The Role of Student Attitudes and Beliefs About Mathematics and Science Learning in Academic Achievement: Evidence From TIMSS for Six Nations

In view of the prevalent belief among parents, educators, and policy makers that positive student attitudes and beliefs about mathematics learning are associated with higher academic achievement, Turner and Boe (1999) recently examined this association using data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) for seventh- and eighth-grade students in the United States. In light of the substantial support found by Turner and Boe for such attitude-achievement relationships under statistically controlled conditions, the research reported here was designed to expand upon the prior study by quantifying the strength of these relationships in both mathematics and science and to extend the analysis to other nations. To examine cross-national similarities and differences in attitude-achievement relationships, Singapore, Korea, and Hong Kong (representing the Peoples' Republic of China 1) were selected from the East, and Switzerland, Germany, and the United States were selected from the West.