This 229-page book is a report of a collaborative research study to understand the key elements of teaching and learning in mathematics and science classrooms in six nations: France, Japan, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States. The developmental research methodologies and instruments that were developed as a result of this study were used to conduct the broader TIMSS (Third International Mathematics and Science Study) project.

As the authors of this study worked together, it became evident that the insights gained from the discussions and interchanges among the representatives of the six countries would provide valuable information for future groups attempting an international study of similar proportions and goals. This book was published so that other educators, professional development providers, and researchers could learn from the process encapsulated here.

This book is a product of the Survey of Mathematics and Science Opportunities (SMSO). The original mission of the SMSO was "…to develop a theoretical model of the educational experiences provided students and to develop a comprehensive battery of survey instruments addressing student, teacher, school, and curriculum factors. These would be used to inform the explanation and understanding of cross-national differences in student achievement in the anticipated Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). This development research was conducted in a subset of six nations participating in TIMSS" (p. ix).

The text describes the creation of a research method and the development of instruments used to conduct this cross-national education study. During the years of 1991- 1993, over 120 classroom observations were conducted in France, Japan, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States. These focused on nine year-olds and thirteen year-olds in both science and mathematics classrooms.

Part I of the text describes the development process used to create the protocols and instruments used in the investigation, beginning with a description of the collaboration process between the six countries needed to reach consensus on a common language to discuss education. The authors focus on a comparison of curriculum frameworks and textbooks in addition to an analysis of factors that guide activities in the classroom. They also detail the development of the survey instruments used in the TIMSS study. Finally, the authors draw all the components of the study together to present some conclusions and recommendations for interpreting the results for various comparisons of student achievement.

Part II consists of case studies from each of the focus countries. These provide a comprehensive picture of the content and pedagogy found in the classrooms through descriptions of the educational processes observed. Appendices include the TIMSS curriculum frameworks and the SMSO research report series index.

In some ways, this study is about cultural differences in educational settings. However, it specifically relates to national differences in characteristic pedagogical flow by showing how people in different nations carry out education in very different ways. For example, it shows the highly formalized instructional practices of French and Japanese schools and contrasts it with the open and fluid variations in Norway, Switzerland, and the United States. In each of these cases, the instructional needs of students are addressed in quite different ways with differing results.

This book could be used by a multi-session discussion group interested in exploring varied models of curriculum, school organization, teaching, and assessment and their influences on student achievement. It could help teachers deepen their understanding of teaching and assessment and their potential impact on learning. The book could also provide teachers an opportunity to explore varied models of teaching and school organization and allow them to deepen their own thinking about their work by considering the work of peers in other societal contexts in Japan and Europe.

Reviewers noted that this book could also be used by any group interested in studying the development of the evaluation instruments used for the TIMSS study. The authors thoroughly discuss the process the international group went through as they developed the survey instruments. They are very frank in discussing many of the problems with assumptions underlying the development of survey instruments, but they also gained knowledge about how members of other countries thought differently about the same educational topic.

One reviewer stated that the key caution would be to urge teachers and professional development providers to be thoughtful about applying ideas and practices from other nations in the American education setting. Attempts at holistic transfer on educational techniques and concepts from one cultural setting to another can be problematic.

Another item to note is that while this book was being published, several of the countries cited were in the midst of reforming their mathematics and/or science curriculum. Practices and curriculum in the highlighted countries, including our own, may well have changed since 1993.