Cluster analysis results for TIMSS 2015 mathematics motivation by grade and jurisdiction

A person-centered approach can be used to identify the motivational profiles of grade four and grade eight students participating in successive cycles of IEA’s Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS); such analyses may be a powerful route to developing a better understanding of student motivation patterns and their interaction with achievement and other background variables. This chapter presents results for TIMSS 2015, which provided the most comprehensive motivational data for measuring students’ enjoyment of, confidence in, and value for mathematics. A two-step cluster approach was applied in each of the 12 jurisdictions, and at both grades, illustrating in detail the techniques applied to all three TIMSS administrations. Visual inspection of variable distributions by cluster, and descriptive and inferential statistics across diverse samples highlight some cross-culturally robust patterns. Consistent with variable-centered findings, clusters that had consistently high scores for all motivational variables outperformed those with consistently low motivation scores on the TIMSS mathematics achievement test. However, clusters with inconsistent motivational profiles tended to have higher mean mathematics score when students’ confidence in their ability to do mathematics was strong.