The impact of professional capital on educational excellence and equality in Estonia

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 237-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maie Kitsing ◽  
Alan Boyle ◽  
Hasso Kukemelk ◽  
Jaan Mikk
Keyword(s):  
Education System ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
General Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Professional Capital ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – Estonia’s results in programme for international student assessment (PISA) studies between 2006 and 2012 showed both high-level attainment and social equity. The combination of excellence and equity makes Estonia stand out from other countries. The purpose of this paper is to explore the wide range of factors that influence Estonian students’ performance in these tests and note how professional capital fits into the overall picture. Design/methodology/approach – First the authors present a brief analysis of the outcomes in terms of the PISA results. Then the authors describe a wide range of contextual factors in Estonia such as: the country’s general level of human development; historical and cultural factors; demographics and social factors. These are the inputs to the education system. Finally the authors explore the interplay between features of the education system itself – the schooling processes – and note the impact of professional capital. Findings – The authors judge that the interplay between professional capital with other factors that work in harmony explains why the system is highly effective. This coherence is not accidental; it is the outcome of a series of deliberate reforms and investment over a single generation. Originality/value – Between 2009 and 2012 Estonia increased its share of top performers in PISA tests while, at the same time, reduced the proportion of low performers. This is commonly referred to as “raising the bar and closing the gap”. Individual schools struggle to close attainment gaps between different groups of students. Estonia is one of a very small number of countries to achieve both excellence and equality across the whole national system.

scholarly journals Do PISA data justify PISA-based education policy?

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa Araujo ◽  
Andrea Saltelli ◽  
Sylke V. Schnepf
Keyword(s):  
International Student ◽  
Survey Methodology ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Methodological Choices ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Policy Domain ◽  
Heated Debate ◽  
Pisa Data ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Since the publication of its first results in 2000, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) implemented by the OECD has repeatedly been the subject of heated debate. In late 2014 controversy flared up anew, with the most severe critics going so far as to call for a halt to the programme. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the methodological design of PISA and the ideological basis of scientific and policy arguments invoked for and against it. Design/methodology/approach The authors examine the soundness of the survey methodology and identify the conflicting interpretations and values fuelling the debate. Findings The authors find that while PISA has promoted the focus on the important subject of children's education worldwide there are legitimate concerns about what PISA measures, and how. The authors conclude that the OECD should be more transparent in the documentation of the methodological choices that underlie the creation of the data and more explicit about the impact of these choices on the results. More broadly, the authors advise caution in the attempt to derive and apply evidence-based policy in the domain of education; the authors furthermore propose an alternative model of social inquiry that is sensitive and robust to the concerns of the various actors and stakeholders that may be involved in a given policy domain. Originality/value The issues and tensions surrounding the PISA survey can be better understood in the framework of post-normal science (PNS), the application of which to the PISA controversy offers a potential solution to a stalemate.

scholarly journals The intergenerational effect of parental enthusiasm for reading

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (84) ◽  
pp. 239-259
Author(s):  
Jose G. Clavel ◽  
Mauro Mediavilla
Keyword(s):  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Reading Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Reading For Pleasure ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to focus on how reading for pleasure is transmitted within the family. Using data taken from the Programme for International Student Assessment test of 2009, which dealt in depth with the reading proficiency of students, the authors show that children of parents who read for pleasure are better readers. Within the extensive research and published results on reading performance, the authors focused on the transmission of parents’ reading attitudes to their children. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the authors have opted for an approach of “difference in differences”, applied to a population that represents all 15-year-olds from five countries (Germany, Denmark, Hungary, Italy and Portugal). To support this study, the authors chose as a response variable the difference between reading performance and maths performance of each student, taking into account five plausible values for each student. The authors have several explanatory variables, among them what we call the “treatment”, which is the parents’ enthusiasm for reading. Findings The calculated estimations clearly indicate that there is a positive effect for four out of the five countries analysed, ranging from 4 points for Italy to 6.5 points for Germany and Portugal. As for the significance of the effect, with the exception of Hungary, the result is reliable and robust. It should also be noted that the variable that indicates the existence of a reading habit by children (daily reading for pleasure) is seen as a factor that positively affects the difference between competence in reading and mathematics in four out of the five countries analysed. Originality value The results show positive effects on children whose parents read for pleasure, and this fact should be used to further encourage parents to promote their own reading time for pleasure. In view of the already quantified trend in international reports that adults are reading less, it seems crucial to involve educational authorities in reversing this phenomenon, knowing the impact that adult reading habits have on the reading competence of young people.

scholarly journals Do Prospective Teachers Care About PISA Studies? A Pilot Study among University Students in Germany

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Ioannidou ◽  
Despoina Georgiou ◽  
Andreas Obersteiner ◽  
Nilufer Deniz Bas ◽  
Christine Mieslinger
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
University Students ◽  
Prospective Teachers ◽  
International Student ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Very High ◽  
Expected Outcomes

The results of international comparison studies such as the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) have initiated intense discussions about educational reforms in Germany. Although in-service and pre-service teachers are an essential part of such reforms, little is known about their attitudes towards PISA studies. The present study aims to fill this gap through the investigation of pre-service teachers’ awareness, interest, perception, and attitudes towards PISA. A questionnaire was used to survey a sample of 107 university students who were participating in a teacher education program. The results reveal that 100% of the participants are aware of PISA. Nearly 69% of the participants think that the impact of PISA is rather high or very high, while 41% of them believe that PISA results are reliable. Accordingly, half of the participants seem to be interested in PISA results for their country. The present study discusses these findings in the light of the expected outcomes as proposed in standards for teacher education.

Fabrication of interview data

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörg Blasius
Keyword(s):  
Survey Research ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Pisa 2012 ◽  
Research Organizations ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Copy And Paste ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Evidence from past surveys suggests that some interviewees simplify their responses even in very well-organized and highly respected surveys. This paper aims to demonstrate that some interviewers, too, simplify their task by at least partly fabricating their data, and that, in some survey research institutes, employees simplify their task by fabricating entire interviews via copy and paste. Design/methodology/approach Using data from the principal questionnaires in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 and the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) data, the author applies statistical methods to search for fraudulent methods used by interviewers and employees at survey research organizations. Findings The author provides empirical evidence for potential fraud performed by interviewers and employees of survey research organizations in several countries that participated in PISA 2012 and PIAAC. Practical implications The proposed methods can be used as early as the initial phase of fieldwork to flag potentially problematic interviewer behavior such as copying responses. Originality/value The proposed methodology may help to improve data quality in survey research by detecting fabricated data.

Leading schools with migrant children in Shanghai

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 564-579
Author(s):  
Haiyan Qian ◽  
Allan David Walker
Keyword(s):  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
School Context ◽  
Migrant Children ◽  
Leadership Strategies ◽  
Work Lives ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Multiple Challenges ◽  
Leading Schools

Purpose The purpose of this paper is threefold: to sketch the current policy context that frames the education of migrant children in Shanghai; to explore the work lives of school leaders in the privately owned but government-supported schools; and to understand the socio-cultural and educational factors that shape the leadership practices in these schools. Design/methodology/approach This paper drew from publicly accessible policy papers and interview data with four principals leading migrant children’s schools in Shanghai. Findings Migrant children’s schools have received increasing policy recognition and attention. Principals of these schools have strived to adopt various leadership strategies to enhance the quality of education as received by migrant children. However, due to the institutional barriers such as hukou, multiple challenges continue to face migrant children and leaders leading migrant schools. Originality/value This is one of the first few papers that collected data from principals leading migrant children’s schools. The paper contributes to further understandings about leadership in high-needs school context and about education quality and equity in relation to programme for international student assessment success in Shanghai.

The Impact of Schooling Intensity on Student Learning: Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 679-701
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Andrietti ◽  
Xuejuan Su
Keyword(s):  
Student Learning ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
International Student ◽  
Unobserved Heterogeneity ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Immigrant Parents ◽  
High Performing ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Time Required ◽  
The Impact

This paper uses a quasi-natural policy experiment in Germany, the G8 reform, to examine the impact of schooling intensity on student learning. The G8 reform compresses secondary school for academic-track students from nine to eight years, while holding fixed the overall academic content and total instruction time required for graduation, resulting in a higher schooling intensity per grade. Using German extension of the Programme for International Student Assessment data, we find that this reform improves test scores on average, but the effect differs across subgroups of students. The reform effect is larger for girls than for boys, for students with German-born parents than for those with immigrant parents, and for students having more books at home. The heterogeneous reform effects cannot be explained by changes in observed channels. Instead, quantile regression results suggest that unobserved heterogeneity plays an important role: Whereas high-performing students significantly improve their test scores, the lowest-performing students hardly improve at all after the reform. We interpret the unobserved heterogeneity as reflecting students’ capability to cope with the increase in schooling intensity.

Never Waste a Crisis: Understanding the Welsh Policy Response to PISA in the Context of the Globally Structured Reform Agenda

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 182-191
Author(s):  
Lizzie Swaffield
Keyword(s):  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Education Systems ◽  
National Education ◽  
Reform Agenda ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
National Education Systems ◽  
Modes Of Governance ◽  
The Impact

This article considers the nature of the globally structured reform agenda including the role of international organisations and the development of new supra-national modes of governance. It discusses the impact of this agenda on education policy within national education systems with a particular focus on the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) as an example of the globally structured reform agenda. It explores the role PISA has in global educational governance and in influencing the transfer of policy between education systems. Policy responses to PISA are critically discussed with a particular focus on the response in Wales. It is argued that new supra-national modes of governance shape education systems and the transfer of policy between them, but that they are also used as a tool to further domestic political agendas in order to bring about reforms.

Mexico education figures highlight need for reform

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
The State ◽  
School Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Poor State ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Equity And Efficiency

Subject The state of Mexican education. Significance The OECD released its Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 report on December 6. The triennial study evaluates the quality, equity and efficiency of school systems, and the latest assesses to what extent 15-year-old pupils have the necessary knowledge and skills to participate in modern societies. Impacts The report will trigger mutual accusations of responsibility for the poor state of education between supporters and opponents of reform. The effectiveness of reform will see uneven implementation and outcomes in different states. Consequently, Mexico will perform poorly in the next PISA test, to be published in 2018.

scholarly journals Reflections on Analytical Choices in the Scaling Model for Test Scores in International Large-Scale Assessment Studies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Robitzsch ◽  
Oliver Lüdtke
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Individual Student ◽  
Scaling Model ◽  
Large Scale Assessment ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Analytical Strategies ◽  
The Individual

International large-scale assessments (LSAs) such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) provide important information about the distribution of student proficiencies across a wide range of countries. The repeated assessments of these content domains offer policymakers important information for evaluating educational reforms and received considerable attention from the media. Furthermore, the analytical strategies employed in LSAs often define methodological standards for applied researchers in the field. Hence, it is vital to critically reflect the conceptual foundations of analytical choices in LSA studies. This article discusses methodological challenges in selecting and specifying the scaling model used to obtain proficiency estimates from the individual student responses in LSA studies. We distinguish design-based inference from model-based inference. It is argued that for the official reporting of LSA results, design-based inference should be preferred because it allows for a clear definition of the target of inference (e.g., country mean achievement) and is less sensitive to specific modeling assumptions. More specifically, we discuss five analytical choices in the specification of the scaling model: (1) Specification of the functional form of item response functions, (2) the treatment of local dependencies and multidimensionality, (3) the consideration of test-taking behavior for estimating student ability, and the role of country differential items functioning (DIF) for (4) cross-country comparisons, and (5) trend estimation. This article's primary goal is to stimulate discussion about recently implemented changes and suggested refinements of the scaling models in LSA studies.

scholarly journals An Examination of the Links between Technology, Culture, and Reading Proficiency: A Study of the Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Schenck
Keyword(s):  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Reading Proficiency ◽  
Reading Scores ◽  
Digital Device ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Device Use ◽  
Impact Of Technology ◽  
The Impact

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between culture, technology, and reading. Reading scores from the Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) were obtained from 41 countries and compared to: digital device use in the classroom, method of digital device use in the classroom, and digital device use outside the classroom. Results suggest that either no use or extensive use of technology improves overall reading scores. Cultural characteristics such as assertiveness or low institutional collectivism in some countries appear to mitigate this effect, decreasing the impact of technology on reading. Teacher control of technology had the highest impact on reading performance. Finally, as the use of technology outside the classroom increased, reading proficiency tended to decrease, with the exception of the Anglo cultural group.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document