What Do TIMSS Studies Show About Math Achievement Inequality? A Sociological Perspective

With the vast progress in international comparative achievement data collection since the early 1960s, we have witnessed the rise of research that examines why primary and secondary school students in some countries perform better than students in other countries. In addition to identifying the sources of between-country gaps in average student achievement, international data projects such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) have paved the way for a rich body of literature that examines achievement inequality by social background. This chapter attempts to fill a gap in the research by reviewing the comparative literature that used TIMSS data to examine math achievement inequality in Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the United States over the past two decades. We focus on two types of inequality: inequality in student test scores on the basis of socioeconomic and demographic backgrounds, as measured by achievement gaps among different groups (e.g., gender, family socioeconomic status, immigrant background, and family structure), and the relative importance of school compared to family background on mathematics achievement. In this chapter, we summarize what comparative research studies say about the relationship between social backgrounds and math achievement in primary and secondary schools. Finally, we suggest possible avenues for further research.