Engagement in science lessons and achievement test scores of eighth-grade students in Korea

Periodical
Education
Volume
135
Year
2015
Issue number
4
Page range
435-438
Access date
October 07, 2021
Relates to study/studies
TIMSS 2011

Engagement in science lessons and achievement test scores of eighth-grade students in Korea

Findings from the TIMSS 2011 assessment

Abstract

Scientific  literacy  and  student  engagement  in  science  are  important components  of the  school  curriculum  in  Korea.  In  addition,  several studies  from  the  Trends  in  International  Mathematics  and  Science Study (TIMSS) assessments have identified factors associated with the learning outcomes of students in Korea. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between engagement in  science lessons and science test scores for eighth-grade students in Korea using data from the TIMSS  2011  assessment.  There were several  significant findings from this study.  Students who showed high levels of science achievement reported that their teacher was easy to understand and that they understood the teacher's  expectations.  Conversely,  students who fre­quently thought about things not related to the science lesson tended to earn lower achievement test scores. These findings demonstrate that student engagement in science lessons was significantly related to sci­ence achievement test scores.