A global study has recently revealed the results from Trends in Mathematics and Sciences Study (TIMSS) and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). The study took results from 2011 and found East Asian countries are leading in math, science, and reading. These countries include South Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Not far behind them are several European nations, such as the United Kingdom and Finland.
The results showed a correlation in higher level of education with societal commitment to education. For example, several Middle Eastern nations ranked at the bottom of fourth grade performances in math, science, and reading. This reflects the issue of poverty that is preventing children from getting proper education. For well-off nations, especially the economic power countries in Eastern Asia, a higher commitment to education is shown. Schools that are well-financed and have highly trained and satisfied teachers produce student with better performance.
Co-director of the exam, education professor Michael Martin of Boston College, stated, ”Education is a multi-generational enterprise, so if you go back 30 or 40 years, many of these countries really did not have an education system, with only a small group of people getting a decent education. When parents haven’t been to school and are not literate, this is a big problem to overcome.”
Over 60 countries partook in the international exam on academic achievement in fourth and eighth grade. The TIMSS is conducted every four years and the PIRLS every five.
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