Mathematics Achievement of Grade VIII Students Based on International Standardized Test (TIMSS) in an Urban Context of Sindh, Pakistan

The purpose of the study was to check how students of grade VIII in Urban Sindh, Pakistan performed on mathematics subject based on Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) assessment framework. The study used a descriptive design from quantitative research methods. The data were collected from three different educational sectors of urban Sindh. The study used a mathematics test based on the TIMSS framework and 60 items (44 MCQs & 16 CRQs) were adapted from released items. Purposive sampling was used to select the schools (n=6) and random sampling was followed to recruit the research participants (n=180) from grade VIII. There were 38% female and 62% of male research participants. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistical analyses technique. The results indicate that the research participant’s average score is below 30%, indicating an overall low performance of all schools in mathematics tests based on the TIMSS 2011 assessment framework. Some important recommendations for reducing the gap between the proposed and the achieved expertise level in mathematics are given.