35
Figure 2.16: Grade 4 TIMSS Scores in Mathematics and Science by Gender, 1999-2015
Source: Author’s calculation based on TIMSS data.
Figure 2.17: Grade 8 TIMSS Scores in Mathematics and Science by Gender, 1999-2015
Source: Author’s calculation based on TIMSS data.
Figures 2.16 and 2.17 depict the country-level trends in TIMSS grades 4 and 8 scores by gender.
The boy-girl difference is small or non-existent in case of Kazakhstan and Lebanon. In most
MENA countries (e.g. Oman, Qatar, Bahrain), however, there is a large gender gap in favor of
girls. Between 1999 and 2015, Jordan’s performance decline is much more striking when
assessed in terms of data on boys. To some extent, it is also true for Malaysia. In both countries,
girls outrank boys in all rounds of grade 8 TIMSS assessment though the performance of boys in
Malaysia has improved significantly in the 2015 round. In case of Oman, boys scored below the
350 mark in 2007 and 2011 rounds in math while the respective scores for girls didn’t dip below
the 400 mark. In the latest round of TIMSS, boys have improved their performance significantly
though the score has also increased for girls. In case of Saudi Arabia, which joined TIMSS in 2011,
performance has declined equally for boys and girls in the latest assessment round so much so
that Saudi girls ranked below their peers from all other participating OIC countries in 2015.
BHR
BHR
IDNJOR
KAZ
KAZ
KWT
KWT MAR
MAR
OMN
OMN
QAT
QAT
S U
SAU
TUR
TUR
ARE
ARE
300
400
500
600
1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
year
OIC OECD
NON-OECD Maths score in TIMSS, girls
BHR
BHR
IDN
JOR
KAZ
KAZ
KWT KWT
MAR
MAR
OMN
OMN
QAT
QAT
SAU
SAU
TUR
TUR
ARE
ARE
300
400
500
600
Mean math score in TIMSS, boys
1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
year
OIC OECD
NON-OECD Maths score in TIMSS, boys
BHR BHR
BHR
BHR
JOR JOR JOR
JOR
JOR
KAZ
KAZ
KWT
KWT
LBN
LBN LBN LBN
MYS
MYS
MYS
MYS
MYS
MAR
MAR
OMN OMN
OMN
QAT
QAT
SAU
SAU
TUR TU ARE ARE
300
400
500
600
1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
year
OIC OECD
NON-OECD Maths score in TIMSS, girls
BHR BHR BHR
BHR
JOR
JOR JOR
JOR
JOR
KAZ
KAZ
KWT
KWT
LBN
LBN LBN
LBN
MYS
MYS
MYS
MYS
MYS
MAR
MAR
OMN
OMN
OMN
QAT
QAT
SAU
SAU
TUR TUR
ARE
ARE
350 400 450
500 550 600
Mean math score in TIMSS, boys
1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
year
OIC OECD
NON-OECD Maths score in TIMSS, boys