The TIMSS 1999 Video Study was a study of eighth-grade mathematics and science teaching in seven countries. The study involved videotaping and analyzing teaching practices in more than one thousand classrooms. In conjunction with the International Association of the Evaluation of Education Achievement (IEA), the study was conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education under a contract with LessonLab, Inc. of Los Angeles, California.
Goals of TIMSS 1999 Video Study
- Investigate mathematics and science teaching practices in U.S. classrooms.
- Compare U.S. teaching practices with those found in high-achieving countries.
- Discover new ideas about teaching mathematics and science.
- Develop new teaching research methods and tools for teacher professional development.
- Create a digital library of images of teaching to inform U.S. educational policy.
- Stimulate and focus discussion of teaching practices among educators, policymakers, and the public.
Design and Procedures
At least 100 schools were randomly selected in each country. One math lesson and one science lesson was videotaped in each school that agreed to participate. Taping was distributed evenly throughout the school year so that the lessons represent the full range of eighth-grade mathematics and science instruction in each country. A teacher and student questionnaire, and worksheets and textbook pages used in the lessons supplement the videotapes.
Participating Countries
The countries participating in the mathematics portion of the TIMSS 1999 Video Study were Australia, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong SAR, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United States. The countries participating in the science portion of the study were Australia, the Czech Republic, Japan, the Netherlands, and the United States.
Although Japan did not participate in the mathematics portion of the study, the Japanese mathematics data collected as part of the TIMSS 1995 Video Study were re-analyzed for the TIMSS 1999 Video Study. U.S. mathematics data collected as part of the TIMSS 1995 Video Study were also re-analyzed.
Timeline
The TIMSS 1999 Video Study began with a field test in May, 1998. Most of the filming took place in 1999, and depended on the school calendar in each country. The international mathematics report was released in 2003, and the international science report was released in 2006.