Abstract:

International measurements of students´ mathematical knowledge levels at different education grades provide important information about the quality of education in each country. The analysis of the results forms a platform for the comparison of educational systems and curriculum documents between the participating countries. The results of the comparison are a source for the creation and implementation of new approaches in mathematics education from the primary level of education with the aim of increasing the quality of education.

Measuring the level of mathematical knowledge at primary education is part of the TIMSS testing - 4th grade. The international testing TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) assesses the current level of students´ knowledge and skills in mathematics as well as trends in their development over time. The evaluation of the student's performance in mathematics in TIMSS assessment reflects two dimensions: (1) content - specifies the mathematical tested areas and (2) cognitive - defines the cognitive processes applied in the mathematical tasks solving processes. In the content dimension, TIMSS testing tasks for the 4th grade are created in three domains - Numbers, Measurement and Geometry, Data. The cognitive dimension is made up of domains - Knowing, Applying, and Reasoning. Testing tasks of different content focus are evaluated based on students' acquired knowledge, through their ability to apply knowledge to justify the result.

The results of Slovak pupils in TIMSS 4th grade (in 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019) indicate average, even below-average performance in mathematics compared to the EU and OECD countries´ mean value performance, but comparable, or higher than the average of the TIMSS scale. In mathematics, Slovak students are comparable in performance to students in Spain. The results of Spanish pupils in TIMSS 4th grade (in 2011, 2015, and 2019) are also lower than the mean value of EU and OECD countries and higher than the average of the TIMSS scale, in 2015 and 2019.

The paper presents the results of the VEGA 1/0631/20 project (Faculty of Education, University of Presov, Slovakia), whose goal is to analyse specific aspects of mathematics education at the ISCED1 level in countries that recorded significant performance trends in the TIMSS measurement. Spain is such a country from the point of view of comparing the results achieved in 2011 and 2015. As part of the research, the following methods were applied: a content analysis of research reports, curricular documents, and comparative analysis. Data sources consist of publicly available information databases.

In the context of the project's objectives, the subject of the contribution is:
(1) Analysis and comparison of TIMSS results and trends in Slovakia and Spain (in content and cognitive dimensions).
(2) Analysis and comparison of the mathematics curriculum at the primary level of education, in both countries.
(3) Comparison of specific aspects of mathematics education in Slovakia and Spain.

Based on the results of the analysis and comparison of selected elements of mathematics education, specific aspects were identified that can increase the quality of education and, as a result, also the results of pupils in international tests of knowledge and skills.

Keywords:

Mathematical Education, Primary Education, TIMSS 4th grade – mathematics, Comparative Analysis.