{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]],"date-time":"2026-09-15T06:06:31Z","timestamp":1789452391631,"version":"build-2803163510"},"update-to":[{"DOI":"10.12688\/f1000research.172015.1","type":"new_version","label":"New version","source":"publisher","updated":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,12]],"date-time":"2026-09-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789171200000}},{"DOI":"10.12688\/f1000research.172015.2","type":"new_version","label":"New version","source":"publisher","updated":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,12]],"date-time":"2026-09-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789171200000}},{"DOI":"10.12688\/f1000research.172015.3","type":"new_version","label":"New version","source":"publisher","updated":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,12]],"date-time":"2026-09-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789171200000}}],"reference-count":30,"publisher":"F1000 Research Ltd","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,12]],"date-time":"2026-09-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789171200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["f1000research.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["F1000Res"],"abstract":"<ns3:p>Background South Africa continues to underperform in primary mathematics, yet overall mean comparisons obscure where achievement gaps are most concentrated. This study examines domain-specific patterns of mathematics achievement using data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2023, benchmarking South African Grade 5 learners against Singaporean Grade 4 learners assessed on the same TIMSS Grade 4 mathematics framework. Methods A quantitative secondary analysis was conducted using nationally representative TIMSS 2023 datasets comprising 10,424 South African learners from 285 schools and 6,530 Singaporean learners from 181 schools. South Africa assessed learners in Grade 5 using the TIMSS Grade 4 mathematics instruments, consistent with TIMSS procedures where curriculum exposure aligns with the benchmark framework. Mathematics achievement was analysed across content domains (Number, Measurement and Geometry, Data) and cognitive domains (Knowing, Applying, Reasoning). Weighted estimates, replicate-based variance estimation, and effect sizes (Cohen\u2019s d) were computed in accordance with IEA technical guidelines. The analysis is descriptive and comparative rather than causal. Results South African learners performed substantially below the international centre point across all domains. The largest content-domain gap relative to Singapore was observed in Measurement and Geometry, indicating pronounced weaknesses in spatial reasoning. The largest cognitive-domain gap occurred in Knowing, reflecting fragile foundational fluency. Although Applying was relatively stronger within the South African profile, it remained substantially below benchmark levels. Achievement gaps were therefore concentrated in foundational and spatial domains rather than uniformly distributed. Conclusions Concentrated achievement gaps in foundational knowledge and geometry characterise the underperformance of primary mathematics in South Africa. The findings provide a structured diagnostic profile of domain-specific achievement disparities, highlighting the concentration of gaps in foundational knowledge and spatial reasoning.<\/ns3:p>","DOI":"10.12688\/f1000research.172015.4","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]],"date-time":"2026-09-15T05:59:08Z","timestamp":1789451948000},"page":"1209","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.12688\/f1000research.crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Closing the Gap in Early Mathematics: Domain and Cognitive Insights from TIMSS 2023 in South Africa and Singapore"],"prefix":"10.12688","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8085-7447","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mathelela Steyn","family":"Mokgwathi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Early Childhood Education Pretoria Gauteng University of South 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status","group":{"name":"current-referee-status","label":"Current Referee Status"}},{"value":"10.5256\/f1000research.189692.r435300, Rashmi Khazanchi, Open University of the Netherlands, Heerlen, 30 Dec 2025, version 1, 1 approved with reservations, 1 not approved","URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/14-1209\/v1#referee-response-435300","order":0,"name":"referee-response-435300","label":"Referee Report","group":{"name":"article-reports","label":"Article Reports"}},{"value":"<b>Mathelela Steyn Mokgwathi<\/b>; \n<i>Posted: 30 Dec 2025<\/i>; Dear Reviewer, Thank you for your careful reading of the manuscript and for the detailed and constructive feedback provided. I appreciate the time and scholarly attention devoted to the review, and I am grateful for the suggestions, which have been invaluable in strengthening the clarity, methodological transparency, and overall quality of the paper. I respond to each of the major points raised below. With regard to the comment concerning the comparison between Grade 4 learners in Singapore and Grade 5 learners in South Africa, I appreciate the opportunity to clarify this important methodological issue. While TIMSS is internationally benchmarked at Grades 4 and 8, it is also well documented that several participating countries, including South Africa, assess learners at Grade 5 using the Grade 4 TIMSS assessment instruments. This approach is adopted where curriculum alignment indicates that the Grade 4 framework more accurately reflects the instructional exposure of learners, a practice that parallels the assessment of Grade 9 learners using the Grade 8 TIMSS instruments in some contexts. In the revised manuscript, I will make this rationale explicit by clarifying that the South African Grade 5 learners were assessed using the standard TIMSS Grade 4 mathematics framework and instruments, thereby ensuring construct equivalence and international comparability. In response to the reviewer\u2019s suggestion, Research Question 1 will be refined to explicitly reflect this assessment design and to avoid any implication that TIMSS directly assesses a distinct Grade 5 framework. Concerning the observation that several in-text citations are missing, I acknowledge this limitation. A thorough review of the manuscript is currently underway to ensure that all empirical claims and theoretical statements are appropriately supported by relevant and up-to-date scholarly sources. These revisions will improve academic rigour and align with best practices in scholarly writing. Regarding the comment on the literature review title on page 3, I appreciate the reviewer\u2019s attention to precision in terminology. The study intentionally focuses on Grade 5 learners in South Africa, assessed using the Grade 4 TIMSS instrument, and compares their performance with Grade 4 learners in Singapore, assessed using the same framework. To avoid ambiguity, the literature review title and related headings will be revised for consistency and clarity, ensuring that they accurately reflect the comparative focus and assessment design of the study, rather than implying a narrow or exclusive emphasis on Grade 5 achievement alone. I am also grateful for the insightful feedback on the conceptual framework section. I acknowledge that the current presentation of the integrative framework is overly dense. In the revised manuscript, this section will be restructured to clearly explain the role of each component, namely the comparative education lens, the TIMSS curriculum model, and the curriculum theory dimensions. The directional relationships among the key constructs will be explicitly articulated, and the narrative will be more tightly aligned with Figure 1 to enhance conceptual coherence and reader accessibility. Finally, I appreciate the guidance regarding the results and discussion sections. In response, the results will be reorganised so that the findings are presented explicitly in relation to the research questions before introducing supporting tables and figures. The discussion section will be expanded to provide deeper engagement with the literature reviewed earlier in the manuscript and to draw clearer, more explicit links between the findings, the research questions, and the broader scholarly debates on early mathematics achievement and international benchmarking. Once again, I sincerely thank the reviewer for these constructive comments. I am confident that addressing these points will substantially strengthen the manuscript and enhance its contribution to the literature on comparative mathematics education.","URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/14-1209\/v4#referee-comment-15145","order":1,"name":"referee-comment-15145","label":"Referee Comment","group":{"name":"article-reports","label":"Article Reports"}},{"value":"<b>Mathelela Steyn Mokgwathi<\/b>; \n<i>Posted: 01 Jan 2026<\/i>; I would like to thank Reviewer 1 for highlighting critical concerns regarding grade-level comparability, clarity of the benchmarking rationale, citation completeness, and alignment between the research questions, results, and interpretation. These issues have been carefully addressed through clarifications of TIMSS grade participation, revisions to the conceptual framing and research questions, strengthened citation support, and restructuring of the Results and Discussion sections. We believe the revised manuscript now fully addresses the raised concerns.","URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/14-1209\/v4#referee-comment-15166","order":2,"name":"referee-comment-15166","label":"Referee Comment","group":{"name":"article-reports","label":"Article Reports"}},{"value":"<b>Mathelela Steyn Mokgwathi<\/b>; \n<i>Posted: 15 Apr 2026<\/i>; Dear Dr Khazanchi,  I would like to thank you for your constructive and insightful feedback, which has significantly strengthened this manuscript. In this revision, I have clarified the rationale for benchmarking South African Grade 5 learners with Singaporean Grade 4 learners by explicitly explaining the use of the TIMSS Grade 4 framework and ensuring measurement equivalence. I have also refined the research questions to align with the TIMSS design and streamlined the conceptual framework to improve clarity and coherence.  In addition, I have strengthened the literature support throughout the manuscript, revised section headings for consistency, and restructured the Results and Discussion sections to ensure clear alignment with the research questions and stronger integration with existing literature. The conclusion has been rewritten to provide a concise synthesis fully grounded in the findings. I trust that these revisions address the concerns raised and improve the overall clarity, rigour, and contribution to the study.  Kind regards,","URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/14-1209\/v4#referee-comment-15957","order":3,"name":"referee-comment-15957","label":"Referee Comment","group":{"name":"article-reports","label":"Article Reports"}},{"value":"10.5256\/f1000research.207186.r520589, MARGUERITE KHAKASA MIHESO O'CONNOR, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Nairobi County, 15 Sep 2026, version 4, indexed","URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/14-1209\/v4#referee-response-520589","order":4,"name":"referee-response-520589","label":"Referee Report","group":{"name":"article-reports","label":"Article Reports"}},{"value":"10.5256\/f1000research.196841.r472940, Fidele Ukobizaba, University of Rwanda College of Education, Rwamagana, 13 Apr 2026, version 3, 3 approved with reservations, 1 not approved","URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/14-1209\/v3#referee-response-472940","order":5,"name":"referee-response-472940","label":"Referee Report","group":{"name":"article-reports","label":"Article Reports"}},{"value":"<b>Mathelela Steyn Mokgwathi<\/b>; \n<i>Posted: 15 Apr 2026<\/i>; Dear Dr Ukobizaba,  I would like to thank you for your constructive feedback and for recognising the improvements made in the manuscript. In this revision, I have carefully addressed the remaining concerns you raised. The third research question has been removed to ensure alignment between the study objectives and the empirical findings, and all references to it in the Results section have been deleted.  The Discussion section has been substantially revised to strengthen the interpretation and synthesis of findings in relation to relevant literature. Sections 4.6 and 4.7 have been removed, and the discussion now focuses on analytically engaging with the results rather than presenting prescriptive content. In addition, the Conclusion has been rewritten to ensure that it is concise, synthesis-orientated, and free from citations or new arguments.  Finally, the Limitations section has been consolidated into two concise paragraphs to improve clarity and balance while retaining key methodological considerations.  I trust that these revisions address the remaining concerns and further strengthen the clarity, coherence, and scholarly contribution of the manuscript.  Kind regards,","URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/14-1209\/v4#referee-comment-15959","order":6,"name":"referee-comment-15959","label":"Referee Comment","group":{"name":"article-reports","label":"Article Reports"}},{"value":"10.5256\/f1000research.196841.r490388, Jennie Golding, University College London, London, England, 01 Jul 2026, version 3, 3 approved with reservations, 1 not approved","URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/14-1209\/v3#referee-response-490388","order":7,"name":"referee-response-490388","label":"Referee Report","group":{"name":"article-reports","label":"Article Reports"}},{"value":"<b>Mathelela Steyn Mokgwathi<\/b>; \n<i>Posted: 23 Jul 2026<\/i>; Dear Dr Golding, I would like to sincerely thank you for your comprehensive, thoughtful, and constructive review of this manuscript. Your comments have been invaluable in strengthening the study, particularly regarding its comparative framing, methodological clarity, and interpretation of the findings. I greatly appreciate the time and expertise you devoted to reviewing the manuscript. In response to your recommendations, I have substantially strengthened the rationale for benchmarking South African Grade 5 learners against Singaporean Grade 4 learners by explaining the TIMSS procedures that permit assessment of adjacent grades using the common TIMSS Grade 4 mathematics framework. The manuscript now makes it clear that Singapore is used as an analytical benchmark within a common international assessment framework rather than as a model for direct policy transfer. Throughout the manuscript, I have also acknowledged the considerable historical, cultural, socioeconomic, and educational differences between the two countries and emphasised that the findings should be interpreted within their respective contexts. The Introduction and Literature Review have been revised to provide a more balanced discussion of South Africa's mathematics achievement, recognising the significant progress made since the advent of democracy while also acknowledging the persistent inequalities associated with socioeconomic conditions, language, school resources, and educational opportunities. I have also incorporated discussion of the potential influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the TIMSS 2023 cohort to provide a more comprehensive contextual interpretation of the findings. The manuscript has been carefully revised to enhance methodological precision and interpretive rigour. References to mathematics performance have been standardised to average mathematics\n<b> <\/b>achievement where appropriate, and causal language has been removed or moderated throughout the manuscript. Expressions that could imply causal inference have been replaced with more appropriate terminology that reflects the descriptive and comparative nature of the study. In addition, the Methods section has been expanded to clarify the analytical procedures employed, including the use of plausible values, sampling weights, replicate-based variance estimation, and effect-size estimation in accordance with IEA technical guidelines. The Results, Discussion, and Conclusion have also been substantially revised. The Results section now focuses exclusively on descriptive reporting of the empirical findings, while interpretation has been reserved for the Discussion. The manuscript now consistently emphasises that substantial benchmark differences were observed across \n<b>all<\/b> mathematics content and cognitive domains, with comparatively larger differences in Measurement and Geometry and the Knowing domain, thereby avoiding undue emphasis on a single domain. The Discussion has been strengthened by critically engaging with the international literature and by positioning Curriculum Alignment Theory as an interpretive framework rather than as evidence of causal relationships. The Conclusion has likewise been revised to ensure that all conclusions are directly supported by the reported findings. Finally, the Limitations section has been expanded to acknowledge the descriptive nature of the study, the constraints of cross-sectional secondary data, the limitations inherent in domain-level comparisons, differences in national exclusion rates, and the need to interpret the comparison with Singapore as an analytical benchmark rather than evidence supporting direct policy transfer. I trust that these revisions have addressed the concerns raised and have strengthened the manuscript in terms of methodological transparency, interpretive balance, and its contribution to comparative mathematics education research. Thank you once again for your insightful and constructive review. Kind regards, Dr Mathelela Steyn Mokgwathi","URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/14-1209\/v4#referee-comment-16740","order":8,"name":"referee-comment-16740","label":"Referee Comment","group":{"name":"article-reports","label":"Article Reports"}},{"value":"The author(s) declared that no grants were involved in supporting this work","order":9,"name":"grant-information","label":"Grant Information"},{"value":"This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.","order":0,"name":"copyright-info","label":"Copyright"}]}}