Dutch primary schoolers in year 6 (9-10 years’ old) have not performed as well on an international mathematics and science test than in the preceding years
That was the conclusion of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS-2015), the results of which were announced in Boston today. TIMSS has measured the education level in the exact sciences worldwide every four years since 1995. With the exception of 2011, the performance of Dutch students on the TIMSS test has been trending slightly downward since 1995. Students have declined mainly in physics and chemistry. However, students that do not achieve the basic level are still an exception in the Netherlands.
Average
For mathematics, Dutch students’ scores were average; of the 49 countries, students in 16 countries performed significantly better than the Dutch students in mathematics. These included countries such as Denmark, England, Finland, Norway and Flanders. Students in Germany and Sweden, conversely, had a significantly lower mathematics score than the Dutch students. The international position of the Netherlands in natural science is a little worse still: test scores are significantly higher in 23 countries, including Germany, England and the Scandinavian countries. Flanders is at the same performance level as the Netherlands. Singapore is top performer in both subject areas, but in the other Asian countries, such as South Korea and Hong Kong, the knowledge of the exact sciences is very high among 10-year-old students as well.
Good at reasoning
In many countries, performance in mathematics and science improved greatly compared with 2011. However, in five countries, including the Netherlands, Germany and Finland, the mathematics scores fell. In eight countries, including the Netherlands and Finland, the scores for science are lower than in 2011. In both subject areas, Dutch students are better at reasoning than at ‘knowing’, or applying this knowledge. The decrease in performance level can be seen in the knowledge tasks, in particular. The test scores from the reasoning tasks are the same as those for TIMSS-2011.
Little difference
As in previous TIMSS measurements, the Dutch student scores on the test are very similar. Nearly all of the students in the Netherlands achieved the lowest skill level. Just 4% of the Dutch students excel in mathematics and 3% excel in science. In England, Denmark and Flanders, 10% or more of the students achieved the highest mathematics level. Boys in the Netherlands are slightly better at mathematics and physical geography, while girls achieved a higher score for biology on the TIMSS. Students that speak little or no Dutch at home scored considerably lower on the test as compared with their Dutch-speaking peers. The difference between these students is greatest in physics and chemistry.
Workload
In 2015, school leaders, teachers and students are just as positive about their school as in 2011. Dutch year 6 students are positive about the school climate and have little trouble with bullying at school. The opinions of teachers about their school and their profession are also generally more positive than the international average. However, teachers are less positive about their workload. More than 60% of the teachers felt that they have too many administrative tasks and too little time to be able to help individual students. Teachers in Flanders and Germany experience a lower workload, while teachers in England and France have a greater workload. The experienced workload in the Netherlands is higher than the international average. No research was carried out into whether the experienced workload by teachers corresponds with the performance of students in the exact sciences. That correlation is difficult to establish. There are countries (such as England) where students perform better but the experienced workload is in fact much higher than in the Netherlands.
Uncertainty
Teachers have less self-confidence and feel less well-equipped to teach science than mathematics. Teachers feel the least well-equipped in physics and chemistry. Many teachers are particularly uncertain in assigning challenging science tasks to excelling students and in using experiments or tests to explain scientific concepts. Much less time is spent on experiments or tests in Dutch science classes as compared with the international average. This was also the case in 2011. There is no difference as compared to 2011 in the degree to which the areas of the curriculum tested in TIMSS for mathematics and science were offered in year 6. Over the past twenty years, the average time spent on mathematics (4.5 hours per week) and science (50 minutes per week) has changed very little.
TIMSS-2015 was carried out in the Netherlands by the University of Twente, with financing through the Dutch National Steering Body for Educational Research. A total of 49 countries participated in TIMSS-2015 in primary education. In the Netherlands, 4,634 year 6 students from 232 classes and 133 schools sat the TIMSS exam in the spring of 2015. Thanks to the cooperation of school leaders, teachers and students, the Netherlands fulfilled the strict international response requirements. The results of TIMSS-2015 are representative for year 6 students in the Netherlands. www.timss.com
