Explanatory models based on TIMSS 1999 and TIMSS 2011 data

The aim of this study is to explore student, classroom and school factors behind mathematics achievement of the Finnish secondary school students. What are the background factors most strongly related to achievement in Finnish educational context, and what are the changes in the explanatory models between TIMSS 1999 and TIMSS 2011? The conceptual framework for this study is based upon the IEA thinking on curriculum, while the TIMSS curriculum model establishes a comprehensive description of factors that have been shown effective in increasing achievement in mathematics and science achievement. In total, fourteen background variables situated in student, classroom and school levels are explored. In analysing the data, multilevel modelling is applied. First tentative results show that the most significant predictors for students’ mathematics achievement are very similar in 1999 and 2011. Furthermore, the three-level model of TIMSS 2011 data provides new information regarding the distribution of the total variance in mathematics achievement, suggesting that differences between classes in mathematics achievement are bigger than thought before.