Slovenia still above average in TIMSS survey despite decline

The 2023 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) for fourth-graders involved 59 countries and six individual education systems and a total of 360,079 students, including 149 schools and 4,746 students in Slovenia.

The results show that Slovenian fourth-graders scored 514 points in mathematics (compared to the international average of 504 points) and 526 points in science (compared to the international average of 494 points).

However, the results point to a negative trend, said Barbara Japelj Pavešić of the Educational Research Institute, the national coordinator of the survey, as she presented the results to the press on Wednesday.

Compared to the results of the 2015 survey, Slovenian students scored six points lower in mathematics and 17 points lower in science, Japelj Pavešić said, noting that Slovenia did not participate in the 2019 survey.

When it comes to the proportion of students who reached the highest level of proficiency in mathematics, Slovenian students were below the international average (5% compared to 7%), while in science they were above the average (8% compared to 7%).

The first knowledge threshold was reached by 93% of Slovenian students in mathematics (compared to the international average of 91%), and 95% of Slovenian students in science (compared to the international average of 90%).

Gender-wise, boys did better than girls in both mathematics and science on average, while in 2015 boys were better in science, while there was no notable difference in mathematics.

Only 8% of head teachers said that they have major problems with discipline, but the achievements of students from these schools do not differ from the achievements of other students, Japelj Pavešić noted.

Slovenian teachers rated the conditions in their schools relatively poorly, especially in terms of safety and discipline. The survey also shows that the number of hours of instruction in Slovenia is the third lowest among all participating countries.

Education Minister Vinko Logaj commented on the results by saying that eight years after the last survey involving Slovenia, the achievements of Slovenian fourth-graders are above the international average.

The results also show that Slovenian students are better at recognising facts than at drawing conclusions and using them, he said, adding that this is yet another signal for curriculum developers and teachers to address this issue.

Logaj noted that the trend of declining achievements since 2015 has also been perceived in some comparable countries, and that the popularity of these subjects and the motivation of students have also declined.

"It is a matter of the perception of the value of education and knowledge," the minister said, announcing measures to address the situation and changes to the basic education legislation, including on kindergartens, primary school, and inspection services.