Table 1-4
Eighth-grader's confidence in mathematics, by mathematics achievement score and country/economy: 2003
 
 
Country/economy Students who
"agree a lot" (%)
  Average
score
  Score
above
international
average
 
Jordan 48   424    
Egypt 46   406    
Israel 43   496   x
Ghana 41   276    
Bahrain 40   401    
Tunisia 39   410    
Cyprus 39   459    
Palestinian Authority 39   390    
United States 39   504   x
South Africa 38   264    
International average 27   467    
Romania 18   475   x
Singapore 18   605   x
Latvia 17   508   x
Moldova 17   460    
Netherlands 16   536   x
Malaysia 13   508   x
Chinese Taipei 11   585   x
Hong Kong 10   586   x
Korea 5   589   x
Japan 4   570   x
 

NOTE: Countries/economies ranked by percentage of students who "agree a lot" that I usually do well in mathematics.

SOURCES: Loveless T, How Well are American Students Learning? The Brown Center on Education Policy, Brookings Institution (2006), figure 2-1; and International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (2003).

Science and Engineering Indicators 2008