KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s participation in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) allows the evaluation of the effectiveness of learning mathematics and science among Form Two students in the country while ensuring the quality of education is on par with other nations.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) said that the international benchmarking study, organised by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), is conducted every four years. In the 2023 TIMSS round, 44 countries participated, including Singapore, the United States, England, Finland, Japan, Sweden, New Zealand, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and South Korea.
“Malaysia has so far participated in seven TIMSS rounds since first joining in 1999, involving Form Two students from national secondary schools, including national religious secondary schools, fully residential schools, government-assisted religious schools, state religious schools, sekolah agama rakyat, Maktab Rendah Sains MARA and private schools in both urban and rural areas.
“Since Malaysia’s involvement in TIMSS, various improvements and initiatives have been directly implemented at the policy-making level, with findings from the study serving as a resource for mathematics and science learning outcomes while also identifying whether environmental factors influence student performance,” it said in a statement today.
The study’s findings also serve as a reference for educators, policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders in planning improvements in the teaching and learning of the two subjects. They also encourage teachers to enhance students’ interest in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (STEM).
The TIMSS assessment also supports the enhancement of teaching methods and approaches by teachers to cater to students’ capabilities and revising the national curriculum by incorporating the assessment framework to align with international quality and benchmarking standards.
“Malaysia’s continued participation also aligns with the aspirations of Malaysia MADANI in enhancing education quality and MOE’s efforts to improve learning outcomes to develop future-ready talents,” it added.
On TIMSS implementation, the ministry said that besides students undertaking mathematics and science assessments and surveys, subject teachers and school administrators are also required to complete the provided questionnaires.
In TIMSS 2023, the mathematics assessment content domains included numbers, algebra, geometry and measurement, as well as data and probability, while, the science assessment covered biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science. The cognitive domains of the mathematics and science assessments in TIMSS focus on knowing, applying, and reasoning.
Malaysia’s official TIMSS 2023 performance announcement will be made by MOE director-general Azman Adnan tomorrow (Dec 4), with further details to be uploaded on the ministry’s website at www.moe.gov.my on Dec 5.
