in Asia before the latest educational reforms. This study developed Modelling Ability Analytic Index-TIMSS (MAAI-T) to analyse TIMSS 2011 G8 items. There are two dimensions of MAAI-T, stages of modelling process (i.e., selection, construction, validation, analysis and application, and deployment) and levels of model complexity (i.e., Levels 1 through 4, from single factor to extended relation). The findings showed: TIMSS 2011 G8 items centred on the stage of modelling selection, and analysis and application and mainly measured Level 3 (simple relation among factors). The highest-performing country (Singapore) demonstrated Level 3 in all stages and Level 4 of model selection and deployment; while the lowest-performing country (Korea) demonstrated Level 3 only in the stages of model selection, validation, and analysis and application.

KEYWORDS:

• Cross-country comparison
• Modelling Ability Analytic Index-TIMSS (MAAI-T)
• modelling practice assessment
• TIMSS 2011

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan [MOST 108-2511-H-152 −004 -MY3].

Notes on contributors

Jing-Wen Lin

Professor Jing-Wen Lin currently is a professor in Department of Science Education at National Taipei University of Education and the chief editor of Chinese Journal of Science Education. She has been dedicated to conducting studies in areas of students’ conceptual change, conceptual evolution, model, modelling and analogy since she received her PhD in Graduate Institute of Science Education at National Taiwan Normal University.

Ruan-Ching Yu

Ruan-Ching Yu currently is a PhD student in Division of Psychiatry at University College London. She was a research assistant under Professor Jing-Wen Lin’s laboratory. Her research interests include psychology of science learning and the cognitive assessments of dementia.