Seeking Shared Visions Among the Many

Abstract

Our investigation seeks commonalities in the educational visions and aims of the various countries participating in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Before those commonalities can be sought, however, we must first acknowledge and understand the differences and similarities across TIMSS countries. These countries differed markedly in their educational systems. For example, they differed in terms of the age at which students entered school, the number of years schooling was provided, the number of years of compulsory schooling, and how grades were clustered. They differed too in the level at which decisions are made, in how complex the internal structures of their educational systems were, and in which decisions are made at each level. And, while countries shared certain broad-based agreements — for instance, virtually all countries required science instruction and tended to cover the same general topics — their approaches to science education varied widely. They structured and used their curriculum guides and textbooks differently; they sequenced their content differently; they had different coverage of science content areas; and they held different expectations of student performance, both globally and within any given topic.