Re-examining Test Item Issues in the TIMSS Mathematics and Science Assessments

As the largest international study ever taken in history, the Trend in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) has been held as a benchmark to measure U.S. student performance in the global context. In‐depth analyses of the TIMSS project are conducted in this study to examine key issues of the compara...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:School science and mathematics 2011-11, Vol.111 (7), p.334-344
Main Author: Wang, Jianjun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Achievement Gap
Achievement Rating
Achievement tests
Benchmarking
Comparative Analysis
Comparative Education
Comparative Testing
Difficulty Level
Educational evaluation
Elementary education
Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation Problems
Evaluation Research
Figurative Language
Investigations
Item Response Theory
Mathematical analysis
Mathematics
Mathematics Achievement
Mathematics education
Robustness (Statistics)
Science Achievement
Science education
Test Items
Test Theory
Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study
Triangulation
United States
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Summary:As the largest international study ever taken in history, the Trend in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) has been held as a benchmark to measure U.S. student performance in the global context. In‐depth analyses of the TIMSS project are conducted in this study to examine key issues of the comparative investigation: (1) item flaws in mathematics and science; (2) inability to reflect item score differences between adjacent grades; (3) ambiguity of the test items behind nonrandom guessing; and (4) unfair comparisons resulted from inconsistent item difficulties across the nations. The TIMSS item checking could help education stakeholders understand more profound assessment issues through the information triangulation.
ISSN:0036-6803
1949-8594
DOI:10.1111/j.1949-8594.2011.00096.x