Content Assessment of the Sciences Textbooks of Grades (1-4) in the Light of International Standards in Mathematics and Science TIMSS 2019 (Cognitive Process Dimension)

Abstract

The current research aims to determine the requirements of Trends of International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 2019) and to find out the extent to which the content of science textbooks for grades (1-4) in the Sultanate of Oman includes the requirements of (TIMSS 2019). Only the Cognitive Process dimension has been considered when conducting the analysis. The study population includes all science books from the first to the fourth grade for the academic year 2021-2022. The study identified and organized the requirements in the study tool, which is a list of requirements of (TIMSS 2019). After confirming its validity and reliability, the analysis was performed, and data were collected and analyzed statistically using frequencies and percentages. The results showed that all domains (knowledge, Applying, and Reasoning) and all cognitive skills for each domain were included in each grade, but the percentages included in the books differed always from those specified in the requirements of (TIMSS 2019). The rank of the included domains in grades 1, 3, and 4, were as follows: first, knowledge, second, Applying, and finally, Reasoning, which is the same rank proposed by (TIMSS 2019). However, the rank for grade 2 was different where Applying came first while Reasoning and knowledge came in the second and third ranks respectively. When frequencies and ratios were calculated for each of the three domains of cognitive processes cumulatively over the four years (1-4), an interesting result popped out. The percentage included for each of the three domains is close to the percentages specified by (TIMSS 2019). This means that the science textbooks (Cambridge) designed for students from the first grade to the fourth grade have balanced well between the percentages included and the percentages specified by (TIMSS 2019), but over the four years and not over one year only, as the difference between the percentages included and the percentages specified by (TIMSS 2019) in the field of knowledge was about 6.5 percentage points in favor of the percentage included, and the difference in the field of Applying was about 4.5 points Percentage in favor of the specified percentage. As for Reasoning, the difference was less than two points only in favor of the specified percentage, which means that there is a relatively greater focus on knowledge and relatively less on Applying and Reasoning