PREDICTORS OF SCIENCE ACHIEVEMENT AMONG THE LOWER-SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN MALAYSIA: AN ANALYSIS OF TIMSS DATA

Abstract

This study seeks to identify several predictor variables of science achievement among the eighth graders (Form 2) in Malaysia. Using the Trends in International Math and Science Study 2003 (TIMSS) data for Malaysia, stepwise regression analyses were performed on the national data. Results indicate that (1) student’s valuing science (SVS) and home educational resources (HER) are two strong predictor variables of science achievement at the student-level. These two variables account for 17.9 percent of the variation of science achievement between students within schools; (2) at the school-level, the mean of home educational resources (MHER) and teacher’s emphasis on science experiment (EXPR) are two predictor variables of science achievement, and they account for 51 percent of the variation between school means science achievement; (3) the effects of HER on achievement become much stronger as an aggregate, resulting in MHER as the strongest predictor variables among the four predictors; and (4) teacher’s emphasis on science experiment (EXPR) seems to be the only school-level predictor of science achievement unassociated with student-level factor in this study. Some of the recommendations include the call for schools, parents and community to work together to ensure that students have access to adequate educational materials at home, establishing community-based resource center in low-SES areas, increasing student’s awareness to value science through various programs and activities, and ensuring that students are engaged in laboratory experiments in most of science lessons.