Dinaric Perspectives on TIMSS 2019

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-x

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2. Introduction to Dinaric Perspectives on TIMSS 2019

   • Paulína Koršňáková, Sabine Meinck, Barbara Japelj Pavešić

   Pages 1-14Open Access

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3. Context and Implementation of TIMSS 2019 at Grade Four in the Dinaric Region

   • Paulína Koršňáková, Sandra Dohr

   Pages 15-38Open Access

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4. Opportunity to Learn Mathematics and Science

   • Agim Alia, Barbara Japelj Pavešić, Mojca Rožman

   Pages 39-64Open Access

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5. Students’ Interests, Motivation, and Self-beliefs

   • Barbara Japelj Pavešić, Marina Radović, Falk Brese

   Pages 65-100Open Access

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6. Early Literacy and Numeracy Competencies: Predictors of Mathematics Achievement in the Dinaric Region

   • Ženeta Džumhur, Nada Ševa, Mojca Rožman

   Pages 101-122Open Access

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7. The Role of Learning Resources, School Environment, and Climate in Transforming Schools from Buildings to Learning Communities

   • Ines Elezović, Beti Lameva, Falk Brese

   Pages 123-149Open Access

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8. Teachers, Teaching and Student Achievement

   • Ivana Đerić, Ines Elezović, Falk Brese

   Pages 151-174Open Access

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9. Characteristics of Principals and Schools in the Dinaric Region

   • Beti Lameva, Ženeta Džumhur, Mojca Rožman

   Pages 175-190Open Access

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10. Characteristics of High- and Low-Performing Students

    • Rezana Vrapi, Agim Alia, Falk Brese

    Pages 191-212Open Access

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11. Scaffolding the Learning in Rural and Urban Schools: Similarities and Differences

    • Smiljana Jošić, Barbara Japelj Pavešić, Nikoleta Gutvajn, Mojca Rožman

    Pages 213-239Open Access

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12. Back Matter

    Pages 241-244

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This open access book brings together national experts from across the Dinaric region to rigorously review IEA’s Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2019 grade four data to develop a multidimensional and culturally sensitive perspective on their TIMSS 2019 primary-level results. The Dinaric region, named after the Dinaric Alps, is located in South-eastern Europe, and stretches through Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo[1], Albania, and North Macedonia.

IEA’s TIMSS has been an invaluable resource for monitoring international trends in mathematics and science achievement at grades four and eight since 1995. The TIMSS 2019 administration of the test to grade four students, provided a unique opportunity for analysis within shared regional settings and enabled the construction of this first report based on international study results from the region, prepared by the National Research Coordinators in collaboration with IEA.

[1] This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

• TIMSS 2019
• Student attitudes in mathematics
• Student attitudes in science
• achievement at the primary level
• early learning activities
• Regional characteristics of school
• educational systems Dinaric
• School resources at primary level
• teachers Western Balkan region
• IEA studies across the Dinaric region
• Educational policies
• Open access

• Educational Research Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia

  Barbara Japelj Pavešić

• International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  Paulína Koršňáková

• International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), Hamburg, Germany

  Sabine Meinck

Dr. Barbara Japelj Pavešić is a researcher at the Educational Research Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia. With a background in mathematics and statistics, her area of research is the measurement of mathematics and science knowledge and statistical modeling of research data, especially with relatively new methods of symbolic data analyses and data mining. Her main research focus is rising of the national mathematics standards and opportunities to learn mathematics in schools. She has been the National Research Coordinator for all cycles of TIMSS and TIMSS Advanced and TALIS 2018 in Slovenia. She is the author of national TIMSS and TALIS reports, articles presenting results of secondary analyses of TIMSS and other educational data, involved in national projects and coauthor of textbooks for mathematics for grade 4 to 6.

Dr. Paulína Koršňáková as Senior Research and Liaison Adviser for IEA, is responsible for supporting and developing existing memberships and institutional partnerships within IEA’s mission of researching education to improve learning. Prior to her various assignments at IEA since 2010, she led implementation and reporting for various international large-scale assessments at a national level in the Slovak Republic. Dr Koršňáková is an experienced teacher, lecturer and researcher and represents Slovakia on the European Educational Research Association (EERA) Council.



Dr Sabine Meinck works for the IEA in Hamburg, Germany, being head of both its Research and Analysis Unit and Sampling Unit. Since 2006, she has been involved with the sampling, weighting, variance estimation, and analysis of nearly all contemporary large-scale assessments in education. Dr Meinck provides guidance and support for research activities within the IEA, and is associated editor of the Springer journal "Large-scale Assessments in Education". Her main research interest lies with the science of cross-national large-scale assessments, and the methodological challenges of complex survey data.

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