Who Are the Pupils with Low Scores on Achievement Tests in TIMSS Research: Comparative Analysis

Abstract

This paper focuses on the fourth-grade elementary school pupils who achieved low scores on the TIMSS test in mathematics and natural sciences. In order to examine certain characteristics of these pupils, two research questions were posed: (1) What makes the low-achieving pupils in Serbia different from other pupils from the same sample in terms of personal and family characteristics? (2) Do the low-achieving pupils from Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia differ at the level of personal, family, teaching, and school characteristics? The data were analyzed in two subsamples. One subsample included only the pupils from Serbia (N = 4036), while the other referred to the low-achieving pupils from three compared countries (N = 1876). The research results indicate that in Serbia, the low-achieving pupils differ significantly from other pupils in terms of some individual and family characteristics ‒ they attended preschool institutions in a smaller number and spent less time in them, were less prepared for starting elementary school, were absent more frequently from school, and had less educated parents. There are also noticeable differences between our low-achieving pupils and their peers from the region who achieved similar results. For example, the pupils from Serbia had less educated parents and a smaller number of those who had professional occupations, fewer educational resources for learning at home, but they showed greater mathematical self-confidence and had a more pronounced experience of belonging to their school. The key implications of this research have been highlighted and its advantages and limitations pointed out.

Keywords

• timss test
• pupils with low achievement
• personal
• family
• teaching
• and school characteristics.