{"id":6054,"date":"2016-09-16T20:25:06","date_gmt":"2016-09-16T20:25:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/?page_id=6054"},"modified":"2016-10-05T16:03:53","modified_gmt":"2016-10-05T16:03:53","slug":"the-importance-of-country-and-school-contexts-in-making-international-comparisons","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/introduction\/the-importance-of-country-and-school-contexts-in-making-international-comparisons\/","title":{"rendered":"The Importance of Country and School Contexts in  Making International Comparisons"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"carouselwrap\"><div id=\"menu-introduction\" class=\"carouselmenu\"><a href=\"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/introduction\/\" class=\"menu-link main-menu-link menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><span>Introduction<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/introduction\/timss-2015-20-years-of-monitoring-trends\/\" class=\"menu-link main-menu-link menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><span>TIMSS 2015: 20 Years of Monitoring Trends<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/introduction\/timss-and-timss-advanced-in-2015\/\" class=\"menu-link main-menu-link menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><span>TIMSS and TIMSS Advanced in 2015<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/introduction\/the-importance-of-country-and-school-contexts-in-making-international-comparisons\/\" class=\"menu-link main-menu-link menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><span>The Importance of Country and School Contexts in  Making International Comparisons<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/introduction\/demographics-of-the-timss-2015-countries\/\" class=\"menu-link main-menu-link menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><span>Demographics of the TIMSS 2015 Countries<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/introduction\/timss-2015-achievement-results-and-context-questionnaire-data\/\" class=\"menu-link main-menu-link menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><span>TIMSS 2015 Achievement Results and Context Questionnaire Data<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/introduction\/organization-of-the-timss-2015-encyclopedia\/\" class=\"menu-link main-menu-link menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><span>Organization of the TIMSS 2015 Encyclopedia<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/introduction\/highlights-of-timss-2015-curriculum-questionnaire-results\/\" class=\"menu-link main-menu-link menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><span>Highlights of TIMSS 2015 Curriculum Questionnaire Results<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/introduction\/instructional-emphasis-in-mathematics-and-science\/\" class=\"menu-link main-menu-link menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><span>Instructional Emphasis in Mathematics and Science<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/introduction\/updating-the-mathematics-and-science-curricula\/\" class=\"menu-link main-menu-link menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><span>Updating the Mathematics and Science Curricula<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/introduction\/investing-in-technology-to-improve-mathematics-and-science-learning\/\" class=\"menu-link main-menu-link menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><span>Investing in Technology to Improve Mathematics and Science Learning<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/introduction\/raising-the-requirements-for-mathematics-and-science-teaching\/\" class=\"menu-link main-menu-link menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><span>Raising the Requirements for Mathematics and Science Teaching<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/introduction\/highlights-of-encyclopedia-chapters\/\" class=\"menu-link main-menu-link menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><span>Highlights of Encyclopedia Chapters<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/introduction\/references\/\" class=\"menu-link main-menu-link menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><span>References<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/div><\/div>\t<style>\n\t\t.carouselwrap{\n\t\t\tbackground: #e5eaef;\n\t\t}\t\t\n\t\t.owl-item a{\n\t\t\tbackground: #ffffff;\n\t\t\tborder: 4px #00b2cc solid;\n\t\t\tcolor: #000000;\n\t\t}\t\t\n\t\t.owl-item a:hover,\n\t\t.owl-item a:focus,\n\t\t.owl-item a.current-menu-item{\n\t\t\tbackground: #00667f;\n\t\t\tborder: 4px #00b2cc solid;\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tcolor: #ffffff;\n\t\t}\n\t<\/style>\n\t\n<h2>The Importance of Country and School Contexts in Making International Comparisons<\/h2>\n<p>The results of high quality international assessments such as TIMSS\u00a02015 can make important contributions to improving educational quality. Yet it must be kept in mind that countries differ from one another in fundamental ways, and educational systems reflect these differences. TIMSS has the specific goal of increasing understanding of the effects of educational policies and practices within and across countries, and expends substantial effort to address the more substantive and important questions about the meaning of the achievement results.<\/p>\n<p>The TIMSS\u00a02015 Encyclopedia provides an overview of the context in which learning mathematics and science takes place in each country. A country\u2019s education system is the result of a series of decisions made in response to the specific goals, priorities, politics, resources, and historical traditions of its government representatives and citizens, and the information in the encyclopedia provides an opportunity to better understand each participant\u2019s contexts for mathematics and science instruction.<\/p>\n<p>Fifty-seven countries participated in TIMSS\u00a02015, including some distinct education systems that always have participated separately throughout IEA\u2019s long history (e.g., the Dutch-speaking community of Belgium and Hong Kong SAR). In addition, TIMSS\u00a02015 had seven benchmarking participants, including two Canadian provinces; one U.S. state; two emirates from the United Arab Emirates; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Norway, benchmarking its lower grades.<\/p>\n<div class=\"aboutTIMSS\">\n<div class=\"aboutTIMSS-heading\">Countries Participating in TIMSS 2015<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-row\" style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\">\n<div class=\"su-column su-column-size-1-4\">\n<div class=\"su-column-inner su-clearfix\">Armenia<br \/>\nAustralia<br \/>\nBahrain<br \/>\nBelgium (Flemish)<br \/>\nBotswana<br \/>\nBulgaria<br \/>\nCanada<br \/>\nChile<br \/>\nChinese Taipei<br \/>\nCroatia<br \/>\nCyprus<br \/>\nCzech Republic<br \/>\nDenmark<br \/>\nEgypt<br \/>\nEngland<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-column su-column-size-1-4\">\n<div class=\"su-column-inner su-clearfix\">Finland<br \/>\nFrance<br \/>\nGeorgia<br \/>\nGermany<br \/>\nHong Kong SAR<br \/>\nHungary<br \/>\nIndonesia<br \/>\nIran, Islamic Rep. of<br \/>\nIreland<br \/>\nIsrael<br \/>\nItaly<br \/>\nJapan<br \/>\nJordan<br \/>\nKazakhstan<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-column su-column-size-1-4\">\n<div class=\"su-column-inner su-clearfix\">Korea, Rep. of<br \/>\nKuwait<br \/>\nLebanon<br \/>\nLithuania<br \/>\nMalaysia<br \/>\nMalta<br \/>\nMorocco<br \/>\nNetherlands<br \/>\nNew Zealand<br \/>\nNorthern Ireland<br \/>\nNorway<br \/>\nOman<br \/>\nPoland<br \/>\nPortugal<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-column su-column-size-1-4\">\n<div class=\"su-column-inner su-clearfix\">Qatar<br \/>\nRussian Federation<br \/>\nSaudi Arabia<br \/>\nSerbia<br \/>\nSingapore<br \/>\nSlovak Republic<br \/>\nSlovenia<br \/>\nSouth Africa<br \/>\nSpain<br \/>\nSweden<br \/>\nThailand<br \/>\nTurkey<br \/>\nUnited Arab Emirates<br \/>\nUnited States<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aboutTIMSS-subheading\">Benchmarking Participants<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-row\" style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\">\n<div class=\"su-column su-column-size-1-4\">\n<div class=\"su-column-inner su-clearfix\">Buenos Aires, Argentina<br \/>\nOntario, Canada<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-column su-column-size-1-4\">\n<div class=\"su-column-inner su-clearfix\">Quebec, Canada<br \/>\nAbu Dhabi, UAE<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-column su-column-size-1-4\">\n<div class=\"su-column-inner su-clearfix\">Dubai, UAE<br \/>\nFlorida, US<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-column su-column-size-1-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-row\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"su-column su-column-size-1-2\"><div class=\"su-column-inner su-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p class=\"BodyText\">Countries and benchmarking participants could elect to participate in the fourth grade assessment, the eighth grade assessment, or both. Forty-eight countries and 7 benchmarking participants administered the fourth grade assessment, and 40 countries and the 7\u00a0benchmarking participants administered the eighth grade assessment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"BodyText\">Nationally representative samples of approximately 4,000 students from 150 to 200 schools participated in TIMSS\u00a02015 at each grade. More than 312,000 students participated in TIMSS\u00a02015 at the fourth grade, and a further 270,000 at the eighth grade.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Importance of Country and School Contexts in Making International Comparisons The results of high quality international assessments such as TIMSS\u00a02015 can make important contributions to improving educational quality. Yet it must be kept in mind that countries differ from &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/introduction\/the-importance-of-country-and-school-contexts-in-making-international-comparisons\/\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":6050,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6054","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6054"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6796,"href":"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6054\/revisions\/6796"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/timss2015.org\/encyclopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}