A comparative investigation of the presence of psychological conditions in high achieving eighth graders from TIMSS 2007 Mathematics

This study is a second analysis of Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007 background questionnaires to investigate high achieving eighth-grade students' possession of three elements of Krutetskii's (The Psychology of Mathematical Abilities in Schoolchildren, The University of Chicago, 1976) psychological conditions. Analyses were made between high achieving eighth graders and their lower achieving counterparts, and between Korean high achievers and their high achieving peers across ten high performing TIMSS participating countries. After reviewing 44,643 students across selected countries, we conclude that a larger percentage of students with mathematical talent demonstrate positive attitudes toward mathematics, value mathematics, and have self-confidence in their ability to learn mathematics than their peers without high achievement in mathematics. However, a larger portion of high achieving Korean students displayed low self-confidence and valued mathematics less than their peers from other high performing countries. Findings from this study will provide insight into some educational issues in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education.