Liv Sissel Grønmo

A Cross-National Comparison of Reported Effort and Mathematics Performance in TIMSS Advanced

The purpose of the study was to measure students reported test-taking effort and the relationship between reported effort and performance on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) Advanced mathematics test. This was done in three countries participating in TIMSS Advanced 2008 (Sweden, Norway, and Slovenia), and the present study is the first to make a cross-national comparison of reported effort in the TIMSS context. Students in all three samples on average reported a rather low level of motivation to spend effort on the low-stakes TIMSS test and in all nations, there was a statistically significant relationship between reported effort and test performance. These patterns of results were similar for the three nations, although there were also differences. The Swedish students reported the lowest level of invested effort, and the relationship between reported effort and test performance was strongest for Sweden. Although the study has limitations, findings are potentially important and suggest that student effort and motivation needs continued monitoring in low-stakes assessment contexts such as TIMSS, Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), or National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

The Role of Algebra in School Mathematics

Algebra can be viewed as a language of mathematics; playing a major role for students’ opportunities to pursue many different types of education in a modern society. It may therefore seem obvious that algebra should play a major role in school mathematics. However, analyses based on data from several international large-scale studies have shown that there are great differences between countries when it comes to algebra; in some countries algebra plays a major role, while this is not the case in other countries. These differences have been shown consistent over time and at different levels in school. This paper points out and discusses how these differences may interfere with individual students’ rights and opportunities to pursue the education they want, and how this may interfere with the societies’ need to recruit people to a number of professions.