Impact of conceptual understanding, teaching experience, and parental education on science achievement: TIMSS data analysis

Johannes Addido 1 * , Andrea C. Burrows Borowczak 2, Timothy F. Slater 3
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1 Eastern New Mexico University, Portales, NM, USA
2 University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
3 Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX, USA
* Corresponding Author
EUR J SCI MATH ED, Volume 14, Issue 1, pp. 28-46. https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/17622
Published: 22 December 2025
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ABSTRACT

This quantitative study examined the impact of teachers’ self-reported use of instructional practices for conceptual understanding, teaching experience, and parental education on eighth-grade students’ science achievement scores in Australia, England, Japan, South Africa, and the United States, using data from TIMSS 2015 and TIMSS 2019. The data were subjected to descriptive statistical analyses and multiple regression modeling to investigate the extent to which teachers’ use of conceptual understanding practices, teaching experience, and parental education affects students’ science achievement. The findings revealed that teaching for conceptual understanding practices did not always contribute to improved students’ science achievement scores. However, teachers’ teaching experience and parental education could have a positive effect on students’ science achievement scores. The findings also showed that science teachers’ teaching for conceptual understanding practices weakly accounted for differences in students’ science achievement scores in the five countries, although a large percentage of teachers self-reported using conceptual understanding practices in their classrooms. The authors posit that such practices are beneficial for students’ achievement in science and STEM and that establishing a universal characterization of “teaching for conceptual understanding” would enhance the conduction of cross-national studies.
Keywords: conceptual understanding practices, teaching experience, parental education, science achievement, science education, STEM education, TIMSS

CITATION

Addido, J., Borowczak, A. C. B., & Slater, T. F. (2026). Impact of conceptual understanding, teaching experience, and parental education on science achievement: TIMSS data analysis. European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 14(1), 28-46. https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/17622

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