The Pattern of Performance in Math and Science among Iranian Participants of TIMSS

To identify the pattern by which the Iranian 8th grader's performance in math and science has changed over three administrations of TIMSS, averages in both areas and for the two groups of male and female students, as well as their scores on five other measures (attitudes, self-concepts, and school climate) were factor analyzed. Results show a decline in boy's performance in math while the girl's performance has remained steady. In Science both groups show a gain but the gain by girls exceeds that of the boys. Attitude and self-concept in math scores for both groups have remained almost unchanged but the girls show an increase in the same scores on science. School climate for girls has also changed for the better with the boys schools trailing. The attitudinal scores are indicative of no gender effect. However, the school factors may account for the observed differences.