Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2015 Grade 9: Learner background (BSG) - South Africa as one of 39 countries

Description:
This data set contains the responses of grade 9 learners when asked questions referring to their background, i.e. home environment, parental involvement, their perceptions of their school, bullying, homework, etc. All learners were required to complete this questionnaire. The data file also includes learner mathematics and science scores.

The data set has 315 variables and was completed by 12514 learners.

Of the 300 sampled schools, 292 schools were included in the 2015 round of TIMSS, providing a response rate of 97%.
Abstract:
TIMSS is a cross-national assessment of mathematics and science knowledge of fourth and eighth grades and includes 53 countries. The Grade 9 mathematics and science assessment included 39 countries. It is conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) every four years since 1995. South Africa took part in five cycles of TIMSS i.e. in 1995, 1999, 2003, 2011 and 2015 with fieldwork being conducted in August/September 2015.

The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) administered the study in 292 schools and assessed 12514 learners across South Africa. To prevent a cluster of scores at the lower end of the scale and to ensure sufficient variance in the data for robust analyses TIMSS was administered to grade 9 learners in South Africa. As part of the TIMSS study mathematics and science tests and background questionnaires are administered to an intact randomly selected grade 9 class within a sampled school.

TIMSS uses the results from the tests and questionnaires which are administered to learners, teachers and principals to determine the achievement scores as well as the factors associated with academic success. One of the main aims of the study is to measure the health of the education systems for a particular country.

This data set contains the responses of students regarding their background and all learners were required to complete this questionnaire. The data file also includes South African learners' mathematics and science scores; for both sections internationally comparable data are available.