TEACHER AND CLASSROOM CORRELATES OF TIMSS 2011 GRADE 8 MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT IN MALAYSIA, SINGAPORE, INDONESIA, AND THAILAND

The authors explored the relationships of teacher- and classroom-level characteristics to mathematics achievement among secondary students in four SEAMEO countries that took part in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 2011. Employing multilevel modelling, teacher characteristics (i.e., gender, age, teaching experience, confidence in teaching mathematics, career satisfaction, collaborate to improve teaching, instruction to engage students, preparedness to teach TIMSS 2011 mathematics topics) and classroom characteristics (i.e., teachers perceptions of working conditions and school climate, mathematics instructional hours per week) were regressed onto the TIMSS 2011 Grade 8 mathematics achievement in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand. The results of the study and the implications of the findings for educational policy and practice are discussed.