A study to determine differences in the level of perceived preparedness in teaching algebra to eighth graders between teachers in the United States and teachers in Lebano

Algebra is a branch in mathematics and taking Algebra in middle school is often a gateway to advanced courses in high school. The problem is that the United States and Lebanon had low scores in Algebra in the 2007 Trends in Mathematics and Sciences Study (TIMSS), an international assessment administered to 4th and 8th graders every 4 years. On the 2007 TIMSS, Lebanon's average score in Algebra was 465, a lower score than the United States' average of 501. This paper attempted to determine if there were differences in the level of perceived preparedness between teachers in Lebanon and teachers in the United States, in teaching 8th graders the 4 Algebra content areas in mathematics, identified in the 2007 TIMSS assessment, while controlling for the teachers years of teaching experience. Using data from the 2007 TIMSS, multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA) 4 x 2 was performed to determine if there are differences in the level of perceived preparedness between teachers in Lebanon and teachers in the United States, in teaching 8th graders the 4 Algebra content areas in mathematics. Results of the MANCOVA indicated that there were significant differences in at least 1 of the content areas. Further research is recommended, including having a clear definition of teacher preparedness and teacher sample for teachers who taught the representative sample of students. This study has implications to educational leaders and policy makers in mathematics.