- Summary
- Introduction
- Acknowledgements
- Indicators Part I: Population and School Enrollment
- Indicators Part II: Academic Performance
- Indicators Part III: Contexts for Learning
- Indicator 15: Gender Differences in Students' Attitudes Toward Reading
- Indicator 16: Gender Differences in Students' Attitudes Toward Mathematics
- Indicator 17: Gender Differences in Students' Attitudes Toward Science
- Indicator 18: Fourth-Grade Teachers' Strategies for Assisting Students Having Difficulty Reading
- Indicator 19: Teacher Collaboration in Mathematics Instruction
- Indicator 20: Teacher Professional Development in Mathematics
- Indicator 21: Teacher Professional Development in Science
- Indicator 22: Fourth-Grade Reading Teachers' Career Satisfaction
- Indicators Part IV: Expenditure for Education
- Indicators Part V: Education Returns: Educational Attainment and Income
- List of Tables
- List of Exhibit and Figures
- References
- Appendix A: The Education Systems of the G-20 Countries
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Indicator 20: Teacher Professional Development in Mathematics
G-20 Countries Included: Australia, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Kingdom (England and Northern Ireland), United States
The United States was the only participating G-20 country where at least half of the eighth-grade students had teachers who reported participating in professional development in mathematics in each of four areas: content, pedagogy, assessment, and integrating information technology into instruction.
TIMSS 2011 asked teachers of fourth- and eighth-graders to report on their participation in several areas of professional development in mathematics in the 2 years before the assessment. This indicator examines the results in four areas of professional development: content, pedagogy, assessment, and integrating information technology (IT) into instruction.
In 2011, the percentage of fourth-graders whose teachers reported participating in professional development in mathematics content in the previous 2 years ranged from 10 percent in Turkey to 68 percent in the United States (figure 20-1). In the United States, participation in this area of professional development was higher than in any other area. The percentage of students whose teachers reported participating in professional development in mathematics pedagogy ranged from 11 percent in Turkey to 73 percent in Saudi Arabia. Fifty-five percent of fourth-graders in the United States had teachers who reported participating in this area of profes-sional development, which was lower than in the United Kingdom (England) (71 percent) and Australia (65 percent), not significantly different than in the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland), the Russian Federation, and Japan (64, 59, and 59 percent, respectively), and higher than in the remaining countries.
Fifty-three percent of fourth-graders in the United States had teachers who reported participating in professional development in mathematics in the area of assessment, as did 49 percent in the area of integrating IT into instruction. As in the United States, in five other countries (Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Saudi Arabia), these were the two areas in which fourth-graders' teachers were the least likely to receive professional development. The most notable exception was the Russian Federation, where 64 and 65 percent of students' teachers reported receiving professional development in assessment and integrating IT into instruction, compared to 58 and 59 percent in content and pedagogy, respectively. The Russian Federation, however, was one of two G-20 countries in which more than half of fourth-grade students' teachers reported participating in professional development in each of the four areas. (The United Kingdom [Northern Ireland] was the other.) In Turkey, the percentages of students whose teachers reported participating in professional development in any area were uniformly low (ranging from 9 to 12 percent). In contrast to other G-20 countries particularly Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom (England)—teacher participation in professional development varied to a greater degree among the different areas.
At the eighth-grade level, higher percentages of students in most countries had teachers who reported participating in professional development in mathematics in each of the areas than they did at the fourth grade. The exceptions were Saudi Arabia, in all areas; Italy and Australia, in content; and the Russian Federation, in assessment.
The percentage of eighth-grade students whose teachers reported participating in professional development in mathematics content ranged from 23 percent in Italy to 73 percent in the United States. The United States also had the highest percentage of students whose teachers reported participating in professional development in mathematics pedagogy (73 percent), along with the United Kingdom (England) (73 percent), Japan (70 percent), the Russian Federation (69 percent), and Australia (65 percent). Turkey had the lowest percentage of students whose teachers reporting participating in professional development in this area, with 41 percent. The percentage of eighth-grade students whose teachers reported participating in professional development in mathematics assessment ranged from 26 percent in Turkey, Japan, and Italy to 71 percent in Indonesia, with 61 percent in the United States. In the area of integrating IT into instruction, the percentages ranged from 23 percent in Japan to 72 percent in the Russian Federation, with 68 percent in the United States.
The United States was the only participating G-20 country where at least half of the eighth-grade students had teachers who reported participating in professional development in mathematics in each of the four areas. In Australia, Indonesia, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom (England), at least half of the eighth-grade students had teachers who reported participating in professional development in three of the areas. In Indonesia and the United Kingdom (England), integrating IT into instruction was the area in which relatively fewer students' teachers participated in professional development, whereas in the Russian Federation and Australia the area with the lowest rate of profes-sional development was assessment.
Definitions and Methodologie
Data for this indicator are from the TIMSS 2011 teacher question-naire, which was designed to obtain information about the classroom contexts for the teaching and learning of mathematics and science and about the implemented curriculum in these subjects. For each participating school, one teacher questionnaire that addressed both mathematics and science was administered to the classroom teacher of the sampled fourth-grade class, and separate versions of the questionnaire were administered to the mathematics teacher and the science teacher of the sampled eighth-grade class. It should be noted that the TIMSS 2011 teachers do not constitute representative samples of teachers. Rather, they are the teachers for nationally representative samples of fourth-grade and eighth-grade students. Thus, the teacher data presented in this indicator were analyzed at the student level.
In TIMSS 2011 at the fourth grade, countries were required to sample students in the grade that corresponded to the end of 4 years of formal schooling, providing that the mean age at the time of testing was at least 9.5 years. In TIMSS 2011 at the eighth grade, countries were required to sample students in the grade that corresponded to the end of 8 years of formal schooling, providing that the mean age at the time of testing was at least 13.5 years. As defined by TIMSS, the first year of formal schooling begins with the first year of primary school (ISCED97 level 1), which should mark the beginning of formal instruction in reading, writing, and mathematics. (Note that kindergarten is not counted.) For most countries, the target grades were fourth and eighth grades or their national equivalents.