scholarly journals EDITORIAL FOR THEMATIC ISSUE ON “EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGES IN EAST ASIA”

2020 ◽  
Vol 78 (6A) ◽  
pp. 1062-1064
Author(s):  
Kuo-Hung Huang ◽  
Ching-Ching Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Education Reform ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
International Student ◽  
English Language ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Educational Challenges ◽  
Systems Quality

Globalization and education reform is becoming an important topic across the international arena. In response to global pressures for reform, national educational systems' quality is increasingly being compared internationally, and education changes are introduced. For example, uniformity of global curricula, instruction, and testing might result from worldwide trends such as the TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) and PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment). Also, the growth of English language usage and immigrants might contribute to a growing uniformity of global educational practices for the global economy (Springer, 2008). Nevertheless, there is considerable criticism of the ever-increasing global uniformity in education because ignoring differences in contextual capacity and culture at the national and local levels will result in unintended and unexpected consequences for educational practice (Carnoy & Rhoten, 2002).

scholarly journals Determinants of Declining School Belonging 2000–2018: The Case of Sweden

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Björn Högberg ◽  
Solveig Petersen ◽  
Mattias Strandh ◽  
Klara Johansson
Keyword(s):  
Education Reform ◽  
School Environment ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
School Belonging ◽  
Foreign Born ◽  
Bottom Part ◽  
Performance Orientation ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Using Data

AbstractStudents’ sense of belonging at school has declined across the world in recent decades, and more so in Sweden than in almost any other high-income country. However, we do not know the characteristics or causes of these worldwide trends. Using data on Swedish students aged 15–16 years from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) between 2000 and 2018, we show that the decline in school belonging in Sweden was driven by a disproportionately large decline at the bottom part of the distribution, and was greatest for foreign-born students, students from disadvantaged social backgrounds, and for low-achieving students. The decline cannot be accounted for by changes in student demographics or observable characteristics related to the school environment. The decline did, however, coincide with a major education reform, characterized by an increased use of summative evaluation, and an overall stronger performance-orientation.

Is There an “East Asian Education Model”? A Study on Varieties of Education Regimes

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-146
Author(s):  
Supanutt Sasiwuttiwat ◽  
Somkiat Tangkitvanich
Keyword(s):  
Education Reform ◽  
International Student ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Institutional Arrangement ◽  
Education Systems ◽  
Data Set ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Asian Education

There have been limited empirical studies on the varieties of education models. This paper applies clustering analysis to classify 59 education systems in the world into clusters based on their institutional arrangements (or regimes). Using a data set obtained from the Program of International Student Assessment (PISA) survey in 2015, we discover three main findings on the varieties of education models. (1) There are approximately five to eight clusters of education regimes. Among these, there are three top-performing clusters in the PISA test—namely, those focusing on test-based accountability (exemplified by Singapore), those focusing on teacher empowerment and educational equity (exemplified by Finland), and those focusing on school choices and competition (exemplified by the Netherlands). Rather than being grouped in a single top-scoring club, high-scoring education systems belong to different regimes. Thus, there are many pathways to education excellence. (2) Not all systems in the top-performing clusters have high test scores. In fact, many are doing not so well and have many challenges. Thus, policymakers should be aware that no formula of institutional arrangement can guarantee success. To adopt good practices from other countries, policymakers must analyze the strengths and weakness of their own systems and understand the conditions for successful adoption. (3) There is no clear-cut “East Asian model,” consisting mainly of East Asian countries. This implies that East Asian education regimes are not truly distinct from others. Thus, the rise of East Asia to the top of the PISA league table illustrates diversity rather than a single-best model. Our study on the varieties of education models provides policymakers with two main options for education reform. An important question is whether to improve their education systems under existing regimes or to transform them into new regimes. The leaders in the same clusters can provide lessons for improving the current systems by adjusting a few practices. Meanwhile, leaders in other clusters can provide examples for transforming into new regimes.

When PISA does not matter? The case of the Czech Republic and Germany

Human Affairs ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Greger
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
International Student ◽  
Final Section ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Study Programme ◽  
Policy Measures

AbstractThe present paper gives an overview of the reflections of and reactions to publishing the results of the first wave of the OECD study Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in the Czech Republic and in Germany. The choice of these two countries enables us to document how the same results could be perceived very differently in diverse country contexts and could lead to a different reaction from policy-makers. In spite of large reforms and numerous policy measures being adopted in Germany in reaction to the PISA results, compared with no response from policy-makers in the Czech Republic, it is argued, that in both countries policy-makers failed to tackle the major problem of their educational systems—its selective nature. In the final section we discuss various mis(uses) of PISA and its supranational and global character influencing local policies.

scholarly journals Social inequality in shadow education: The role of high-stakes testing

2021 ◽  
pp. 002071522098450
Author(s):  
Dieuwke Zwier ◽  
Sara Geven ◽  
Herman G. van de Werfhorst
Keyword(s):  
International Student ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
High Stakes Testing ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
Shadow Education ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Education Participation

Against the background of the worldwide expansion of shadow education, research shows that students from high socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds participate more in shadow education than students from disadvantaged SES backgrounds. We relate these social inequalities in shadow education participation to institutional features of educational systems. More specifically, we argue that the effect of socio-economic background on participation in shadow education will be stronger in countries characterized by high-stakes testing. Using data from the Programme for International Student Assessment for the year 2012 (PISA 2012), we show that higher SES students participate more in shadow education. For three out of four indicators of shadow education, this relationship is stronger in countries that are characterized by high-stakes testing but only when accounting for unobserved country differences.

scholarly journals PISA Performance of Natives and Immigrants: Selection versus Efficiency

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-36
Author(s):  
Andreas Behr ◽  
Gerald Fugger
Keyword(s):  
International Student ◽  
Immigrant Students ◽  
Home Country ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
Selection Effects ◽  
Efficient Frontiers ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Educational Efficiency ◽  
Economic Background

AbstractIn most countries, immigrant and native students perform differently in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) due to two main reasons: different immigration regimes and differences in their home-country educational systems. While there is sophisticated literature on the reasons for these performance gaps, it is barely considered in the educational efficiency research. Our approach distinguishes between selection effects caused by immigration policies, and the efficiency of educational systems in integrating immigrant students, given their socio–economic background. Accordingly, we split our sample, which consists of 153,374 students in 20 countries, calculate various different efficient frontiers, and ultimately decompose and interpret the resulting efficiency values. We find large differences in educational system efficiency, when controlling for negative selection effects caused by immigration regimes.

Modeling strategies for enhancing educational quality

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 160-173
Author(s):  
William K Cummings ◽  
Olga Bain
Keyword(s):  
Global Economy ◽  
International Student ◽  
Educational Achievement ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
System Level ◽  
Path Modeling ◽  
Educational Achievements ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
National Analysis ◽  
National Systems

With the strengthening of the global economy, contemporary societies have come to view the educational achievements of their young people as a major component of national competiveness. But there are substantial variations in the strategies employed by different nations. To maximize educational achievements, some nations believe that the provision of a stratified system of schooling is effective, at least for the minority who are able to gain entry to the elite academic stream. In contrast, other nations prefer a more egalitarian strategy to education where all students attend a common school devoid of ability streams until well into their secondary level studies. The egalitarian strategy is believed to be just and fair. But does it enhance educational achievement? Several other strategies are also being advanced, and the same questions can be asked about them. There are a number of studies that explore the academic consequences of different strategies within particular national systems, but there are relatively few studies that explore these questions across several national systems. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development-supported Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) studies enable a cross-national analysis; but the official reports from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development primarily provide bivariate analyses of these relations whereas a multivariate strategy taking into account several system level variables is preferred. In this paper we examine the historical origins of six contemporary strategies, and draw on the PISA studies to compare the relative efficacy of these strategies relying on path modeling.

The Reliability of Trends over Time in International Education Test Scores: Is the Performance of England's Secondary School Pupils Really in Relative Decline?

2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHN JERRIM
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
International Education ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Data Limitations ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Secondary School Pupils

AbstractThe Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) are respected cross-national studies of pupil achievement. They have been specifically designed to study how countries’ educational systems are performing against one another, and how this is changing over time. These are, however, politically sensitive issues, where different surveys can produce markedly different results. This is shown via a case study for England, where apparent decline in PISA test performance has caused policymakers much concern. Results suggest that England's drop in the PISA ranking is not replicated in TIMSS, and that this contrast may be due to data limitations in both surveys. Consequently, I argue that the current coalition government should not base educational policies on the assumption that the performance of England's secondary school pupils has declined over the past decade.

A case of being the same? Australia and New Zealand’s reading in focus

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 243-263
Author(s):  
Megan C. Chamberlain ◽  
Emma J. Medina
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
International Student ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Reading Performance ◽  
Reading Literacy ◽  
Indigenous Students ◽  
Primary Schooling ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Educational Challenges

Australia and New Zealand have participated in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Programme for International Student Assessment since 2000. Reading literacy was the main focus of the Programme for International Student Assessment in 2000, and at that time both countries’ students generally performed well above the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average. Nearly 20 years later, in the latest cycle of the Programme for International Student Assessment in 2018, reading literacy was again the main focus. Students’ average reading performance has tracked down in both countries. Large inequities persist between socio-economically advantaged and disadvantaged students, indigenous and non-indigenous students, and genders. The Programme for International Student Assessment gathers a wealth of contextual information that highlights key educational challenges facing both countries, including poor disciplinary climates, declining attitudes towards reading and sense of belonging at school, and increasing bullying. While there are similarities among the two countries’ 15-year-olds, evidence shows practices are diverging at the middle primary schooling level, which may be impacting positively on younger Australian cohorts; these differences are also discussed with respect to early reading experiences.

scholarly journals Self-Concept in Immigrant School Children and the Impact of Length of Residence: Evidence from PISA 2015 for Current Educational Practice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Figueiredo ◽  
João Marôco ◽  
Margarida Alves Martins ◽  
Odete Nunes
Keyword(s):  
International Student ◽  
Immigrant Students ◽  
School Adjustment ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Sampling Weights ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
The Impact

Comparative analyses of the Programme for International Student Assessment between immigrant and native students place immigrant students in an unfavourable position in schools, with disadvantageous indicators regarding socioeconomic and professional paths. However, the Programme for International Student Assessment assesses a series of dimensions that involve constructs that have been little studied in the school immigrant population and that relate to self-concept and school adjustment. Based on the Programme for International Student Assessment’s most recent edition, Portugal’s database of 7,325 15-year-old students was analysed. We selected 438 immigrant cases with two objectives: (1) to evaluate the impact of the length of exposure in the host country on three dependent variables of school adjustment: sense of belonging, perceived loneliness and attitudes towards school (expectations of educational and professional opportunities); (2) to evaluate the differences in results for the same dependent variables, but considering the first and second generation of immigrants in Portugal. For the data analysis, sampling weights and plausible values were analysed with the International Database Analyzer. The results show that students who have been in the country for a year or less have greater difficulties and increased significant differences compared to other migrant groups in the referred indices of self-concept and inclusion. However, other groups, especially those with periods of long-term residence between four and five years, also face substantial levels of school maladjustment.

“Not so globalised”: contrasting media discourses on education and competitiveness in four countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Rock Davis ◽  
Rachel Wilson
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
International Student ◽  
English Language ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Economic Competitiveness ◽  
Media Discourses

PurposeThis paper aims to analyse contrasting discourses on education and competitiveness from four countries to show the different national values that are a key driver in economic development.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses content analysis to compare and contrast the newspaper discourse surrounding the OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in four countries with above OECD average performance: Japan and South Korea (improving performance) and Australia and Finland (declining performance). PISA has attracted much government and public attention because it reflects education and the economic value of that education.FindingsThere are key contrasts in the discourses of the four countries. Despite shifts to globalised perspectives on education, strong national and cultural differences remain. Educational competitiveness and economic competitiveness are strong discourses in Japan and South Korea, while in Australia and Finland, the focus is on educational competitiveness. The media in Finland has few references to economic competitiveness and it does not feature in Australia. The discourse themes on PISA from 2001 to 2015 are presented with trends in educational attainment and shifting national perspectives on education.Research limitations/implicationsAnalysis is limited to the top two circulation newspapers in English language in each country over 2001 to 2015. These newspapers in Finland, Japan and South Korea include translated content from local language papers.Originality/valueThe paper provides longitudinal perspectives to understand the contrasting societal values placed on education and how these relate to perspectives on competitiveness. This media evidence on national discourses can inform education policy orientations in the four countries examined.

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