Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Does Participation in Pre-Primary Education Translate into Better Learning Outcomes at School? Abstract: It’s elementary: students benefit from pre-primary education. The OECD’s PISA 2009 results show that in practically all OECD countries 15-year-old students who had attended some pre-primary school outperformed students who had not. In fact, the difference between students who had attended for more than one year and those who had not attended at all averaged 54 score points in the PISA reading assessment – or more than one year of formal schooling (39 score points). While most students who had attended pre-primary education had come from advantaged backgrounds, the performance gap remains even when comparing students from similar backgrounds. After accounting for socio-economic background, students who had attended pre-primary school scored an average of 33 points higher than those who had not... Creation-Date: 2011-02-01 Number: 1 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:1-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Improving Performance: Leading from the Bottom Abstract: Since the PISA 2000 and 2009 surveys both focused on reading, one can track in detail how student reading performance has changed over that period. Among the 26 OECD countries with comparable results in both assessments, Chile, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Korea, Poland, Portugal, and the partner countries Albania, Brazil, Indonesia, Latvia, Liechtenstein and Peru all show overall improvements in reading performance. The fact that such a diverse group of countries succeeded in raising the level of their students’ performance in reading indicates that improvement is possible regardless of a country’s cultural context or where it starts out from. For example, Korea was already among the best-performing countries in 2000 and it improved further by 2009, Poland moved from below the OECD average to above it, and Chile rose from a relatively low performance rank to one that is much closer to that of other OECD countries... Creation-Date: 2011-03-01 Number: 2 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:2-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Does Investing in After-School Classes Pay Off? Abstract: With all the competition to get into the right universities to secure the best jobs, secondary school students are often encouraged to take after-school classes in subjects already taught in school to help them improve their performance – even if that means forsaking other fun and interesting ways of spending after-school hours, such as playing sports, taking music lessons or volunteering at a local community centre or hospital. Students in the OECD area spend an average of nearly two-and-a-half hours per week in after-school lessons. In Greece, Israel, Korea, Turkey and the partner countries Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar and Tunisia, students spend over four-and-a-half hours per week in such classes. Does that investment in after-school classes pay off?... Creation-Date: 2011-04-01 Number: 3 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:3-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Has Discipline in School Deteriorated? Abstract: Classrooms and schools with more disciplinary problems are less conducive to learning, since teachers have to spend more time creating an orderly environment before instruction can begin. Interruptions in the classroom disrupt students’ concentration on, and their engagement in, their lessons. Results from PISA 2009 show that disciplinary climate is strongly associated with student performance. Students who reported that their reading lessons are often interrupted perform less well than students who reported that there are few or no interruptions in class. Popular belief has it that every successive crop of students is less disciplined than the one before it, and that teachers are losing control over their classes. But popular belief has it wrong: according to data gathered in PISA 2009, the majority of students in OECD countries enjoy orderly classrooms, and between 2000 and 2009, discipline in school did not deteriorate – in fact, in most countries it improved... Creation-Date: 2011-05-01 Number: 4 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:4-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: How Do Some Students Overcome Their Socio-Economic Background? Abstract: Are socio-economically disadvantaged students condemned to perpetuate an intergenerational cycle of poor academic achievement, poor job prospects and poverty? Not if they attend schools that provide them with more regular classes. Resilient students in the 2006 and 2009 PISA surveys displayed high levels of academic achievement despite the fact that they came from disadvantaged backgrounds. They beat the odds stacked against them to outperform peers from the same socio-economic background and be ranked among the top quarter of students internationally... Creation-Date: 2011-06-01 Number: 5 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:5-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: When Students Repeat Grades or Are Transferred Out of School: What Does it Mean for Education Systems? Abstract: School systems handle the challenges of diverse student populations in different ways. Some countries have non-selective and comprehensive school systems that seek to provide all students with similar opportunities, leaving it to individual schools and teachers to meet the particular needs of every student. Other countries group students, whether in different schools or in different classes within schools, with the aim of serving students according to their particular academic potential, interests and/or behaviour. Having underperforming students repeat grades or transferring struggling or disruptive students to other schools are two common policies used to group students for this reason... Creation-Date: 2011-07-01 Number: 6 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:6-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Private schools: Who Benefits? Abstract: At some point in their child’s education, many parents have considered whether it would be worth the expense to enrol their child in a private school. For parents, private schools may offer a particular kind of instruction that is not available in public schools. If private schools also attract higher-performing students and better teachers than public schools, parents will also feel that they are securing the best possible education for their child... Creation-Date: 2011-08-01 Number: 7 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:7-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Do Students Today Read for Pleasure? Abstract: Students who are highly engaged in a wide range of reading activities are more likely than other students to be effective learners and to perform well at school. Research also documents a strong link between reading practices, motivation and proficiency among adults. Proficiency in reading is crucial for individuals to make sense of the world they live in and to continue learning throughout their lives... Creation-Date: 2011-09-01 Number: 8 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:8-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: School Autonomy and Accountability: Are They Related to Student Performance? Abstract: In recent years, many schools have grown into more autonomous organisations and have become more accountable to students, parents and the public at large for their outcomes. PISA results suggest that, when autonomy and accountability are intelligently combined, they tend to be associated with better student performance... Creation-Date: 2011-10-01 Number: 9 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:9-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: What Can Parents Do to Help Their Children Succeed in School? Abstract: Most parents know, instinctively, that spending more time with their children and being actively involved in their education will give their children a good head-start in life. But as many parents have to juggle competing demands at work and at home, there never seems to be enough time. Often, too, parents are reluctant to offer to help their children with school work because they feel they lack some of the skills that would make a difference to their children’s success in school... Creation-Date: 2011-11-01 Number: 10 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:10-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: How Are School Systems Adapting to Increasing Numbers of Immigrant Students? Abstract: Whether in flight from conflict, with the hope of building a better life, or to seize a social or economic opportunity, people have been crossing borders for as long as there have been borders to cross. Modern means of transportation and communication, the globalisation of the labour market, and the ageing of populations in OECD countries will drive migration well into the next decades. The key to maintaining social cohesion during these population movements is to integrate immigrants and their families well into their adopted countries; and education can be a powerful lever to achieve this. Creation-Date: 2011-12-01 Number: 11 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:11-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Are Boys and Girls Ready for the Digital Age? Abstract: Information and communication technologies revolutionise not only the speed at which information can be transmitted, but also how information is conveyed and received. Technological innovations have a profound effect on the types of skills that are demanded in today's labour markets and the types of jobs that have the greatest potential for growth. Most of these jobs now require some familiarity with, if not mastery of, navigating through digital material where readers determine the structure of what they read rather than follow the pre-established order of text as presented in a book… Creation-Date: 2012-01-01 Number: 12 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:12-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Does Money Buy Strong Performance in PISA? Abstract: This issue will show that strong performers do not invest scarce resources in smaller classes, but in higher teachers' salaries. They are neither the countries that spend the most on education, nor are they the wealthiest countries; rather they are the countries that are committed to providing high-quality education to all students in the belief that all students can achieve at high levels. Creation-Date: 2012-02-01 Number: 13 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:13-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: What Kinds of Careers do Boys and Girls Expect for Themselves? Abstract: When you think of someone who is an engineer, do you imagine a man or a woman wearing a hardhat? How about when you imagine a teacher standing in front of a class of schoolchildren? If you answer “a man” to the first question, and “a woman” to the second, there’s probably a reason. And the reason is simply that more men than women pursue careers in fields such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics, while women are over-represented in the humanities and medical sciences. This type of gender segregation in the labour market is still prevalent in many countries. But will it continue? Girls now do as well as, and often better than, boys in most core school subjects; and proficiency in a subject influences 15-year-olds’ thinking about the kind of career they want to pursue. Or does it? Creation-Date: 2012-03-01 Number: 14 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:14-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: How “Green” are Today's 15-Year-Olds? Abstract: Today's students are growing up in a precarious natural environment. Climate change and the loss of biodiversity threaten the ecosystems that support life; a lack of clean water and sanitation imperils the health of hundreds of millions of people every day. While trained geoscientists, biologists and environmental scientists lead the way in shaping policies to reduce the impact of human activity on the global environment -and to have more equitable access to natural resources for all - informed citizens play an important role, too. Since individual actions have an impact on the environment, understanding scientific theories and being able to evaluate evidence can help people to make informed decisions about such daily choices as whether or not to leave the television on standby, what temperature to set the heat, and what kind of car to buy (or not). Learning about the environment early in a student's schooling can help to shape the way that person will interact with the environment as an adult. Creation-Date: 2012-04-01 Number: 15 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:15-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Does Performance-Based Pay Improve Teaching? Abstract: PISA has long established that high-performing education systems tend to pay their teachers more. They also often prioritise the quality of teaching over other choices, including class size. But in the current budgetary climate, paying everybody more may not be a viable alternative. So many countries are now targeting salary increases to schools with particular needs or short supplies of teachers, or have developed greater local flexibility in salary schemes. Some countries have responded with systems of individual pay. But is recognising and rewarding teaching performance through pay an effective way to leverage improvement? Creation-Date: 2012-05-01 Number: 16 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:16-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Are Large Cities Educational Assets or Liabilities? Abstract: Large cities are generally educational assets: in most countries, performance improves dramatically when only the scores of students in urban areas are considered, although this is not the case in some countries, such as Belgium, Slovenia, the United Kingdom and the United States. When comparing the performance of students in large cities, students in Portugal and Israel perform as well as those in Singapore, and students in Poland perform as well as those in Hong Kong. Creation-Date: 2012-06-01 Number: 17 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:17-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Are Students More Engaged When Schools Offer Extracurricular Activities? Abstract: Science project. The very phrase is nearly synonymous with hands-on learning, learning-by-doing, collaboration. Are students more engaged and do they perform better in science if their school encourages them to work on science projects, participate in science fairs, belong to a science-related club or go on science-related field trips – in addition to teaching them the mandatory science curriculum? To find out, PISA 2006 asked school principals about what kinds of extracurricular science activities they offered their students and linked their responses with students’ performance on the PISA science test. Creation-Date: 2012-07-01 Number: 18 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:18-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Is there really such a Thing as a “Second Chance” in Education? Abstract: While the reading proficiency of Canadian 15-year-olds closely predicts reading proficiency at age 24, young adults can shape their reading skills after the end of compulsory schooling. In the transition to young adulthood, reading skills generally improve – but more for some groups than for others. Immigrants, in particular, manage to close performance gaps between the ages of 15 and 24. Participation in some forms of formal post-secondary education is consistently and substantially related to improvements in reading skills between the ages of 15 and 24. Creation-Date: 2012-08-01 Number: 19 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:19-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Are School Vouchers Associated with Equity in Education? Abstract: Privately managed schools tend to attract more advantaged student populations; but the difference between the socio-economic profiles of public and private schools is narrowed when privately managed schools receive higher levels of public funding. The difference between the socio-economic profiles of publicly and privately managed schools tends to be twice as large in school systems that use universal vouchers as in systems that use targeted vouchers. Creation-Date: 2012-09-01 Number: 20 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:20-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Do Today's 15-Year-Olds Feel Environmentally Responsible? Abstract: Most 15-year-olds in OECD countries have some understanding of environmental issues and feel that threats to the environment are a serious concern for them and/or for other people in their country. Scientific understanding of the environment is key if students are to have a realistic appreciation of environmental challenges facing humanity. Students without sufficient knowledge of science consistently underestimate the time needed to find solutions to such environmental problems as what to do with nuclear waste or how to stop the loss of plant and animal species. Creation-Date: 2012-10-01 Number: 21 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:21-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: How Do Immigrant Students Fare in Disadvantaged Schools? Abstract: Immigrant students often have to overcome multiple barriers at once in order to succeed at school. Across most OECD countries, poor performance among immigrant students relative to other students is strongly related to social disadvantage at school, as reflected in the proportion of students whose mothers have low levels of education. The concentration, in a school, of immigrant students or of those who do not speak the language of instruction at home is not as strongly related to poor performance. Creation-Date: 2012-11-01 Number: 22 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:22-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: What Do Students Expect To Do After Finishing Upper Secondary School? Abstract: The percentage of students who expect to complete university is highest in Korea (80%) and lowest in Latvia (25%). Many high-performing students do not expect to go to university, representing potentially lost talent to an economy and society while many low-performing students think they will make it to university, even if their current performance suggests they are not likely to succeed. Around one in four students expects to end his or her formal schooling at the upper secondary level and thus needs the skills to make a smooth transition into work and adulthood. Creation-Date: 2012-12-01 Number: 23 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:23-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: What Do Students Think About School? Abstract: Most students think that what they learned in school is useful for them or their future. Students’ attitudes towards school are associated with their reading skills. Students who report that the climate at their school is conducive to learning tend to have more positive attitudes towards school. Creation-Date: 2013-01-01 Number: 24 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:24-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Are Countries Moving Towards More Equitable Education Systems? Abstract: PISA results show that no country or economy has reached the goal of creating a completely equitable education system, but some are much closer than others. Some countries and economies have shown that improvements in equity can be achieved at the same time as improvements in overall performance, and in a relatively short time. Creation-Date: 2013-02-01 Number: 25 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:25-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Grade Expectations Abstract: Countries vary in the way they use marks, but they all tend to reward the mastery of skills and attitudes that promote learning. Teachers tend to give girls and socio-economically advantaged students better school marks, even if they don’t have better performance and attitudes than boys and socio-economically disadvantaged students. It seems that marks not only measure students’ progress in school, they also indicate the skills, behaviours, habits and attitudes that are valued in school. Creation-Date: 2013-03-01 Number: 26 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:26-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Does it Matter Which School a Student Attends? Abstract: Successful education systems are able to guarantee that all students succeed at high levels. Across OECD countries, around 60% of the overall, country-level variation in student performance can be traced to differences in how well students who attend the same school can be expected to perform. About 40% of the variation in student performance in OECD countries is observed between schools; but among high-performing countries, differences in performance are generally smaller than those in the average OECD country. Creation-Date: 2013-04-01 Number: 27 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:27-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: What Makes Urban Schools Different? Abstract: In most countries and economies, students who attend schools in urban areas tend to perform at higher levels than other students. Socio-economic status explains only part of the performance difference between students who attend urban schools and other students. Schools in urban settings are larger, tend to benefit from better educational resources, and often enjoy greater autonomy in how they can allocate those resources. Creation-Date: 2013-05-01 Number: 28 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:28-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Do Immigrant Students' Reading Skills Depend on How Long they Have Been in their New Country? Abstract: In most OECD countries, newly arrived 15-year-old immigrant students show poorer reading performance than immigrant students who arrived in their new country when they were younger than five. Students who emigrated from less-developed countries where the home language differs from their new language of instruction are particularly vulnerable to the “late-arrival” penalty in reading performance. Immigrant students from countries with similar levels of development and the same language as the host country do not suffer any late-arrival penalty at all. Creation-Date: 2013-05-01 Number: 29 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:29-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Could Learning Strategies Reduce the Performance Gap Between Advantaged and Disadvantaged Students? Abstract: Students who know how to summarise information tend to perform better in reading. If disadvantaged students used effective learning strategies to the same extent as students from more advantaged backgrounds do, the performance gap between the two groups would be almost 20% narrower. Creation-Date: 2013-06-01 Number: 30 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:30-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Who are the Academic All-rounders? Abstract: On average across OECD countries, around 4% of students are top performers in reading, mathematics and science (all-rounders). Australia, Finland, Hong Kong-China, Japan, New Zealand, Shanghai-China and Singapore have larger proportions of these students than any other country or economy. Creation-Date: 2013-09-01 Number: 31 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:31-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Do Students Perform Better in Schools with Orderly Classrooms? Abstract: Most students enjoy orderly classrooms for their language-of-instruction lessons. Socio-economically disadvantaged students are less likely to enjoy orderly classrooms than advantaged students. Orderly classrooms – regardless of the school’s overall socio-economic profile – are related to better performance. Creation-Date: 2013-09-01 Number: 32 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:32-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: What Do Immigrant Students Tell Us About the Quality of Education Systems? Abstract: Immigrant students who share a common country of origin, and therefore many cultural similarities, perform very differently across school systems. The difference in performance between immigrant students and non-immigrant students of similar socio-economic status is smaller in school systems with large immigrant populations and where immigrant students are as diverse in socio-economic status as other students. Creation-Date: 2013-11-01 Number: 33 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:33-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Who Are the Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education? Abstract: Strong performers and successful reformers in education share some key characteristics: a belief in the potential of all their students, strong political will, and the capacity of all stakeholders to make sustained and concerted efforts towards improvement. Countries/Economies that have improved their reading performance over the years have done so by reducing the proportion of poor-performing students, increasing the share of high performers, and/or weakening the impact of students’ socio-economic status on their performance. Creation-Date: 2013-11-01 Number: 34 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:34-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Who Are the School Truants? Abstract: Across OECD countries, 18% of students skipped classes at least once in the two weeks prior to the PISA test, and 15% of students skipped a day of school or more over the same period. Few students in high-performing school systems skip classes or days of school. For students in OECD countries, skipping classes is associated with a 32-point lower score in mathematics, while skipping days of school is associated with a 52-point lower score. Truancy is observed among all students, whether advantaged or disadvantaged. Creation-Date: 2014-01-01 Number: 35 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:35-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Do Parents' Occupations Have an Impact on Student Performance? Abstract: Students whose parents work in professional occupations generally outperform other students in mathematics, while students whose parents work in elementary occupations tend to underachieve compared to their peers. The strength of the relationship between parents’ occupations and student performance varies considerably across countries: for example, when it comes to mathematics performance, the children of cleaners in Shanghai-China outperform the children of professionals in the United States, and the children of professionals in Germany outperform the children of professionals in Finland, on average. Finland and Japan achieve high levels of performance by ensuring that the children of parents who work in elementary occupations are given the same education opportunities and the same encouragement as the children of professionals. Creation-Date: 2014-02-01 Number: 36 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:36-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Do Students Have the Drive to Succeed? Abstract: When students believe that investing effort in learning will make a difference, they score significantly higher in mathematics. The fact that large proportions of students in most countries consistently believe that student achievement is mainly a product of hard work, rather than inherited intelligence, suggests that education and its social context can make a difference in instilling values that foster success in education. Teachers’ use of cognitive-activation strategies, such as giving students problems that require them to think for an extended time, presenting problems for which there is no immediately obvious way of arriving at a solution, and helping students to learn from their mistakes, is associated with students’ drive. Students whose teachers set clear goals for learning and offer feedback on their performance in mathematics also tend to report higher levels of perseverance and openness to problem solving. Creation-Date: 2014-03-01 Number: 37 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:37-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Are 15-Year-Olds Creative Problem-solvers? Abstract: To do well on PISA’s first assessment of creative problem-solving skills, students need to be open to novelty, tolerate doubt and uncertainty, and dare to use intuition to initiate a solution. Just because a student performs well in core school subjects doesn’t mean he or she is proficient in problem solving. In Australia, Brazil, Italy, Japan, Korea, Macao China, Serbia, England (United Kingdom) and the United States, students perform significantly better in problem solving, on average, than students in other countries who show similar performance in reading, mathematics and science. Many of the best performers in problem solving are Asian countries and economies, where students demonstrate high levels of reasoning skills and self-directed learning. Meanwhile, compared to students of similar overall performance, students in Brazil, Ireland, Korea and the United States perform strongest on interactive problems that require students to uncover useful information by exploring the problem situation and gather feedback on the effect of their actions. Creation-Date: 2014-04-01 Number: 38 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:38-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Are Grouping and Selecting Students for Different Schools Related to Students' Motivation to Learn? Abstract: On average across OECD countries, students who are highly motivated to learn mathematics because they believe it will help them later on score better in mathematics – by the equivalent of half a year of schooling – than students who are not highly motivated. Students’ motivation to learn mathematics is lower in education systems that sort and group students into different schools and/or programmes. Creation-Date: 2014-05-01 Number: 39 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:39-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Does Pre-primary Education Reach Those Who Need it Most? Abstract: Attendance in pre-primary education is associated with better student performance later on. Fifteen-year-old students in 2012 were more likely than 15-year-olds in 2003 to have attended at least one year of pre-primary education. The gap in pre-primary attendance rates between socio-economically advantaged and disadvantaged pupils is growing. Creation-Date: 2014-06-01 Number: 40 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:40-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Do 15-year-olds Know How to Manage Money? Abstract: On average across the 13 OECD countries and economies that participated in the PISA financial literacy assessment, 10% of students can analyse complex financial products and solve non-routine financial problems, while 15% can, at best, make simple decisions about everyday spending, and recognise the purpose of everyday financial documents, such as an invoice. In 17 out of the 18 participating countries and economies, boys and girls show similar skills in financial literacy. However, among students with comparable performance in mathematics and reading, boys perform better than girls in financial literacy in 11 out of 18 countries and economies. Creation-Date: 2014-07-01 Number: 41 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:41-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: When is Competition Between Schools Beneficial? Abstract: In most school systems, over 50% of 15-year-olds students attend schools that compete with another school to attract students from the same residential area. Across countries and economies, performance is unrelated to whether or not schools have to compete for students. When choosing a school for their children, parents look at a range of criteria; for disadvantaged parents, cost-related factors often weigh as much as, if not more than, the factors related to the quality of instruction. School systems with low levels of competition among schools often have high levels of social inclusion, meaning that students from diverse social backgrounds attend the same schools. In contrast, in systems where parents can choose schools, and schools compete for enrolment, schools are often more socially segregated. Creation-Date: 2014-08-01 Number: 42 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:42-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Are Disadvantaged Students more Likely to Repeat Grades? Abstract: One in eight students across OECD countries has repeated a grade at least once before the age of 15. Many countries reduced the rate of grade repetition between 2003 and 2012. One in five disadvantaged 15-year-olds has repeated a grade. Even among students with similar academic performance, the likelihood of repeating a grade is one-and-a-half times greater for disadvantaged students than for advantaged students. Creation-Date: 2014-09-01 Number: 43 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:43-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: How is Equity in Resource Allocation Related to Student Performance? Abstract: How educational resources are allocated is just as important as the amount of resources available. High-performing countries and economies tend to allocate resources more equitably across socio-economically advantaged and disadvantaged schools. Among the countries with better-resourced schools, as reported by principals, equity in resource allocation is not related to the overall quality of resources. Creation-Date: 2014-10-01 Number: 44 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:44-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Do Countries with High Mean Performance in PISA Maintain their Lead as Students Age? Abstract: Countries where 15-year-old students perform at high standards internationally tend to be the same countries where these young adults tend to perform well at the age of 26 to 28. School systems need to ensure that their students perform at a high level by the time they complete compulsory schooling and that these skills are maintained and further developed thereafter. Creation-Date: 2014-11-01 Number: 45 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:45-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Does Homework Perpetuate Inequities in Education? Abstract: While most 15-year-old students spend part of their after-school time doing homework, the amount of time they spend on it shrank between 2003 and 2012. Socio-economically advantaged students and students who attend socio-economically advantaged schools tend to spend more time doing homework. While the amount of homework assigned is associated with mathematics performance among students and schools, other factors are more important in determining the performance of school systems as a whole. Creation-Date: 2014-12-01 Number: 46 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:46-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: How has Student Performance Evolved Over Time? Abstract: Every three years, when PISA results are published, the world’s media focuses on countries’ rankings in mathematics, reading and science performance. Often, what is lost in the subsequent national-level soulsearching about how to improve student performance is the fact that many countries have raised their game significantly since the first PISA test was conducted in 2000. In fact, half of the countries and economies that have participated in at least three PISA cycles have improved significantly in reading performance since 2000, a third have improved in mathematics performance since 2003, and almost a third have improved in science performance since 2006. Creation-Date: 2015-01-01 Number: 47 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:47-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Does Math Make You Anxious? Abstract: Greater anxiety towards mathematics is associated with lower scores in mathematics, both between and within countries. The better a student’s schoolmates perform in mathematics, the greater the student’s anxiety towards mathematics. Teachers’ use of formative assessment practices is associated with lower levels of mathematics anxiety in 39 countries and economies. Creation-Date: 2015-02-01 Number: 48 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:48-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: What Lies Behind Gender Inequality in Education? Abstract: While PISA reveals large gender differences in reading, in favour of 15-year-old girls, the gap is narrower when digital reading skills are tested. Indeed, the Survey of Adult Skills suggests that there are no significant gender differences in digital literacy proficiency among 16-29 year-olds. Boys are more likely to underachieve when they attend schools with a large proportion of socio‑economically disadvantaged students. Girls – even high-achieving girls – tend to underachieve compared to boys when they are asked to think like scientists, such as when they are asked to formulate situations mathematically or interpret phenomena scientifically. Parents are more likely to expect their sons, rather than their daughters, to work in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics field – even when their 15-year-old boys and girls perform at the same level in mathematics. Creation-Date: 2015-03-01 Number: 49 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:49-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Do teacher-student relations affect students' well-being at school? Abstract: Children spend about a third of their waking hours in school during most weeks in the year. Thus, schools have a significant impact on children’s quality of life – including their relationships with peers and adults, and their dispositions towards learning and life more generally. Longitudinal studies suggest that students’ results on the PISA test are correlated with how well students will do later on in life; but strong performance in standardised assessments like PISA explains only so much of future results in other endeavours. Success and well-being in life also depend on how well students have been able to develop socially and emotionally. Creation-Date: 2015-04-01 Number: 50 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:50-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: What do parents look for in their child's school? Abstract: When choosing a school for their child, parents in all participating countries value academic achievement highly; but they are often even more concerned about the safety and environment of the school and the school’s reputation. The children of parents who consider academic achievement very important score 46 points higher in mathematics than the children of parents who consider it not important. Creation-Date: 2015-05-01 Number: 51 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:51-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: How have schools changed over the past decade? Abstract: The quantity and quality of resources available to schools improved significantly between 2003 and 2012, on average across OECD countries. Greater financial investments in education provided schools with better teaching staff, instructional materials and physical infrastructure. The learning environment in schools across OECD countries improved between 2003 and 2012, particularly when it comes to teacher-student relations and the proportion of students who arrive late for school. The degree to which students from different socio-economic backgrounds attend the same school did not change between 2003 and 2012, while students with different academic abilities and needs were less likely to attend the same school in 2012 than in 2003, on average across OECD countries. Creation-Date: 2015-06-01 Number: 52 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:52-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Can the performance gap between immigrant and non-immigrant students be closed? Abstract: The share of students with an immigrant background increased between 2003 and 2012, both in traditional and new destination countries. The performance difference in mathematics between immigrant and non-immigrant students decreased, on average, between 2003 and 2012. Differences in socio-economic background explain less than half of the performance difference in mathematics between immigrant and non-immigrant students. Creation-Date: 2015-07-09 Number: 53 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:53-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Is spending more hours in class better for learning? Abstract: Regardless of the type of school attended (public or private, advantaged or disadvantaged), 15-year-old students spent more time in mathematics lessons in 2012 than in 2003. The average amount of time spent in mathematics classes varies by more than a factor of two across countries and economies. The more time spent in mathematics classes, the better students perform, on average; but giving students more work in class is often not enough to improve learning outcomes. Creation-Date: 2015-08-25 Number: 54 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:54-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Who are the best online readers? Abstract: The top-performing country in the PISA assessment of digital reading was Singapore, followed by Korea, Hong Kong-China, Japan, Canada and Shanghai-China. Students in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Korea, Singapore and the United States show the most advanced web-browsing skills. More often than students elsewhere, they carefully select links to follow before clicking on them, and follow relevant links for as long as is needed to answer a question. There is a strong association between countries’ digital reading performance and the quality of students’ navigation across digital texts. Creation-Date: 2015-09-15 Number: 55 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:55-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: How confident are students in their ability to solve mathematics problems? Abstract: On average across OECD countries, students’ belief that they can solve mathematics problems (mathematics self-efficacy) is associated with a difference of 49 score points in mathematics – the equivalent of one year of school. There is a strong connection between how confident students feel about being able to solve pure and applied mathematics problems, and whether or not they were exposed to similar problems in class. When comparing students with similar academic performance and socio-economic status, those whose parents expected that they would enter university generally reported greater mathematics self-efficacy than those whose parents did not hold such high expectations for them. Creation-Date: 2015-10-13 Number: 56 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:56-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Can schools help to integrate immigrants? Abstract: Only in some countries is a larger proportion of immigrant students in schools related to lower student performance – and this relationship is mostly explained by the concentration of disadvantaged students in these schools. Immigrant students from the same country of origin and similar socio-economic background often perform differently in different school systems. There is a strong connection between the performance of immigrants at school and their education and labour market outcomes as young adults. Creation-Date: 2015-11-16 Number: 57 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:57-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Who wants to become a teacher? Abstract: Across OECD countries, 5% of students expect to work as teachers: 3% of boys and 6% of girls. The academic profile of students who expect to work as teachers varies, but in many OECD countries,students who expect to work as teachers have poorer mathematics and reading skills than other ambitious students who expect to work as professionals but not as teachers. PISA shows that, on average, a higher percentage of students expects to work as teachers in countries where teachers’ salaries are higher. Creation-Date: 2015-12-09 Number: 58 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:58-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Does it matter how much time students spend on line outside of school? Abstract: In 2012, 15-year-old students spent over two hours on line each day, on average across OECD countries. The most common online activities among 15-year-olds were browsing the Internet for fun and participating in social networks, with over 70% of students doing one of these every day or almost every day. Students who spent more than six hours per day on line outside of school were more likely to feel lonely at school, arrive late and perform at lower levels in mathematics. On average across OECD countries, 7% of students spend this much time on line during a typical weekday. Creation-Date: 2016-01-12 Number: 59 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:59-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Who are the low-performing students? Abstract: No country or economy participating in PISA 2012 can claim that all of its 15-year-old students have achieved basic proficiency skills in mathematics, reading and science. Some 28% of students score below the baseline level of proficiency in at least one of those subjects, on average across OECD countries. Poor performance at age 15 is not the result of any single risk factor, but rather of a combination and accumulation of various barriers and disadvantages that affect students throughout their lives. Students attending schools where teachers are more supportive, have better morale and have higher expectations for students are less likely to be low performers in mathematics, even after accounting for the socio-economic status of students and schools. Creation-Date: 2016-02-10 Number: 60 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:60-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Is memorisation a good strategy for learning mathematics? Abstract: Fewer 15-year-olds in East Asian countries reported that they use memorisation than did 15‑year‑olds in some of the English-speaking countries to whom they are often compared. In no PISA-participating education system did boys report more intensive use of memorisation than girls when learning mathematics. Memorisation as a learning strategy may work with easy problems, but it is unlikely to be effective if it is the only strategy used when confronted with complex mathematics problems. Creation-Date: 2016-03-18 Number: 61 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:61-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Are low performers missing learning opportunities? Abstract: In almost every country and economy that participated in PISA 2012, low performers showed less perseverance than better-performing students. For instance, about 32% of low performers said they give up on solving problems easily compared to only 13% of better-performing students who so reported. Low performers perceive their efforts in after-school learning activities to be unproductive. Despite similar self-reported efforts invested in studying for mathematics quizzes, 81% of top performers in mathematics agreed that they were prepared for mathematics exams compared to only 56% of low performers. Low performers who did mathematics as an extracurricular activity were much more interested in mathematics than those who did not. Creation-Date: 2016-05-24 Number: 62 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:62-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Are disadvantaged students given equal opportunities to learn mathematics? Abstract: Some 65% of socio-economically advantaged students reported that they know well or have often heard of the concept of quadratic function, on average across OECD countries; but only 43% of disadvantaged students so reported. On average across OECD countries, the 20% of students who are most exposed to pure mathematics tasks (equations) score, on the PISA mathematics test, the equivalent of almost two school years ahead of the 20% of students who are least exposed. Exposure to simple applied mathematics tasks is much less strongly associated with better performance. About 19% of the performance difference between socio-economically advantaged and disadvantaged students can be attributed to differences in familiarity with mathematics. In Austria and Korea, more than 30% of the performance gap between these two groups of students is related to differences in familiarity with mathematics. In other words, there are clear indications that disadvantaged students systematically receive mathematics instruction of lower quality than advantaged students. Creation-Date: 2016-06-20 Number: 63 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:63-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Are there differences in how advantaged and disadvantaged students use the Internet? Abstract: Even when all students, including the most disadvantaged, have easy access to the Internet,a digital divide, based on socio-economic status, still persists in how students use technology. In the five Nordic countries, as well as in Hong Kong-China, the Netherlands and Switzerland, over 98% of disadvantaged students have access to the Internet at home. By contrast, in some low- and middle-income countries, many disadvantaged students have access to the Internet only at school, if at all. In 2012, disadvantaged students spent at least as much time on line as advantaged students, on average across OECD countries. In 21 out of 42 countries and economies, disadvantaged students spent more time on line than advantaged students. In all countries/economies, what students do with computers, from using e-mail to reading news on the Internet, is related to students’ socio-economic status. Advantaged students are more likely than disadvantaged students to search for information or read news on line. Disadvantaged students, on the other hand, tend to use the Internet to chat or play videogames at least as often as advantaged students do. Creation-Date: 2016-07-12 Number: 64 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:64-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Should all students be taught complex mathematics? Abstract: Exposure to complex mathematics concepts and tasks is related to higher performance in PISA among all students, including socio-economically disadvantaged students. Working on complex problems without individualised support can increase mathematics anxiety among weaker students. In most PISA-participating countries and economies, at least one in two students attends schools where teachers believe that it is best to adapt academic standards to the students’ needs. Teaching strategies that support struggling students in mixed classes, such as giving students extra help when they need it, are related to students having more confidence in their mathematics ability. Creation-Date: 2016-09-06 Number: 65 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:65-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: How does PISA assess science literacy? Abstract: The most recent round of the assessment, PISA 2015, focused on 15-year-olds’ science literacy, defined as “the ability to engage with science-related issues, and with the ideas of science, as a reflective citizen”. To succeed on the PISA science test, students had to display their mastery of three skills: explaining phenomena scientifically (based on knowledge of scientific facts and ideas), evaluating and designing scientific enquiry, and interpreting data and evidence scientifically. Creation-Date: 2016-11-15 Number: 66 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:66-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: PISA 2015 Results in Focus Abstract: Over the past decade, the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment, PISA, has become the world’s premier yardstick for evaluating the quality, equity and efficiency of school systems. This special issue of the PISA in Focus series highlights the results of the first two volumes of the PISA 2015 initial report: Excellence and Equity in Education; and Policies and Practices for Successful Schools. Creation-Date: 2016-12-09 Number: 67 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:67-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Where did equity in education improve over the past decade? Abstract: The persistence of social inequities in education – the fact that children of wealthy and highly educated parents tend to do better in school than children from less privileged families – is often seen as a difficult-to-reverse feature of education systems. Yet countries across the world share the goal of minimising any adverse impact of students’ socio-economic status on their performance in school. PISA shows that, rather than assuming that inequality of opportunity is set in stone, school systems can become more equitable over a relatively short time. Creation-Date: 2017-01-31 Number: 68 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:68-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: What kind of careers in science do 15-year-old boys and girls expect for themselves? Abstract: On average across OECD countries, almost one in four students – whether boy or girl – expects to work in an occupation that requires further science training beyond compulsory education. This brief highlights the kinds of science careers 15-year-olds anticipate for themselves in the future. Creation-Date: 2017-02-27 Number: 69 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:69-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: What do we know about teachers’ selection and professional development in high-performing countries? Abstract: High-performing countries use various mechanisms to select the best candidates to the teaching profession. In Finland, Hong-Kong (China), Macao (China) and Chinese Taipei, students who wish to enter teacher-training programmes must pass a competitive entry examination. In Japan, teaching graduates must pass a competitive examination to start teaching and in Singapore, they must complete a probation period. These requirements, however, are also found among some low-performing countries suggesting that early selection, while important, is not enough to ensure a highly qualified teaching force.Across OECD countries, the proportion of fully certified teachers has a positive, albeit modest association with student performance in PISA.In countries that performed above the OECD average in science, at least 80% of the students are in schools that invite specialists to conduct teacher training or organise in-service workshops for teachers or where teachers cooperate with each other. This is higher, on average, than what is observed among other countries. Creation-Date: 2017-03-21 Number: 70 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:70-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Are students happy?: PISA 2015 results: students’ well-being Abstract: Schools are not only places where students acquire academic skills; they are also social environments where children can develop the social and emotional competencies that they need to thrive. Yet despite the global interest in students’ well-being, there is no consensus on which policies or curriculum changes are needed to improve adolescents’ quality of life at school. The data from PISA 2015 show that students differ greatly, both between and within countries, in how satisfied they are with their life, in their motivation to achieve, in how anxious they feel about their schoolwork, in their participation in physical activities, in their expectations for the future, in their experiences of being bullied by their peers, and in their perceptions of being treated unfairly by their teachers. Many of these differences are related to students’ feelings about the disciplinary climate in the classroom and about the support their teachers give them. PISA 2015 data show that schoolwork-related anxiety is common among adolescents. Often, this anxiety is students’ reaction to, and interpretation of, the mistakes they make – or are afraid to make. Students whose motivation to do well at school mostly originates from fear of disappointing others or the desire to do better than their peers are more likely to report anxiety at school. It is important that schools identify those students who suffer from severe anxiety and teach these students methods to learn from mistakes and manage their stress. Creation-Date: 2017-04-19 Number: 71 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:71-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: What do 15-year-olds really know about money? Abstract: Globalisation and digital technologies have made financial services and products more widely accessible and at the same time more complex to handle. Responsibility for investing in higher education or planning for retirement is increasingly assumed by individuals. Young people are now more likely to encounter situations where they need to set their spending priorities, be aware of new types of fraud, know that some items that they want to buy will incur ongoing costs, and be alert that some purchasing offers are simply too good to be true.Financial literacy performance is strongly correlated with performance in mathematics and reading. Students should be helped to make the most of what they learn in subjects taught in compulsory education, which could also be complemented with more specific financial literacy content. Fostering the development of financial literacy skills in school could also be a way to offer students learning opportunities beyond those provided by parents and peers, to help overcome socio-economic inequalities, and to expose students to more balanced messages than those they might receive through media and advertising. Creation-Date: 2017-05-24 Number: 72 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:72-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Do students spend enough time learning? Abstract: In some countries and economies, such as Beijing-Shanghai-Jiangsu-Guangdong (China), Qatar,Thailand, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates, students spend at least 54 hours per week learning at and outside of school combined, whereas in others, like Finland, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and Uruguay, students spend less than 40 hours studying. Students in Australia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland show the best balance between total learning time and academic performance. In school systems where students spend more time in regular science lessons, average science scores are higher; but when students spend more time studying science after school, average science scores are lower. Creation-Date: 2017-06-20 Number: 73 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:73-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: How much of a problem is bullying at school? Abstract: For the first time, the 2015 round of PISA collected data on students’ exposure to bullying. These data show that bullying is widespread. On average across OECD countries, around 11% of students reported that they are frequently (at least a few times per month) made fun of, 8% reported that they are frequently the object of nasty rumours in school, and 7% reported that they are frequently left out of things.Being bullied can negatively affect academic achievement because it influences students’ capacity to focus on academic tasks. Schools where the incidence of bullying is high by international standards (more than 10% of students are frequently bullied) score 47 points lower in science, on average, than schools where bullying is less frequent (schools where less than 5% of students are frequently bullied). These relationships suggest that bullying can both stem from and may exacerbate students’ disengagement with school and underperformance. Creation-Date: 2017-07-18 Number: 74 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:74-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Francesco Avvisati Author-Workplace-Name: OECD Title: Does the quality of learning outcomes fall when education expands to include more disadvantaged students? Abstract: Globally, enrolment in secondary education has expanded dramatically over the past decades. This expansion is also reflected in PISA data, particularly for low- and middle-income countries. Between 2003 and 2015, Indonesia added more than 1.1 million students, Turkey and Brazil more than 400 000 students, and Mexico more than 300 000 students, to the total population of 15-year-olds eligible to participate in PISA.This welcome expansion in education opportunities makes it more difficult to interpret how mean scores in PISA have changed over time. Indeed, increases in coverage can lead to an underestimation of the real improvements that education systems have achieved. Household surveys often show that children from poor households, ethnic minorities or rural areas face a greater risk of not attending or completing lower secondary education. Typically, as populations that had previously been excluded gain access to higher levels of schooling, a larger proportion of low-performing students will be included in PISA samples. Creation-Date: 2017-08-29 Number: 75 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:75-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Daniel Salinas Author-Workplace-Name: OECD Title: How do schools compensate for socio-economic disadvantage? Abstract: As educators know well, there are many barriers to learning that originate outside of school, such as those that arise from socio-economic disadvantage. In many education systems, the concentration of disadvantaged students in certain schools poses an additional challenge. Yet it is also true that schools with effective learning environments and high-quality resources can compensate, at least partially, for larger social inequalities. If school systems are to level the playing field, so that all children, regardless of their family background, are offered the best possible education, then the types of practices and resources that are related to better student performance need to be used in every school, not just in advantaged schools. Creation-Date: 2017-09-26 Number: 76 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:76-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Jeffrey Mo Author-Workplace-Name: OECD Title: How does PISA measure students’ ability to collaborate? Abstract: Solving unfamiliar problems on one’s own is important, but in today’s increasingly interconnected world, people are often required to collaborate in order to achieve their goals. Teamwork has numerous benefits, from a diverse range of opinions to synergies among team members, and assigning tasks to those who are best suited to them.Collaboration can also be fraught with difficulties. Instead of dividing tasks effectively, one team member might reproduce another’s work. Interpersonal tension and poor communication might also prevent the team from achieving its full potential. Working with others is a skill that might not be natural to everyone, but it can be developed with time and practice.Every three years, PISA measures students’ ability to apply their knowledge in three core subjects – science, reading and mathematics – to familiar settings. These competencies, however, are not sufficient to thrive in life. Hence, PISA 2015 – for the first time ever in any international assessment – measures students’ ability to solve problems collaboratively in 52 education systems around the world. Creation-Date: 2017-10-31 Number: 77 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:77-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Jeffrey Mo Title: Collaborative problem solving Abstract: On the 21st of November 2017, PISA releases its report on the first-ever international collaborative problem solving assessment. The report examines students’ ability to work in groups to solve problems and explores the role of education in building young people’s skills in solving problems collaboratively.This month’s PISA in Focus provides an overview of the assessment’s results and shows that collaborative problem-solving performance is positively related to performance in the core PISA subjects (science, reading and mathematics). The results also show, among other findings, that girls perform significantly better than boys in collaborative problem solving in every country and economy that participated in the assessment. Creation-Date: 2017-11-21 Number: 78 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:78-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Tarek Mostafa Title: Is too much testing bad for student performance and well-being? Abstract: Standardised tests help measure student’s progress at school and can inform education policy about existing shortfalls. However, too much testing could lead to much pressure on students and teachers to learn and teach for a test, something that would take the joy out of the learning process.Many parents and educators are all too familiar with this quandary: they recognise that good measurement can drive improvement, but often argue that too much testing can make students anxious without improving their learning. In particular, standardised tests that determine the academic and life pathways of students may trigger anxiety, and if conducted too frequently might lead to poorer performance, absenteeism and lower self-confidence. But are standardised tests really used all that frequently? And what do PISA data show about the relationship between performance, anxiety and the frequency of testing? Creation-Date: 2017-12-19 Number: 79 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:79-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Francesco Avvisati Author-Workplace-Name: OECD Title: In which countries and schools do disadvantaged students succeed? Abstract: PISA 2015 data show that, on average across OECD countries, as many as three out of four students from the lowest quarter of socio-economic status reach, at best, only the baseline level of proficiency (Level 2) in reading, mathematics or science. While in Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong (China), Ireland, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Slovenia and Viet Nam, more than 30% of disadvantaged students scored at Level 3 or above in all PISA subjects in 2015, and can thus be considered “academically resilient”. Students who perform at Level 3 begin to demonstrate the ability to construct the meaning of a text and form a detailed understanding from multiple independent pieces of information when reading. They can work with proportional relationships and engage in basic interpretation and reasoning when solving mathematics problems; and they can handle unfamiliar topics in science. Such skills are the foundations for success and further learning later in life. PISA data collected over a decade (in 2006, 2009, 2012 and 2015) show that several countries have been able to increase the share of academically resilient students among those in the bottom quarter of socio-economic status. Creation-Date: 2018-01-29 Number: 80 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:80-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Tarek Mostafa Title: What do science teachers find most satisfying about their work? Abstract: Teachers play a vital role in the lives of their students. They impart knowledge, provide pastoral care, act as role models and, above all, create an environment that’s conducive to learning. But teaching is fraught with numerous challenges that could lead to dissatisfaction; some teachers might decide to leave the profession entirely. In fact, in many countries around the world, high attrition rates are considered to be the most important factor contributing to the shortage of qualified science teachers. So what is it that science teachers find satisfying about their work – satisfying enough that they want to keep teaching, despite any challenges they might face? Creation-Date: 2018-02-07 Number: 81 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:81-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Francesca Borgonovi Title: How do the performance and well-being of students with an immigrant background compare across countries? Abstract: The ability of societies to preserve social cohesion in the presence of large migration flows depends on their capacity to integrate immigrants. Education can help immigrants acquire skills and contribute to the host-country economy; it can also foster immigrants’ social and emotional well-being and sustain their motivation to participate in the social and civic life of their new communities – and, by doing so, help them integrate more easily. But ensuring that students with an immigrant background have good well-being outcomes represents a significant challenge, because many immigrant or mixed-heritage students must overcome the adversities associated with displacement, socio-economic disadvantage, language barriers and the difficulty of forging a new identity all at the same time. Creation-Date: 2018-03-19 Number: 82 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:82-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Alfonso Echazarra Title: How has Internet use changed between 2012 and 2015? Abstract: In the growing world of digital technology everything is about speed: computer processors have doubled their performance every two years for decades; the future 5G mobile phone generation is predicted to be about 100 times faster than the current 4G and 20 000 times faster than the “ancient” 3G; and, according to the International Telecommunication Union, the share of the world population using the Internet increased from 34% to 48% in just the past five years. Is this digital revolution changing adolescents’ lives at the same frenzied rate? Are 15-year-olds more and more connected to the Internet? And are these changes closing the digital divide? Creation-Date: 2018-04-16 Number: 83 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:83-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Jeffrey Mo Title: What kinds of activities are common among teenagers who work well with others? Abstract: Schools are not just four walls inside of which students learn how to read, write and think. Schools provide a venue where young people meet each other, and where they develop relationships and friendships that may last for decades. At school, students socialise and hone the interpersonal skills that are required to function effectively in the workplace and in society at large.Employers value such skills more now than ever before: wages have risen more for jobs that demand a high level of social skills than for jobs that require only a low level of social skills. But until now, there was no measure of students’ ability to work together that was consistent across countries. PISA changed that when it introduced its collaborative problem-solving assessment in 2015, which, more specifically, measured students’ ability to work together to solve problems and achieve goals. Creation-Date: 2018-05-15 Number: 84 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:84-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Francesco Avvisati Title: In which countries do the most highly qualified and experienced teachers teach in the most difficult schools? Abstract: Teachers are the most important school resource. In every country, teachers’ salaries and training represent the greatest share of expenditure on education; and this investment in teachers can have significant returns. Research shows that being taught by the best teachers can make a real difference in the learning and life outcomes of otherwise similar students.But not all students are equal when it comes to access to high-quality teaching. In fact, PISA data show that there are inequities in access to experienced and qualified teachers in many countries, and that they are related to the gap in learning outcomes between advantaged and disadvantaged students. Creation-Date: 2018-06-11 Number: 85 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:85-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Judit Pál Title: How is participation in sports related to students’ performance and well-being? Abstract: Sports play a vital role in students’ life. Playing sports on a regular basis can reduce the risks of obesity, anxiety disorders, low self-esteem and bullying among adolescents, and it can help them live a more active and healthy life as adults. But physical education classes and extracurricular sports activities compete for time with many other important pursuits, including homework and study. Educators and parents may ask whether their children spend enough time (or perhaps too much time) in physical activities, and to what degree participation in sports is associated with students’ academic performance and well-being. Creation-Date: 2018-07-10 Number: 86 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:86-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Alfonso Echazarra Author-Workplace-Name: OECD Title: Have 15-year-olds become “greener” over the years? Abstract: Many (bad) things have happened to our planet since PISA asked students about the environment more than a decade ago. The global temperature increased, glaciers continued to melt, coral reefs became increasingly endangered, sea levels rose about 3 centimeters, garbage continued piling up in oceans and man-made disasters, such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the Fukushima nuclear disaster, have added more strains on our fragile planet’s health. Through national and international initiatives, such as the Paris Climate Conference and agreement – also known as COP21 – governments are trying to co-ordinate efforts to protect the environment; but until society is fully aware of the consequences of inaction, the cost of action may appear too high. So, are students increasingly aware of environmental problems? Have 15-year-olds became more optimistic about the future of Earth? And who are the environmentally aware students? Creation-Date: 2018-08-30 Number: 87 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:87-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Francesco Avvisati Author-Workplace-Name: OECD Title: How are school performance and school climate related to teachers’ experience? Abstract: Research studies indicate that experienced teachers are more effective, but also suggest multiple explanations why this might be the case – whether because teachers gain valuable skills on the job and through formal professional development opportunities, or because the least effective teachers tend to quit teaching earlier, while more effective teachers remain in the profession. Each of these possible reasons has distinct implications for policy: from increasing hiring standards, improving teacher training and raising the attractiveness of the teaching profession, to ensuring that novice teachers receive the necessary support to quickly learn the tools of the trade and taking measures to prevent good teachers from dropping out of the profession. Creation-Date: 2018-09-18 Number: 88 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:88-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Daniel Salinas Title: Can equity in education foster social mobility? Abstract: Equity is a fundamental value and guiding principle of education policy and practice, but it is not necessarily actualised in schools and education systems around the world. There are large variations across PISA-participating countries and economies in the magnitude of the difference that socio-economic status makes in students’ learning, well-being and post-secondary educational attainment. This suggests that policy and practice have a key role to play in reducing socio-economic inequalities in education.Equity does not mean that all students obtain equal education outcomes, but rather that differences in students’ outcomes are unrelated to their background or to economic and social circumstances over which the students have no control. Equity in education means that students of different socio-economic status achieve similar levels of academic performance, and of social and emotional well-being, and that they are equally likely to earn desirable post-secondary education credentials, such as university degrees, that will make it easier for them to succeed in the labour market and realise their goals as adult members of society. Education systems need to determine how individual students learn best and tailor learning opportunities to meet their needs.The newly released PISA report, Equity in Education: Breaking Down Barriers to Social Mobility, shows that narrowing the differences related to socio-economic status in what students near the end of compulsory schooling can do with what they have learned could offer more opportunities for children and young people born into disadvantaged families to move up the socio-economic ladder. Creation-Date: 2018-10-23 Number: 89 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:89-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Tarek Mostafa Author-Workplace-Name: OECD Title: How do science teachers teach science - and does it matter? Abstract: Much ink has been spilled debating the merits of different science-teaching practices. Proponents of enquiry-based science teaching argue that this approach exposes students to the procedures used by professional scientists, while the proponents of traditional practices emphasise the role of teachers in transmitting knowledge about science and in guiding students’ learning.So what is the best practice to use and is success contingent on the school environment?PISA 2015 asked students about the teaching practices they are exposed to at school. The analysis of these data reveals interesting findings about the effectiveness of certain teaching practices, particularly enquiry-based science activities and teacher-directed science instruction. Creation-Date: 2018-11-19 Number: 90 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:90-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Michael Ward Author-Workplace-Name: OECD Title: PISA for Development: Results in Focus Abstract: Building on the experience of working with middle-income countries in PISA since 2000, and in an effort to respond to the emerging demand for PISA to cater to a wider range of countries, the OECD launched the PISA for Development (PISA-D) initiative in 2014. This one-off pilot project, spanning six years, aims to make the assessment more accessible and relevant to low-to-middle-income countries.A key component of PISA-D was building capacity in the participating countries for managing large-scale student learning assessments and using the results to support national policy dialogue and evidence-based decision-making.Around 37 000 students completed the school-based assessment, representing about one million 15-year-old students (in grade 7 or above) in the schools of the seven participating countries: Cambodia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Senegal and Zambia. On average across PISA-D countries, only 43% of all 15-year-olds were enrolled in at least grade 7 by age 15 and were eligible to sit the PISA-D test, compared to the OECD average of 89%. The remaining 15-year-olds were either in grades below 7 or were out of school. In Cambodia, Senegal and Zambia, only around 30% of 15-year-olds were eligible to sit the PISA-D test. Creation-Date: 2018-12-11 Number: 91 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:91-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Jeffrey Mo Title: How is students’ motivation related to their performance and anxiety? Abstract: PISA has extensively measured student achievement for over 15 years. But cognitive performance is only one aspect of success at school; another is general well-being. The PISA 2015 questionnaire included a comprehensive section on student well-being designed to understand students’ mental health, satisfaction with life, aspirations and socialisation. This PISA in Focus examines two of these aspects: motivation and anxiety. Creation-Date: 2019-01-15 Number: 92 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:92-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Tarek Mostafa Title: Why don’t more girls choose to pursue a science career? Abstract: When new PISA data are published, many researchers around the world analyse them with the aim of shedding light on all sorts of questions. One question in search of an answer: why are women under-represented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professions? Using data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), Gijsbert Stoet and David Geary examined the nature of the gender gap in STEM fields. The authors analysed data from 67 countries and economies participating in the 2015 cycle of PISA; these data were supplemented by country-level indicators on gender equality (the Global Gender Equality Index) and the proportion of women graduating in a STEM field. Their analysis yielded an interesting result. Creation-Date: 2019-02-26 Number: 93 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:93-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Alfonso Echazarra Author-Name: Thomas Radinger Title: Does attending a rural school make a difference in how and what you learn? Abstract: The rural education landscape once consisted of one-room schools where a single teacher educated, took care of and supervised students of diverse ages. While multi-grade teaching is still common in many schools, particularly in primary education, increased government spending, better transport networks and higher social expectations have given way, in many instances, to larger schools with several classrooms, teachers and grades, and a greater variety of learning opportunities. Have these changes attenuated the traditional rural-urban gap in academic performance? Are students in rural schools still less likely to go into higher education than students in urban schools? And what makes rural schools different from urban schools more generally? Creation-Date: 2019-03-12 Number: 94 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:94-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Francesco Avvisati Title: Is there a generational divide in environmental optimism? Abstract: Problems associated with the environment loom large over the future well-being of young generations. A previous issue of PISA in Focus (PISA in Focus 87) shows that in 2015 many 15-year-old students believed that the future – their future – was going to be worse, environmentally, than the present. In particular, only a minority of students (fewer than one in five, on average across OECD countries) believed that problems related to air pollution, the extinction of plants and animals, clearing forests for land use, water shortages and nuclear waste would improve over the next 20 years. But are teenagers more or less pessimistic than their parents? Creation-Date: 2019-04-24 Number: 95 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:95-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Pauline Givord Title: How are school-choice policies related to social diversity in schools? Abstract: In almost all school systems, students are assigned to public schools based, at least partly, on their home address. Through this policy, students are typically assigned to the school closest to their home. The main objective may be to avoid long and costly commutes to and from school. However, over the past few decades, many countries have implemented reforms that provide more school options to families by loosening the link between home address and school. How do these reforms affect the social composition of schools? Creation-Date: 2019-05-15 Number: 96 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:96-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Pauline Givord Title: Does greater social diversity in schools have an impact on equity in learning outcomes? Abstract: A student’s performance in school is influenced by personal characteristics, but also, amongst other influences, by those of his or her schoolmates. Schoolmates can motivate and help each other overcome learning difficulties; but they can also disrupt instruction, require disproportionate attention from teachers, and be a source of anxiety. The way students are allocated to schools, and whether that results in greater socio-economic or academic differences across schools, may thus have an impact on education outcomes at the country level.In which PISA-participating countries and economies are students concentrated in certain schools, depending largely on their ability or socio-economic status? How is socio-economic segregation across schools related to the achievement gaps between students of different socio-economic status? Creation-Date: 2019-06-11 Number: 97 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:97-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Alfonso Echazarra Title: Do parents of 15-year-olds know many of their child’s school friends and their parents? Abstract: Parents often establish fruitful relationships with teachers, students and other parents at their child’s school. By doing so, they might gain new friends and help their child’s academic career; but more crucially, they may contribute indirectly to the common good of the school – by reinforcing the norms of behaviour at school, spreading important information, generating trust and/or connecting the school with the wider community.PISA asked parents from the 18 countries and economies that chose to distribute the parent questionnaire how many of their child’s school friends they know by name and how many of their parents they know.In schools where parents know their children’s friends and their families, students are more likely to develop their skills, improve their attitudes towards collaboration, and feel happier and safer at school. Creation-Date: 2019-07-09 Number: 98 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:98-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Daniel Salinas Title: Can academic performance help disadvantaged students to achieve upward educational mobility? Abstract: During the past century, access to education increased in countries all over the world. Up until the early decades of the 20th century, people attended school for only a few years. Towards the end of the century, adults in high-income countries completed 12 years of schooling, on average. Today in OECD countries, a larger share of the population than ever before completes tertiary education. For many, especially socio-economically disadvantaged students whose parents had attained only low levels of education, this expanded access to education has led to upward educational mobility – attaining a higher level of education than their parents did.But just as economic growth does not necessarily reduce income inequality, so the expansion of access to education does not automatically result in greater equity in educational attainment. For that to happen, disadvantaged students need to benefit as much as or more than advantaged students. A recent PISA report, Equity in Education, explores how upward educational mobility has changed over recent decades. It finds that, despite the expansion of access, socioeconomic disparities in the completion of tertiary education remain large. However, the report also shows that when students with low-educated parents perform at high levels by age 15, as measured by PISA, their chances of completing tertiary education improve considerably. Creation-Date: 2019-08-27 Number: 99 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:99-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Francesco Avvisati Title: Have students’ feelings of belonging at school waned over time? Abstract: Most adolescents desire strong social ties and value acceptance, care and support from others. Many adolescents find friends and caring adults among members of the school community. As students go through a decisive period of their lives, discovering and redefining their identity, a strong sense of belonging at school can help them feel secure, and can support their academic and social development. Adolescents who feel that they are part of a school community are also more motivated to learn and, as a result, more likely to perform well at school.But in recent years, many traditional communities formed around shared physical spaces – neighbourhoods, workplaces or schools – have been profoundly affected by advances in technology. How did students’ feelings of belonging at school change over a period in which online friendships and social networks were growing in importance? Creation-Date: 2019-09-17 Number: 100 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:100-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Jeffrey Mo Title: How does PISA define and measure reading literacy? Abstract: Every three years, the education community around the world eagerly awaits the release of the latest results from PISA. In addition to student proficiency in reading, mathematics and science, this December will see the publication of results on equity in education systems, school climate and students’ well-being. PISA rotates the main subject of assessment every three years, and the PISA 2018 assessment, like the PISA 2000 and 2009 assessments, focused on reading. The PISA definition of reading literacy has remained much the same over this period; in 2018, it can be summarised as understanding, using, evaluating, reflecting on and engaging with texts in order to achieve one’s goals, to develop one’s knowledge and potential, and to participate in society. But how people read has changed since 2009. Reading now involves not only the printed page but also electronic formats. This has led to a proliferation in the amount of text encountered every day, making it all the more important that students be able to discern between fact and opinion, and navigate through different sources of text in order to construct meaning. Creation-Date: 2019-10-08 Number: 101 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:101-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Mario Piacentini Author-Name: Bonaventura Pacileo Title: How are PISA results related to adult life outcomes? Abstract: Every three years, the release of the PISA results provides a snapshot of the state of education around the world. For some countries, these results are a wake-up call, challenging policy makers to rethink their strategies and invest more in education. PISA also gives a glimpse into the future by providing reliable measures of the extent to which young adults are ready to participate fully in society. What can the performance of 15-years-old students in 2018 tell us about the world in 2030? Will the high-performing countries have a competitive advantage over the low-performing countries? And does performance in PISA predict the life chances of individual students? Creation-Date: 2019-11-12 Number: 102 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:102-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Francesco Avvisati Title: Where did reading proficiency improve over time? Abstract: Evolving technologies have changed the ways people read and exchange information, whether at home, at school or in the workplace. When PISA assessed 15-year-olds’ reading literacy for the first time, in 2000, only in two countries – Canada and Norway – did more than 50% of the population use the Internet. In 2009, about 15% of students in OECD countries, on average, reported that they did not have access to the Internet at home. By 2018, that proportion had shrunk to less than 5%. The growth in access to online services is likely to be even larger than suggested by these percentages, which hide the exponential growth in the quality of Internet services and the explosion of mobile Internet services over the past decade. In many respects, the challenges that readers encounter today, in a highly digitalised environment, are greater than those encountered in the world of printed books, manuals and newspapers. To navigate successfully the information provided in electronic text formats, people need to use complex strategies to analyse, synthesise, integrate and interpret relevant information from multiple sources when they read. But are students – and education systems – rising to the challenge of mastering reading skills for the digital age? Creation-Date: 2020-01-28 Number: 103 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:103-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Pauline Givord Author-Workplace-Name: OECD Title: Are students’ career expectations aligned with their skills? Abstract: Adolescence is a period when young people start to prepare for adult life. Teenagers have to make important decisions relevant to their working lives later on, such as what field of study or type of education they will pursue. But young people often lack sufficient knowledge about the breadth of job opportunities and careers open to them; their career and education aspirations are often shaped more by their personal background. In addition to perpetuating existing inequalities in the labour market, this may lead to expectations that are not aligned with the needs of the job market these students will soon enter, particularly in the context of rapid technological advances. While the mismatch between labour market needs and prospective employees’ skills sets is growing, countries need to adapt the supply of skills in order to fuel economic prosperity and ensure that no one is left behind. Education systems can play a crucial role in channelling skills and talent into the labour market and helping young people develop a fair assessment of the opportunities available to them. Creation-Date: 2020-02-25 Number: 104 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:104-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Pauline Givord Author-Workplace-Name: OECD Title: Do boys and girls have similar attitudes towards competition and failure? Abstract: While in most countries today women attain higher levels of education than men, on average, they are less likely than men to be employed and they earn less. There are many reasons why these gender gaps open; some are apparent in secondary school. For example, even when they outperform boys academically, girls are less likely than their male peers to choose the pathways through education and fields of study, such as science, mathematics or computing, that lead to the highest-paid professions. On average across OECD countries, only 14% of girls who were top performers in science or mathematics reported that they expect to work as professionals in science or engineering while 26% of top-performing boys so reported. That decision can have negative consequences for women’s labour market prospects. Self-efficacy and self-esteem may affect the choices teenagers make for their future education and career. Fear of failure may lead students to be self-protective and thus avoid challenging situations and opportunities that are essential for learning and development. By contrast, a willingness to compete may influence the decision to take calculated risks, such as applying for admission to prestigious universities or for a higher position in a company. Creation-Date: 2020-03-09 Number: 105 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:105-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Jeffrey Mo Title: PISA 2018 results: Are students smart about money? Abstract: This May sees the release of the results from the third PISA assessment of financial literacy. These results are largely consistent with previous findings, but also go beyond earlier assessments in probing students’ behaviours and attitudes towards money matters (including digital money matters) and their exposure to financial education at school.The Covid-19 crisis has lain bare the economic and financial uncertainty and precarity that many adults face; the 15-year-old students who sit the PISA assessment will soon leave compulsory education and must take this uncertainty into account as they take decisions about further education and career pathways. Proficiency in financial literacy will help students take responsible and well-informed decisions and set them up for financial resilience later in life. Policy makers are encouraged to use the findings and recommendations in this PISA in Focus to foster enhanced financial literacy and responsible financial inclusion. Creation-Date: 2020-05-07 Number: 106 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:106-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Alfonso Echazarra Title: Do students learn in co-operative or competitive environments Abstract: The benefits of co-operative behaviours have been broadly documented in various social contexts, including neighbourhoods, hospitals, companies and in education. In education, when students, teachers, parents and the school principal know and trust each other, work together, and share information, ideas and goals, students – particularly disadvantaged students – can benefit. However, co-operation and teamwork come with potential drawbacks too. Tasks might not be divided fairly and efficiently; team members sometimes work on tasks for which they are unsuited or that they dislike; some group members may freeride on their teammates’ efforts; and co-ordinating tasks may be too complex and time-consuming. Evidence also suggests that competition can improve academic performance and speed in learning, if only because competition can be thrilling and enjoyable. Creation-Date: 2020-07-06 Number: 107 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:107-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Miyako Ikeda Title: Were schools equipped to teach – and were students ready to learn – remotely? Abstract: The COVID-19 crisis continues to impact education globally. According to UNESCO in mid-April 2020, 194 countries had closed schools nationwide, affecting almost 1.6 billion learners. By August 2020, there were still 105 country-wide closures affecting over a billion learners. Many educators have worked hard to sustain student learning and well-being. The form, intensity and success of those efforts vary across countries/economies, but digital technologies have emerged as a crucial prerequisite for success. Digital technologies offer the potential to provide new opportunities and alternative approaches for learning. They can shape what people learn, how they learn, where they learn and when they learn and, especially, the type of interactions between teachers and students. However, the COVID-19 crisis arose at a time when most education systems were unprepared to make the most of the potential of digital technologies. This PISA in Focus looks at how prepared schools and students were to be learning remotely. Creation-Date: 2020-09-29 Number: 108 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:108-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Tarek Mostafa Title: Do all students have equal opportunities to learn global and intercultural skills at school? Abstract: Many education systems seek to create an open, diverse and tolerant society, as education can play a significant role in countering racial, ethnic and national prejudice among children and adolescents. Education for living in an interconnected and diverse world could also contribute to forming generations of citizens who care about global and intercultural issues and who are able and willing to take action for sustainable development and collective well-being.In its 2018 assessment, PISA assessed the competences needed to live in an interconnected and diverse world. Global competence is defined in PISA 2018 as a multi-dimensional capacity that encompasses the ability to: 1) examine issues of local, global and cultural significance; 2) understand and appreciate the perspectives and worldviews of others; 3) engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions across cultures; and 4) take action for collective well-being and sustainable development. This PISA in Focus examines the equity of the learning opportunities for global and intercultural skills. Creation-Date: 2020-10-22 Number: 109 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:109-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Michael Ward Title: PISA for Development: Out-of-school assessment: Results in Focus Abstract: PISA for Development (PISA-D) aims to make the assessment more accessible and relevant to low- and middle-income countries. This report summarises findings from the out-of-school assessment results for PISA-D. By combining the out-of-school assessment with the in-school assessment, PISA-D has been able to achieve a unique perspective on the current skills level and on the challenges that the entire population of 14-16 year-olds face. Seven countries participated in the school-based implementation of PISA-D: Cambodia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Senegal and Zambia.1 Four of them, namely Guatemala, Paraguay, Honduras and Senegal, also participated in the PISA-D out-of-school assessment. Panama took part in the main PISA assessment in 2018 and the PISA-D out-of-school assessment. This report provides an overview of the main results of the out-of-school assessment for the five participating countries, comparing them, where relevant, with those for the in-school students discussed in PISA in Focus #91. Creation-Date: 2020-12-01 Number: 110 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:110-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Tarek Mostafa Title: Do girls and boys engage with global and intercultural issues differently? Abstract: In recent years, more attention has been paid to the way gender interacts with intercultural and global learning opportunities. While evidence shows that schools are shaping a gendered citizenry, the notions of citizenship in this research has been notably local with limited focus on global conceptions of citizenship. PISA 2018 asked students a series of questions about their global and intercultural attitudes and dispositions. Those questions focused on the four dimensions of global competence: students’ ability to examine local and global issues, their capacity to understand and appreciate the perspectives of others, their ability to engage in effective communication across cultures, and their willingness to take action for collective well-being and sustainable development. Findings show some important gender differences discussed in this paper. Creation-Date: 2021-03-08 Number: 111 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:111-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Pierre Gouëdard Title: Can a growth mindset help disadvantaged students close the gap? Abstract: Why do certain students thrive when facing adversity while others languish? In the mindset theory, growth mindset is opposed to fixed mindset, and could explain why some people fulfil their potential and others do not. With the COVID pandemic dragging on, having a growth mindset may be even more critical. For students who are able to set their own learning goals, elaborate learning strategies, and master their progress, the disruptive experience of school closing may be enriching. For students who are used to being led in their learning and who have little taste for steering their learning on their own, the experience may be devastating. This PISA in Focus analyses how growth mindset is related to the performance and well-being of 15-year-old students, and its potential implications in terms of equity. Keywords: Education, Growth Mindset, PISA Creation-Date: 2021-04-08 Number: 112 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:112-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Javier Suarez-Alvarez Title: Are 15-year-olds prepared to deal with fake news and misinformation? Abstract: Digital technologies have changed how people interact with information. PISA data shows that 15-year-olds increasingly read online to fulfil information needs (e.g. online news versus newspapers). At the same time, technological changes in the digitalisation of communication continue to reshape people’s habits (e.g. chats online versus emails). Fifteen-year-olds’ total online consumption has risen from 21 hours a week in PISA 2012 to 35 hours per week in PISA 2018 – almost the equivalent of an average adult workweek in OECD countries. The massive information flow that characterises the digital era demands that readers be able to distinguish between fact and opinion, and learn strategies to detect biased information and malicious content such as phishing emails or fake news. Creation-Date: 2021-05-04 Number: 113 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:113-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Miyako Ikeda Author-Name: Alfonso Echazarra Title: How socio-economics plays into students learning on their own: Clues to COVID-19 learning losses Abstract: Most students have the beliefs and dispositions to help them cope and learn in challenging situations. The current pandemic has been ongoing since early 2020. This has affected ways in which teaching and learning are organised. Schools have had to provide education in different ways from the past. A special survey conducted as a collaborative effort between the OECD, UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank showed that upper-secondary schools were fully closed for over 65 days in 2020 on average across OECD countries with available data. The special survey also showed that where school closures were needed many countries made major efforts to mitigate their impact on students, focusing especially on vulnerable students by providing remedial measures to reduce students’ learning gaps. Despite these efforts, recently released studies have shown that learning loss during the pandemic was most pronounced among socio-economically disadvantaged students and schools. Creation-Date: 2021-09-22 Number: 114 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:114-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Francesco Avvisati Title: How much do 15-year-olds learn over one year of schooling? Abstract: In 2020 and 2021, schooling, like many other aspects of life, has been heavily affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. During periods of school closure, education systems and schools have often been quick to organise remote support for home-based learning. But several observers have questioned the effectiveness of these schooling surrogates, either in general or for particular types of students. Initial data from national assessments confirm that the results of many students who experienced school closures (particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds) lag behind those of similar students in previous school years.Learning losses and gains are often compared to the typical learning progression observed in normal times over a year of schooling. This paper shows how international data can be used to investigate learning losses and gains over a school year. Creation-Date: 2021-10-20 Number: 115 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:115-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Daniel Salinas Title: The socio-economic gap in foreign-language learning Abstract: Teaching foreign languages has become a major goal for many education systems around the world. In today’s increasingly interconnected world, speaking multiple languages improves employability, fosters respect for people from other cultures, and gives young people direct access to content that would otherwise be inaccessible, including literature, music, theatre and cinema. For the first time in 2018, PISA asked students whether they studied foreign languages at school and how much class time they had on foreign languages per week. Results show that learning foreign languages is widely available to 15-year-olds in today’s education systems. However, these opportunities are not evenly distributed among students of different socio-economic status: students in advantaged schools have more opportunities to learn foreign languages than students in disadvantaged schools. Creation-Date: 2021-11-24 Number: 116 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:116-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Miyako Ikeda Title: What can we do to ensure a level playing field for all students? Abstract: Many education systems aim to provide learning opportunities to all students regardless of their backgrounds in order for them to realise their potential. Education systems are expected to break down barriers to social mobility. However, too often, children are not given enough opportunities to succeed, to pursue their interests, or to develop their skills. Individual circumstances over which students have no control often affect the quality of the schooling they receive and the educational path they choose. They also influence students’ development of attitudes and dispositions toward learning, and can shape students’ dreams for their future. Differences in opportunities for students often result in achievement gaps among students with different backgrounds. Over the last 20 years, PISA has shown that students’ socio-economic status, which includes parents’ occupations and educational levels and home possessions, are predictors of performance scores in reading, mathematics and science in all countries and economies participating in PISA. So far, this has been without a single exception. This policy brief points to key aspects to consider in providing students with needed opportunities to level the playing field for all students and achieve greater equity in education beyond the exigencies of the pandemic. Classification-JEL: I24 Creation-Date: 2022-04-26 Number: 117 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:117-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Miyako Ikeda Author-Name: Giannina Rech Title: Does the digital world open up an increasing divide in access to print books? Abstract: Over the last two decades, reading has shifted from taking place on paper to, increasingly, screens. As digitalisation spreads, there have been growing concerns about unbalanced access to new types of resources between socio-economically advantaged and disadvantaged students. PISA 2018 results show that while disadvantaged students are catching up in terms of access to digital resources, their access to cultural capital like paper books at home has diminished, and the socio-economic gap has been persistent over the last two decades. This policy brief draws education stakeholders’ attention to this issue and provides evidence for the discussion of equity in education by examining how access to books at home is related to students’ prevalent mode of reading books, their performance in reading and their enjoyment of reading. Classification-JEL: I24 Creation-Date: 2022-07-12 Number: 118 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:118-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Are students trying hard to succeed in PISA? Abstract: Many students view PISA as a low-stakes assessment. Their lack of willingness to give the assessment “their all” is reflected in students’ performance. Boys are often disengaged, resulting in low test performance. Disengagement should be measured in various different ways to better understand it and improve assessment design. Keywords: education, pisa, students Creation-Date: 2022-10-25 Number: 119 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:119-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Are students ready to take on environmental challenges? Abstract: The world demands bold action to meet the global goal of zero net emissions by 2050. Young people will experience the consequences of climate change more directly during their lifetime than any previous generation in recent history. Education can play a pivotal role in preparing new generations for a greener future. What students learn may mean the difference between accepting the status quo and fostering sustainability to keep the world in ecological balance. Are students ready to actively address these environmental challenges? And how can education endow students with the knowledge, skills and pro-environmental attitudes they need? This policy brief points to key aspects to consider when addressing these questions. Classification-JEL: I; F18 Creation-Date: 2022-12-08 Number: 120 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:120-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: What can we learn from the PISA reading-fluency test? Abstract: Proficient readers use and engage with a variety of texts, including books, online articles and social media. They can find information, understand the literal and the implied meaning, and reflect critically on content and form. But before students can become proficient readers, they must become fluent readers. In every language, once students read fluently, they can devote their effort and attention to higher-level comprehension tasks and engage more deeply with texts. This policy brief examines what we can learn from the results of the assessment of students' reading fluency within the 2018 PISA test, and its importance for teachers. Creation-Date: 2023-04-28 Number: 121 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:121-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: How are education systems integrating creative thinking in schools? Abstract: Creative thinking matters. It is consistently ranked among the top skills employers value and, when students think creatively, their motivation to learn increases and their learning becomes deeper and more transferable. As more education systems formally recognise the key role that education can play in nurturing creative thinking skills, the question is: what policies are needed to ensure that, systematically, all young people have the opportunity to develop these skills as part of their formal education? To what extent are education systems supporting their students and teachers in promoting the kinds of learning environments where creative thinking can flourish? This brief addresses these questions by reporting and analysing responses to an online policy survey from 90 national and sub-national education jurisdictions participating in PISA 2022. Keywords: Creative thinking, Creativity, Education, Learning Creation-Date: 2023-06-16 Number: 122 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:122-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: New PISA results: strengthening education systems in the wake of the pandemic Abstract: As the global benchmark in educational assessments, PISA results are always hotly anticipated. The eighth round of PISA assessment was originally planned to take place in 2021 but the disruption caused by COVID-19 forced the assessment to be postponed by a year. The first results of PISA 2022 will be unveiled in two volumes on 5 December 2023. The focus of PISA 2022 is mathematics, with an emphasis on mathematics reasoning, to highlight its importance in tackling complex real-life challenges. The first volume examines how student performance in mathematics, reading and science as well as equity in education evolved before and after the pandemic. The second volume of PISA 2022 identifies “resilient education systems” that maintained or promoted student learning, equity, and well-being amid the pandemic. Keywords: Education, Learning Creation-Date: 2023-10-26 Number: 123 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:123-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Managing screen time: How to protect and equip students against distraction Abstract: The upsurge in children’s screen time has sparked concerns about its impact on children’s learning, development, and well-being. Three-quarters of students in OECD countries spend more than one hour per weekday browsing social networks and nearly one in three students gets distracted by using digital devices in class. How to protect and equip students to navigate digital environments? This PISA in Focus explores why students rely on devices and how their digital device use relates to their mathematics performance, sense of belonging at school, and how much they become distracted. It highlights the role of education policies that improve students’ digital skills and behaviours and prepare teachers to teach with technology in protecting students from digital distractions at school and beyond, and building their ability to navigate digital environments. Keywords: Education, Learning Creation-Date: 2024-05-27 Number: 124 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:124-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: New PISA results on creative thinking: Can students think outside the box? Abstract: For the first time ever, PISA measured the creative thinking skills of 15-year-old students across the world. Alongside assessments in mathematics, science and reading, students in 64 countries and economies sat an innovative test that assessed their capacity to generate diverse and original ideas, as well as to evaluate and improve upon others’ ideas in creative tasks. These ranged from written and visual expression to scientific and social problem solving. This PISA in Focus highlights some of the main findings from Volume III of PISA 2022. It focuses on the main factors linked to students’ creative thinking performance, including their proficiency in other academic subjects, their gender, socio-economic profile, views on creativity, attitudes, social-emotional characteristics and their school environment. Keywords: Creative thinking Creation-Date: 2024-06-18 Number: 125 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:125-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Shaping students' financial literacy: The role of parents and socio-economic backgrounds Abstract: The results of the PISA 2022 financial literacy assessment show that many 15-year-olds should be better prepared for their financial future, as they are not able to apply their financial knowledge to real-life situations. In every participating country and economy, students from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds performed significantly worse than their advantaged peers. PISA data also show that students who discuss money matters with their parents, and those who make autonomous decisions about how to spend their money, achieve higher levels of financial literacy. This PISA in Focus examines the proportion of students who do not achieve baseline financial literacy and explores the links between socio-economic backgrounds, parental interactions and financial literacy performance. Keywords: Education, Learning, PISA Creation-Date: 2024-06-27 Number: 126 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:126-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Fewer books and more educational software: How have home learning environments changed since 2015? Abstract: The home learning environment for 15-year-old students has changed in meaningful ways over the last decade, especially after 2018, according to PISA data. The rise of digital technology has meant books – traditionally the leading pedagogical resource – are increasingly competing with digital devices and Internet access. Since 2015, the overall number of books available at home decreased moderately, while the availability of educational software has surged. Certain types of books, such as dictionaries, have decreased the most, probably replaced by digital equivalents (online dictionaries). In contrast, paper copies of classic literature are more widely available at home than before. While there is potential for digital technologies to enhance education, this largely remains untapped, and the risks for adolescents’ well-being are clearer today. Education policy should explore ways to support families and students to navigate these complex changes in the family learning environment, balancing traditional and digital resources effectively. Keywords: Education, Learning, PISA Creation-Date: 2024-09-24 Number: 127 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:127-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: The triangle of lifelong learning: Strategies, motivation, and self-belief Abstract: How prepared are students for life-long learning? Students learn many things at school, but one of the most crucial is learning how to learn. For students to continue learning independently beyond the classroom, three key aspects are essential: understanding effective learning strategies, staying motivated to learn, and having confidence in their own abilities and capacity to grow. These elements form what we call the triangle of lifelong learning. This PISA in Focus highlights some of the key findings from Volume V of PISA 2022. It explores these three critical components and provides insights into how well students are prepared to become self-directed learners capable of thriving in a rapidly changing world. Creation-Date: 2024-11-13 Number: 128 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduddd:128-EN