Students With Specific Difficulties in Geometry: Exploring the TIMSS 2011 Data

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: From Geometry to Sex Education: What and How We Teach Matters

Abstract

This study analyzed the TIMSS data (2011) on 4th grade U.S. students’ math performance to explore U.S. students’ geometry achievement in relation to their achievement in other math domains. We found that (a) U.S. students’ performance was poorer on the Geometry subscale than on the other math subscales; (b) using latent profile modeling, we identified a group of students with the lowest scores across all three math subscales who showed a significant discrepancy between geometry and the other subscales, and this discrepancy did not exist within the high-achieving and average-achieving groups; (c) gender, age, home language, race, and preference for math and science significantly influenced the probability of being classified in the above low-achieving group. Implications are discussed.

Authors

• Jinsong Chen, Sun Yat-Sen University

• Dake Zhang, Rutgers University

• Liangfang Li, Sun Yat-Sen University

• Yan Wang, Beijing Normal University