The mathematics performance of Dutch 10-year-olds has improved, but girls are still outperformed by boys

Over the last four years, the mathematics achievement of Dutch students at the fourth grade (in Dutch ‘groep 6’) has improved. This is one of the outcomes of the ‘Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study’ (TIMSS), which is conducted every four years. The international and national results were released today. Compared to 2015, the performance of Dutch students in Physical Science has also improved. However, student achievements in Life Science and Earth Science have not changed since 2015. Girls are outperformed by boys in mathematics and girls also show less confidence in their mathematics abilities. Dutch students, teachers and school principals are often more positive about the learning climate of their school compared to neighbouring countries.

The University of Twente was responsible for conducting the data collection for TIMSS-2019 in the Netherlands. The Dutch part of the project was financed by Netherlands Initiative for Education Research (NRO). In total 58 countries participated in TIMSS. In the Netherlands, 3355 students from 112 primary schools have taken the TIMSS-test in the spring of 2019.