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Research Essay, Research Paper

According to the results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), students from the United States have fallen behind the rest of the world in science and mathematics education. Does the United States need to drastically update its education system in order to overcome this problem and catch up with the rest of the world; or is the real source of the problem inherent flaws in the study which affect the United States more negatively than the rest of the world. The Third International Mathematics and Science Study was conducted from 1994 through 1996 to compare the education systems of selected countries around the world. American fourth, eighth, and twelfth graders were tested against their counterparts around the world in basic math and science exams. In addition to the testing, the various teaching methods, homework time, study time, class size, and many other factors were studied. The first group studied was primary school students. Children in this study ranged from third grade to fourth grade, depending on the individual country s education system. A score of 500 was calculated to be the average and each country s score was calculated based on this average. In mathematics, Singapore led the way with a 625. Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong followed closely behind. The United States came in eleventh out of 26 counties with an above average score of 545 (TIMSS Primary 1-2). In the field of science, Korea and Japan were once again first and second with scores of 597 and 574 respectively. Coming in third was the United States with a score of 565 (TIMSS Primary 3-4). The second group studied were students in their middle school years. Students in this group were in either seventh or eighth grade. Forty-one countries were tested and once again, scores were based on an average of 500. In mathematics, Singapore came in first with a score of 643, with Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong close behind. The United States received a score of 500, coming in 28th (TIMSS Middle 1-2). The science study was somewhat consistent. Singapore was once again first with a score of 607. The Czech Republic, Japan, and Korea were second through fourth. The U.S. received a 534, earning the 18th position (TIMSS Middle 3-4). The last group studied were students in their last year of secondary school. In overall mathematics and science literacy, 21 countries were tested. The top four countries were the Netherlands, Sweden, Iceland, and Norway with scores of 559, 555, 541, and 536 respectively. The United States received a 465, placing it only above Lithuania, Cyprus, and South Africa (TIMSS Secondary 1-2). A new subject tested was Advanced Mathematics, with sixteen countries participating in this test. France led the way with a 557, but was closely followed by Russia, Switzerland, and Denmark. The U.S. scored a 442, only beating Austria (TIMSS Secondary 3). Also Physics tests were given to the same sixteen countries. Norway, Sweden, Russia, and Denmark topped the list, while the United States received the lowest score (TIMSS Secondary 4). In addition to all of the written tests taken by the three groups of students, a Performance Assessment test was also given. This test was hands on, challenging the students with real problems. A few examples of the mathematical testing devices were dice, calculators, folding, and packing. Science tests implemented magnets, batteries, rubber bands, and shadows. As in the written tests, United States students placed below the international average in all of the age groups (Research 1-3). These statistics obviously display that the students in the United States, though one of the most technological superior nations in the world, somehow lack basic knowledge in the fields of science and mathematics. A trend that the statistics displayed was that the youngest students did the best of the three age groups and the oldest students did the worst. The more advanced the tests became, the worse the United States performed. What is causing this problem? Are the teaching methods employed by the U.S. really inferior to those around the world, or is there some other determining factor that has affected the results the TIMSS study? In the last decade, parents and teachers, eager to raise U.S. children s test scores have sent children back to the books. Now it has become evident that U.S. students do more homework than their foreign counterparts, but are still receiving poor grades (Vergano 341). The problem must stem from another source. The real difference in learning comes from the quality of teaching that the students received in each nation. U.S. math and science teachers tackled more topics than other educators did. Students barely had enough time to assimilate what they had learned before moving on to the next topic. For example, Japanese math classes spent only 40 percent of their time practicing routine problems. U.S. classes spent 96 percent of their time on such problems. The Japanese goal is guiding their students to a deeper understanding of the concept. The U.S. goal is to expose their students to a wider variety of subjects, thus, lessening the ability of the students to understand each concept (Toch 40). This idea of learning the basic concepts deeply in not limited to Japan, but is employed by many of the leading countries in the study.Teacher training was a major difference found by the TIMSS study among high and low scoring countries. Most Asian teachers had more on the job training along with mentoring by more experienced teachers. Many American teachers learn the theory and philosophy behind teaching in college and then are thrust into the classroom to learn for themselves (Vergano 341). On the job training has somehow been overlooked by the system.

Upon hearing the results of the TIMSS study, President Clinton suggested more money be put into the U.S. educational system. The United States already spends more than

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