Mathematics Achievement-Attitude Relations in TIMSS 2015: The Effect of Regional Grouping

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an assessment of the mathematics and science achievement of students in grades 4 and 8 administered every 4 years in countries throughout the world. In 2015, 49 countries participated at grade 4, and 39 countries participated at grade 8. In addition to achievement items, students were asked background and contextual questions. Some of these questions measure students’ attitudes towards mathematics and science. This study examined the correlation between students’ achievement in mathematics and their attitudes towards mathematics using country means as units of analysis. Data were analyzed both across all country means and within specific regional groupings. When means were correlated for all countries, robust negative relations between achievement and attitude emerged, confirming results from previous administration cycles of TIMSS. However, when countries were sorted into regions, the negative correlations disappeared or became positive within each region. Limitations of the analyses and implications of the findings are addressed