TIMSS 2023: WHAT THE SURVEY REVEALS (AND DOES NOT REVEAL) ABOUT MATHEMATICS TEACHING PRACTICES IN GRADE 4

Prepublication

Abstract

Beyond average student performance and international comparisons, large-scale assessments such as TIMSS provide rich information on learning contexts. Drawing on the three basic dimensions of teaching quality framework (Klieme et al., 2009), this article analyzes data from TIMSS 2023, collected from fourth-grade students and their teachers, in order to better understand mathematics teaching practices in the French-speaking Community of Belgium. The analysis is based on a dual comparative approach: on the one hand, it situates the findings in relation to higher-performing education systems; on the other hand, it compares classes within the FW-B according to their average level of achievement. The results indicate that observed practices do not differ radically across the contexts considered. However, they highlight certain limitations in the interpretation of the data, as well as avenues for improvement toward a more refined and nuanced use of these data. The study also emphasizes, for example, the need to complement large-scale assessment data with nationally collected information, through more specific questionnaires on mathematics teaching practices or through cognitive laboratories, in order to better understand students’ learning difficulties.