Chapman, OliveWang, Zhaoyun2017-12-182017-12-182008http://hdl.handle.net/1880/103112Bibliography: p. 158-167The main purpose of this quantitative study is to investigate the nature and quality of the mathematics test items and relationship to the basic mathematics concepts, application and problem-solving knowledge of eighth graders based on TIMSS 2003 in order to gain understanding of the differences in performances of students in countries that ranked high in comparison to those that did not. Data were obtained from published TIMSS reports of test items and scores. Statistical analyses were conducted to answer the research questions. The findings indicate some problems with the students' achievement and imply concerns about the students' mathematics development, their teachers' mathematics knowledge, and their countries' mathematics curriculum standards. A Confucian educational theoretical perspective was used to interpret mathematics content, teaching and learning and the differences in performances between the East Asian countries that performed the best on TIMSS and Western countries that use other theoretical perspectives such as constructivism.xi, 171 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.master thesis10.11575/PRISM/2111