User Guide for the TIMSS International Database.pdf - TIMSS and ...

C H A P T E R 2 I N S T R U M E N T S
2.6 Release Status for TIMSS Test Items, Performance Tasks, and
Background Questionnaires
Some TIMSS items have been released for unrestricted public use. At Populations 1 and 2, all
items in clusters I through Z are classified as public release and are available to secondary
users (TIMSS, 1996a; 1996b; 1997a; 1997b). Information about how to obtain the released
item sets is provided at the end of this chapter. All of the performance assessment tasks are
contained in the performance assessment international report (Harmon et al., 1997). All
student, teacher, and school questionnaires are also classified as public release and are
available to secondary users in Supplements 1 and 2 of this User Guide.
2.7 Questionnaires
The student questionnaires were separate instruments from the test booklets. According to
TIMSS test administration procedures, students were to be given a break after completing
their test booklets. Subsequent to the break, test administrators were to distribute the student
questionnaires. In many countries, the student questionnaires were distributed in a packet with
the test booklets, not separately. Nevertheless, the quality assurance monitoring revealed no
indication of any problems with the distribution of the student questionnaires (Martin and
Mullis, 1996). The test administration script prescribed 20 minutes to administer the student
questionnaire, but more time was required in about 60% of the sessions (about 20 minutes
extra).
The student questionnaires asked about students’ demographics and home environment,
including academic activities outside of school, people living in the home, parental education
(only at Population 2), books in the home, possessions in the home, and the importance
students’ mothers, peers, and friends placed on different aspects of education. Students also
were queried about their attitudes towards mathematics and science. The final sections of the
questionnaires asked about classroom experiences in mathematics and science.
In general, the structure and content of the student questionnaires were similar across
Populations 1 and 2. However, for many questions, the response options were reduced in the
Population 1 version from four to three categories. At Population 2, there were two versions
of the student questionnaires. One version was for use in countries teaching general or
integrated science (non-specialized version) and the other was for use in systems where
students take courses in specific sciences such as biology, chemistry, earth science, or physics
(specialized version). Slightly more than half the countries used the general questionnaire and
slightly less than half used the questionnaire developed for use with specific science
curriculum areas. Table 2.8 presents the countries that administered the specialized and nonspecialized
versions.
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