PREFACE The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), sponsored by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (lEA) and the gov- ernments of the participating countries, is a comparative study of education in mathematics and the sciences conducted in approximately 50 educational systems on five continents. The goal of TIMSS is to measure student achievement in mathematics and science in participating coun- tries and to assess some of the curricular and classroom factors that influence student learning in these subjects. The study will provide...