What School Resources Are Available to Support
Science Learning?
TIMSS collected data on a range of school resources, including those
of a general nature such as buildings and infrastructure, as well
as laboratory equipment and other materials specifically related to
science learning. To measure the extent of school resources in each
participating entity, TIMSS created an index of availability of school
resources for science instruction (ASRSI). As described in Exhibit
7.2, the index is based on schools’ average response to five
questions about shortages that affect their general capacity to provide
instruction and six questions about shortages that affect science
instruction in particular. Students were placed in the high category
if principals reported that shortages, both general and for science
in particular, had no or little effect on instructional capacity.
The medium level indicates that one type of shortage affects instruction
some or a lot, and the low level that both shortages affect it some
or a lot.
Schools in the United States appear to be fairly well-resourced in
comparison with the TIMSS 1999 countries. Across the United States
as a whole, 34 percent of students were in schools reporting that
resource shortages had little effect on instruction, compared with
18 percent on average internationally. Of the reference countries,
only Belgium (Flemish), Singapore, and the Czech Republic reported
higher percentages in this category. Across the Benchmarking participants,
reports varied widely. In the Academy School District, the First in
the World Consortium, and Naperville, more than 75 percent of students
were in well-resourced schools, whereas in South Carolina, Oregon,
and North Carolina 15 percent or less were in such schools.
In many of the Benchmarking jurisdictions and TIMSS 1999 countries,
students in schools in the high category had higher average science
achievement than those in the low category. For example, in the United
States 34 percent of the students were in the high category with an
average science achievement of 531, compared with six percent in the
low category with an average of 512. However, the relationship between
a country’s average science achievement and availability of instructional
resources is complex. For example, in some countries that performed
significantly above the international average, including Korea, Chinese
Taipei, and the Russian Federation, few students (seven percent or
less) were in schools with high availability of resources for science
instruction. In contrast, in other high-performing countries such
as Belgium (Flemish), the Czech Republic, England, Japan, the Netherlands,
and Singapore, five percent or less of the students were in schools
with low availability of resources.
Exhibit
R4.1 in the reference section shows the results for each of the
types of facilities and materials summarized in the general capacity
part of the index. There was substantial variation across countries,
but internationally on average, nearly half the students were in schools
where science instruction was negatively affected by shortages or
inadequacies in instructional materials, the budget for supplies,
school buildings, and instructional space. Generally, the Benchmarking
participants reported fewer students in schools where science instruction
was negatively affected by resource shortages, but again the situation
varied widely across jurisdictions. Shortage of instructional space
was a problem in Oregon, the Fremont/Lincoln/Westside Public Schools,
Jersey City, Miami-Dade, and Montgomery County, where more than half
of the eighth-grade students were affected. Inadequate school buildings
or grounds were also a problem in Miami-Dade, and Oregon had more
than half its students in schools that reported shortages of instructional
materials and budget for supplies.
Exhibit
R4.2, also in the reference section, shows the results for each
of the types of equipment and materials summarized in the science
instructional capacity part of the index. About 60 percent of the
students, on average across all the TIMSS 1999 countries, were in
schools where shortages or inadequacies in computers and computer
software affected the capacity to provide science instruction. Although
the Benchmarking entities generally reported fewer students affected
by such shortages, Idaho, North Carolina, Oregon, the Delaware Science
Coalition, and Rochester were similar to the international average.
Shortages of both computers and computer software were also reported
for a majority of the students in Maryland, Missouri, and Texas. The
United States as a whole reported that 38 percent of the students
were in schools where shortages in science laboratory equipment and
materials affected the capacity to provide instruction, compared with
58 percent internationally. However, a majority of the students in
Idaho, North Carolina, Oregon, Chicago, and the Delaware Science Coalition
were in such schools. North Carolina also reported shortages in library
materials and audio-visual resources for science instruction.
Exhibits
R4.3 and Exhibit
R4.4 in the reference section present more data on access to computers
and the Internet for instructional purposes. Benchmarking participants
appear to be relatively well equipped with computers, compared with
countries internationally, as almost all students were in schools
with fewer than 15 students per computer. Internet access was also
widespread across Benchmarking entities. In all states except Indiana,
Missouri, and Pennsylvania, more than 90 percent of students were
in schools with Internet access. School districts with relatively
low levels of Internet access were those in Rochester (69 percent)
and Chicago (just 44 percent).
