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Evidence-based decision making or a tunnel vision effect? TIMSS, problem definition and policy change in Israeli mathematics education
This study examines the influence of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 1999 results on mathematics education policy in Israel. Analyzing various documents, the study shows how these results transformed policymakers' discourse regarding mathematics education. In o...
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| Published in: | Critical studies in education 2020-05, Vol.61 (3), p.363-379 |
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| container_title | Critical studies in education |
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| creator | Feniger, Yariv |
| description | This study examines the influence of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 1999 results on mathematics education policy in Israel. Analyzing various documents, the study shows how these results transformed policymakers' discourse regarding mathematics education. In order to achieve improvement in Israel's ranking, the middle school mathematics curriculum was aligned with the TIMSS test. Following this change, the scores of Israeli students rose considerably in TIMSS 2011. Parallel results from Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Israeli internal standardized tests, however, do not show comparable improvement in mathematics achievement. High school matriculation data for the same period of time show a decline in the percentage of students who took the most advanced mathematics courses. Furthermore, none of these data sources show any noticeable reduction in social inequality in mathematics achievement. On the basis of theoretical insights from political science, it is argued that international tests influence the way educational problems are framed and defined. Thus, instead of enriching educational decision-making processes, these tests can create a tunnel vision effect that restricts policymakers' attention to 'problems' and 'solutions' defined by the tests themselves. |
| doi_str_mv | 10.1080/17508487.2018.1448877 |
| format | article |
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Furthermore, none of these data sources show any noticeable reduction in social inequality in mathematics achievement. On the basis of theoretical insights from political science, it is argued that international tests influence the way educational problems are framed and defined. 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| subjects | Achievement Gap Achievement Tests Alignment (Education) Arabs Assessment comparative and international education Curricula Decision Making Education policy Educational evaluation Educational Indicators Educational Policy Equal Education Evidence Based Practice Foreign Countries Global Approach globalisation and internationalisation International Assessment Jews mathematics Mathematics Achievement Mathematics education Mathematics Tests Middle School Mathematics Middle School Students Policy Formation Standardized Tests |
| title | Evidence-based decision making or a tunnel vision effect? TIMSS, problem definition and policy change in Israeli mathematics education |
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