In 1995, TIMSS measured mathematics and science understanding through performance assessment. In many of the TIMSS countries, subsamples of fourth- and eighth-grade students that participated in the main testing sessions participated in the TIMSS performance assessment. In the performance assessment, students designed experiments, manipulated materials, tested hypotheses, and recorded findings when completing a range of mathematics and science tasks.
Instructional, school, and home background variables are important for understanding international differences in student achievement in mathematics and science. For this reason, TIMSS includes student, teacher, and school questionnaires to collect contextual information about instruction and learning. In 1995, TIMSS gathered an enormous amount of data related to a variety of topics including instructional strategies, classroom activities, school characteristics and resources, attitudes, parental expectations, and many demographic characteristics. In total, the 1995 TIMSS assessment collected information from students, teachers, and school principals on approximately 1,500 contextual variables related to the teaching and learning of mathematics and science.
TIMSS also included an analysis of curricula which sought information about the intended curricula of the countries participating in TIMSS 1995. This was done through an innovative and ambitious analysis of textbooks, curriculum guides, and other curricular materials.
