Teachers Majored in Primary Education and Science – Teachers’ Reports (Grade 4)
Classroom Environment
Teachers Majored in Primary Education and Science
The TIMSS 2023 Teacher Questionnaire collected information about fourth-grade students’ science teachers’ majors during post-secondary education. These are reported in four categories: major in primary education and major or specialization in science, major in primary education but no major or specialization in science, major in science but no major in primary education, and all other majors (Exhibit 5.1.10). The small percentage of students whose science teachers have no formal education beyond upper-secondary is also reported. Details about this index can be found in Supplement 3 of the TIMSS 2023 User Guide for the International Database. These percentages must be considered in the context of science teacher preparation within countries. More details can be found in the TIMSS 2023 Encyclopedia.
Across countries, a large majority of fourth-grade students (88%) had science teachers with a major in primary education, science, or both (Exhibit 5.1.11). On average, 31 percent of students had science teachers with a major in primary education and a major or specialization in science, 42 percent had teachers with a major in primary education but no major or specialization in science, 15 percent had teachers with a major in science only, and 9 percent had teachers with other majors. A small percentage of students (3%) had teachers who had no formal education beyond upper-secondary.
Average achievement differences across fourth-grade students who had science teachers with different majors are very small. Students with teachers who majored in primary education and had a major or specialization in science, as well as those whose teachers majored in primary education only, had an average international achievement of 495 and 496, respectively. Students whose teachers majored in science only had an average science achievement of 491, and students whose teachers had other majors had an average science achievement of 493. Students whose teachers had no formal education beyond upper-secondary had much lower average science achievement (450).
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Teachers Majored in Primary Education and Science – Teachers’ Reports
Science Grade 4
Science Grade 4
Few or No Lessons
Some Lessons
Most Lessons
( ) Standard errors appear in parentheses. Because of rounding some results may appear inconsistent.
An “r” indicates data are available for at least 70% but less than 85% of the students.
An “s” indicates data are available for at least 50% but less than 70% of the students.
A dash (-) indicates comparable data not available. A tilde (~) indicates insufficient data to report result.
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