Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2023 (TIMSS 2023)

TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) is an international comparative study of student achievement. It focuses on students’ mathematics and science competencies. A key objective of the study is to document long-term trends in the participating education systems. A total of 58 countries worldwide participated in TIMSS 2023, including 22 EU member states and 29 OECD countries. With the 2023 assessment, Germany participated in TIMSS for the fifth time with fourth-grade students. Germany’s participation was part of the overall strategy for educational monitoring in Germany, following a resolution by the KMK and an agreement between the KMK and the BMBF. The survey took place in all 16 federal states in Germany. A sample representative of Germany, consisting of 4,442 fourth-grade students at 230 elementary and special education schools, was studied. Participation in the competency tests was mandatory for students in Germany. The achievement tests used in TIMSS included tasks of varying cognitive difficulty (e.g., problem solving) from different subject areas (e.g., arithmetic or biology). In addition, TIMSS included written surveys of the participating children, their parents, the teachers instructing mathematics and general studies, and school administrators. (Project/IQB)

  • Research Design: Oberservational Design
  • Sample: Students in grade 4 (N=4,442) at General Education Schools (N=230); Legal Guardians (N=2,665); Classes (N=234); Teachers (N=487)
  • DOI: 10.5159/IQB_TIMSS_2023_SUF_Off-site_v1
  • Restrictions: Yes

  • Individual and Institutional Background
    • Socio-demographic Background
      • Money available per month
      • Migration Background
        • Germany as country of birth of the child
        • Language(s) in infancy
        • Country of birth of the child and parents
        • Language at home
        • Language of the parents
        • Language of the child at home
      • Cultural Capital
        • Number of book in the home
        • Number of children`s books in the household
        • Digital resources in the household
        • Economic and cultural capital
        • Access to digital media at home
      • Family Background
        • Number of persons in the household
        • Poverty risk
    • Personal Characteristics
      • Assessment of cognitive, emotional and behavioral characteristics of the child
      • Learning and Performance-related Attitudes
        • Parents` satisfaction with school
      • Political and Social Attitudes
        • Resource generator
    • Professional Background
      • Occupational Situation
        • Occupation held by the parents
        • Employment status of parents
        • Occupational position of parents
        • Number of employees in the enterprise
        • Parents` priority activity
        • Occupation
        • Employment
      • Professional Education
        • Parents´ graduation qualifications and vocational certificates
    • Institutional Characteristics
      • Working of distance learning
      • Educational Resources
        • Digital resources from school during COVID-19 pandemic
    • Educational Biography
      • Age of child at school enrollment
      • Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on learning progress
      • Extracurricular support to improve performance
      • Time needed for homework
      • Decision about the secondary school
    • Home Learning Environment
      • Students´ learning environment at home
      • Cultural activities with the child
      • Home Learning Support
        • Supportive activities at home
        • Frequency Activities: Mathmatics
        • Frequency Activities: Science
      • Tutoring
        • Catching up on learning lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic
        • Private tuition
      • Parental Educational Practices
        • Early childhood education
        • Reading skills of the child at school entry
        • Mathmatical knowledge of the child at school entry
        • Environmental activities with the child
        • Support from parents during distance learning
        • Interest of parents in friendships of the child
      • Parental Educational Aspirations
        • Educational expectations: School leaving certificate of the child
        • Educational expectations: Vocational qualification of the child
  • Individual and Institutional Background
    • Socio-demographic Background
      • Individual Characteristics
        • Sex
        • Age (age group)
    • Personal Characteristics
      • Attitude towards digital media
      • Political and Social Attitudes
        • The importance of environmental protection and sustainability for schools
    • Professional Background
      • Occupational Situation
        • Satisfaction with teaching profession
        • Perception of stress
        • Science as a separate subject
        • Weekly allocation of time for Science
        • Duration of teaching in a 4th grade class
        • Subject lessons in a TIMSS class
        • Overload: exhasution and depression
      • Professional Experience
        • Teacher Experience
      • Professional Education
        • Highest educational attainment
        • Vocational qualification
        • Main focus of studies
        • Focus subjects in the study
        • Alternative to teacher training
        • Attending professional development courses on teaching mathematics
        • Attending professional development courses on teaching science
        • Attending professional development courses on digital media
    • Institutional Characteristics
      • Educational Resources
        • Number of available digital resources for mathematics
        • Number of available digital resources for science
      • School ICT Usage
        • Usage digital media of students in mathematics
        • Use of calculators in classes
        • Frequency of use of digital media in mathematics
        • Challenges of use of digital media in mathematics
        • Frequency of use of digital media in science
        • Challenges of use of digital media in science
        • Frequency of use of digital media in class
        • Usage digital media of students in science
        • Usage options of digital media in mathematics
        • Usage options of digital media in science
      • Composition of the Student Body
        • Number of students in TIMSS class
        • Percentage of grade 4
        • Grade 4: German language skills
        • Disruption in class
  • School Level Processes
    • School Leadership Practices
      • Satisfaction with organizational aspects of the school
    • School Atmosphere
      • School climate
      • Safety at school
  • Teaching-Learning Arrangements
    • Proportion of face-to-face teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic
    • adjustments to teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic
    • effectiveness of distance learning
    • Textbooks used: German and mathematics
    • Lesson Design/ Teaching Practice
      • Subjects in TIMSS class
      • Fields of activity in teaching
      • Time allocation for mathematics lessons
      • Content-related activities in mathematics lessons
      • Content-related activities in science
      • Environment-related topics in lessons
      • Promoting environment-related activities
      • Support in mathematics lessons
      • Adaptive teaching of mathematics
      • Confident teaching of mathematics
      • Content areas in science
      • Scientific working methods
      • Supporting pupils according to their individual learning needs
      • Adaptive teaching of science
      • Confident teaching of science
      • Use and Variation of Different Teaching Methods
        • The importance of scientific ways of thinking and working
        • the frequency of use of digital media for various classroom activities
      • Handling Homework
        • Frequency of homework in mathematics classes
        • Dealing with homework in mathematics
        • Frequency of homework in science classes
        • Dealing with homework in science
      • Lesson Preparation and Lesson Content
        • Thematic focus in mathematics
        • Thematic focus in science
        • Preparation and follow-up with digital media
    • Class Management
      • Performance Assessment/ Diagnostic Competence
        • Assessment in mathematics lessons
        • Assessment in science
  • Individual and Institutional Background
    • Socio-demographic Background
      • Migration Background
        • Frequency of use of test language at home
        • Wealth assets
        • Migration backround
        • Germany as country of birth of child
        • Country of birth of child
      • Cultural Capital
        • Number of books at home
        • Cultural capital
      • Individual Characteristics
        • Age
        • Sex
        • Special educational needs
      • Family Background
        • Germany as country of birth of parent A
        • Germany as country of birth of parent B
    • Personal Characteristics
      • Self-Related Attitudes
        • Environmental attitudes
        • Responsible environmental behavior
      • Learning and Performance-related Attitudes
        • Self-assessed skills in using digital media
        • Subject-related self-concept mathematics I and intrinsic values mathematics
        • Subject-related self-concept mathematics II
        • Subject-related self-concept science I and intrinsic values science
        • Subject-related self-concept science II
        • Individual interest in science
      • School-related Attitudes and Behaviors
        • Absence from school
        • Well-being in school
        • Sense of security at school
        • Use of all-day offers from students´ point of view
    • Institutional Characteristics
      • Educational Resources
        • Provision of tablets/laptops
      • School ICT Usage
        • Use of computers in the classroom
        • Frequency of digital media use for various classroom activities
        • Communication with the teacher using digital media
        • Use of various digital media for school-related purposes
        • Locations and purposes of digital media use
    • Educational Biography
      • Year of school enrollment
      • Attendance at the flexible introductory phase
      • Half-year grade
      • Expected school career
      • Recommended secondary school
    • Leisure Time Behavior and Media Use
      • Private ICT Usage
        • Locations and purposes of digital media use
        • Use of digital media in free time
        • Computer and console games
    • Home Learning Environment
      • Tutoring
        • Tutoring
      • Parental Educational Practices
        • Parents´ interest/support
        • Parents´ interest in activities of the child
  • Teaching-Learning Arrangements
    • Lesson Design/ Teaching Practice
      • Individual work in math class
      • Experiments in science class
      • Assessment of mathematical teaching
      • Assessment of scientific teaching
      • Cognitive Activation
        • Perceived support and cognitive stimulation provided by the teacher (science)
        • Perceived support and cognitive stimulation provided by the teacher (mathematics)
    • Learning Atmosphere in the Classroom and in the Class Group
      • Perceived disruptions during mathematics class
      • Perceived disruptions during science class
  • Individual and Institutional Background
    • Socio-demographic Background
      • Individual Characteristics
        • Head teacher completing the survey: Gender
    • Professional Background
      • Occupational Situation
        • Weekly teaching time of the school management
        • Activities of the school principal
        • Time scope of school management activities
      • Professional Experience
        • Duration of employment as principle
        • Duration of employment as principle: current school
      • Professional Education
        • Educational certificates
        • Vocational certificates
        • Highest educational attainment
        • Degree/Qualifivation for school principals/management
    • Institutional Characteristics
      • Educational Resources
        • Number of computers available for class
        • Laboratory for lessons of general knowledge
        • Use of online learning management systems
        • Access to resources and technologies at school
        • Problems with personal and material equipment of the school
        • Additional rooms
        • Condition of additional rooms
      • School Location
        • Number of inhabitants in the schools´ town
        • School environment
        • Income level in the school area
      • Organization of School Operations
        • Number of teaching days per year
        • Instructional time (without breaks)
        • Number of teaching days per week
        • School closures during the COVID-19 pandemic
        • Media policy
        • School profile
        • School profile: Type
        • Number of subject lessons
      • Organization of Teaching Operations
        • Teaching and supervision formats during the COVID-19 pandemic
        • Class profile
        • Class profile: Type
        • Selection of mathematics textbooks
        • Criteria for selecting mathematics textbooks
      • Organization of all-day Operation
        • Forms of time management
        • Existence of an after school programm
        • School as all-day operation
        • School in all-day operation: Form
        • Interlocking of instruction and all-day activities
        • Additional offers for lessons abd support
        • Team building in all-day operation
      • Learning Opportunities
        • School-based support and care services
      • Composition of the Student Body
        • Number of students at the school
        • Number of students in fourth grade
        • Students percentage: Social origin
        • Students percentage: German as mother tongue
        • Knowledge at school entry
      • Composition of the Faculty
        • Age composition
  • School Level Processes
    • Importance of Environmental Protection and Sustainability at Your School
    • Quality Development and Evaluation
      • Evaluation and Achievement Measurement
        • Measures for evaluating teaching practice
      • Measures of Quality Development
        • Quality development and enhancement measures
    • Parental Involvement
      • Cooperation of the school with parents
    • School Atmosphere
      • School climate
    • Cooperation
      • Intra-school Cooperation
        • Teacher cooperations: Fixed times
        • Teacher cooperations: areas
  • Teaching-Learning Arrangements
    • Class Management
      • Classroom management: organization of learning groups
    • Learning Atmosphere in the Classroom and in the Class Group
      • Problematic teacher behavior
      • Composition of the Student Body
        • Problematic student behavior

  • Domain-Specific Cognitive Competencies
    • Mathematics Achievement
      • Arithmetic
      • Geometry/measurement
      • Dealing with data
    • Natural Science Achievement
      • Biology
      • Physics/Chemitry
      • Geography
  • Cross-Domain Cognitive Skills
    • Reproduction
    • Apply
    • Problem solving
    • Test Instrument Intelligence
      • CFT 20-R - Grundintelligenztest
        • Reihenfortsetzen
        • Matrices
      • KFT - Kognitiver Fähigkeitstest
        • Verbale Analogien
Apply for Scientific Use Files
Data Set Published on
Sept. 22, 2026
Current Version Available Since
Sept. 22, 2026
Survey Period
2023
Sample
Students in grade 4 (N=4,442) at General Education Schools (N=230); Legal Guardians (N=2,665); Classes (N=234); Teachers (N=487)
Survey Unit
  • Parents
  • Teachers
  • Principals
  • Students
Measured Competencies
Mathematics, Natural Sciences
Region
Germany, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia
Principal Investigators
  • Schwippert, Knut
  • Steffensky, Mirjam
Data Producers
  • Schwippert, Knut
  • Steffensky, Mirjam
Funded by
Related Studies
Suggested Citation
Kasper, D., Beese, C., Scholz, L. A., & Schwippert, K. (2026). Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2023 (TIMSS 2023) (Version 1) [Data set]. Berlin: IQB – Institut zur Qualitätsentwicklung im Bildungswesen. http://doi.org/10.5159/IQB_TIMSS_2023_SUF_Off-site_v1
Restriction Notice

No federal state identifier variable is available for these records.

Cognitive abilities must not be used as a dependent variable in the analyses.

Blank data sets

For a first overview of the data set and its variables, dummy data sets containing the variables used and the value labels relating to them are provided for download here.

TIMSS 2023 Blank data sets

Further information

Literature

Selected literature is listed here.

TIMSS 2023 Literature (.bib)

2025

Sierau, J., Scholz, L. A., Beese, C., Jusufi, D., Lott, M., & Schwippert, K. (2025). TIMSS 2023. Skalenhandbuch zur Dokumentation der Erhebungsinstrumente und Arbeit mit den Datensätzen. Waxmann Verlag GmbH. https://doi.org/10.31244/9783818850708

2024

Schwippert, K., Kasper, D., Eickelmann, B., Goldhammer, F., Köller, O., Selter, C., & Steffensky, M. (2024). TIMSS 2023. Mathematische und naturwissenschaftliche Kompetenzen von Grundschulkindern in Deutschland im internationalen Vergleich. Waxmann Verlag GmbH. https://doi.org/10.31244/9783830999591