TIMSS 2007 Contextual Questionnaires Learning takes place within
a context and not in isolation. There are numerous contextual
factors that effect studentsí learning, for example, type of
school, school resources, instructional approaches, teacher
characteristics, student attitudes, and home support for
learning contribute heavily to student learning and achievement.
For a fuller appreciation of what the TIMSS achievement results
mean and how they may be used to improve students learning in
mathematics and science, it is important to understand the
contexts in which students learn. TIMSS in every cycle collects
a range of information about these contexts for learning by
administering background questionnaires to students, teachers,
school principals, and curriculum experts, which, together with
assessing studentsí performance in mathematics and science,
provide a rich source of data on student achievement. The TIMSS
2007 Contextual Questionnaires are based on the Contextual
Framework, which encompasses five b