ABSTRACT
In contemporary society, different tests of educational performance have been given importance in educational research, policy initiatives and curriculum change as well as in media. Consequently, performance in schools has been increasingly judged on the basis of effective student learning outcomes. One of the most active agencies in performing international comparative tests is the IEA- International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement. TIMSS, together with other tests staged by either the IEA or other international organizations, has gradually transformed into reference points for general economic and social policies. This chapter highlights that one important way to investigate both societal and scientific reasoning is to analyze the role played by scientific literature. The research methodology of bibliometrics has demonstrated a potential in using research databases for studying patterns of research activity. The chapter discusses scientific patterns in a specific corpus of research constituted by articles reporting and discussing TIMSS data.
