An exploration of the gap between highest and lowest ability readers across 20 countries

The aim of the present study, based on data from 20 countries, is to identify the pattern of variables (at country, school and student levels), which are typical of students performing below the low international benchmark compared to students performing at the advanced performance benchmark, in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2006. The dependent variable of the analysis is a dichotomous variable, the values of which represent the two different performance groups of students. The independent variables are two sets of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development educational indicators, variables from PIRLS 2006 Reading Curriculum Questionnaire data, variables and indices based on data obtained from questionnaires for teachers, schools, parents and students. The analysis is based on classification and regression trees, which is a full hierarchical non-parametric method suited to detecting and interpreting complex reciprocal influences between a large number of independent variables. The results show that pupils’ performance can be predicted by the relationships between country-level variables (the changes in teachers’ salaries at the top of the salary scale), school context variables (e.g. percentages of students from economically affluent home) and home educational resources and variables at student level (e.g. students’ reading self-concept).     

Science Curricula as Cultural Misfits

Summaries

English

In this article, which is based on a paper read at the International Institute for Educational Planning, Paris in July 1979, we shall first review the impact of science curriculum development on Third World countries and the effect of Western science education on those changes.

We shall then outline some of the ways of thinking that the pupils of different cultures bring to school that appear to differ from, or even to conflict with Western scientific modes of thought.

This will lead us to an analysis of the factors responsible for the predicament in science education today. In the light of this analysis we shall suggest some courses of action for the future progress of science teaching in the Third World.     

Mathematical literacy of school leaving pupils in South Africa

This paper discusses some results of South African (SA) grade 12 pupils on an international test of mathematical literacy, administered in the framework of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) under the auspices of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). Three questions are addressed: (1) What are the strengths and weaknesses of SA school-leavers in mathematical reasoning and social utility from an international comparative perspective?: (2) What is the growth of SA pupils' mathematical literacy from grade 8 to 12? (3) What are the background variables that influence the level of mathematical literacy of SA school-leavers? Finally some implications of the results for SA education will be discussed.     

Benchmarking the performance of Bhutanese students with the performance of the students from the OECD's PISA countries

Setting international benchmarks for education systems of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries is one of the goals of the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). However, some countries are not able to participate in PISA, despite their desire to set international benchmarks for their education systems. This article presents a method of setting international benchmarks for a country's school education system, without necessarily participating in PISA, by designing a test using the test items released by PISA for public consumption. The method has been implemented in a study that involved 1,500 Grade 10 students across 60 schools in Bhutan. The students were administered a mathematics test constructed from the PISA Mathematical Literacy test items. The study showed that the performance of Bhutanese students was comparable with the performance of the students from the countries that participated in PISA 2003 and that Bhutan could learn from both high- and low-performing school education systems of those countries.     

Farewell to the tick box inspector? Ofsted and the changing regime of school inspection in England

Since its inception in 1992 Ofsted (The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills) has inspected schools under Section 9 of the Education (Schools) Act 1992; Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996; and Section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Pressure on England to improve its system of education has not only emerged from the national need for all schools to serve their pupils well, but has also been prompted by an increasing emphasis on international league tables such as that produced by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development). In tables such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), England is viewed as underperforming against comparable countries. As a result, Ofsted has introduced what the agency terms to be one of the most stringent and demanding inspection frameworks since its inception. This framework reduces the previous 29 inspection judgements to just four, purportedly placing a far greater emphasis on the professional judgement of the inspector and representing a major departure from the ‘tick box’ approach which characterised previous frameworks. This paper examines the paradoxical fate of inspector professional judgement and concludes that whilst this may appear to signal a rapprochement between inspectors and teaching profession, there are considerable tensions when professional judgement is considered alongside quality control within a highly complex system. The study concludes that in order that inspection attains credibility as a method by which to govern education, this shift requires a more considered approach to ways in which this professional judgement can be effective within the challenging environment of the English education system.     

ADMINISTRATION STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN FRANCE

The design and management of higher education systems are important factors in discussions on planning organization and financing of higher education.

We present below information on the administration structure and management of the French higher education system based on part of the study “Systems of Higher Education: France” written by Professor Alain Bienaymé of the University of Paris‐IX Dauphine, which was sponsored by the International Council for Educational Development (ICED).     

How Big is the Handicap for Disadvantaged Pupils in Segregated Schooling Systems?

The effect of composition may be strong in systems where students are systematically sorted based on their socio-economic background. This paper aims to model the differential effect of class composition on pupils’ achievement in Belgium (French-speaking Community), France, Spain and Portugal. Multilevel models are consequently tested on the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study 2011 data (20,830 pupils in 1139 classes). Our results suggest that socio-economic composition does not have an equivalent effect on pupil achievement in the four countries included in our analysis: its effect is strong in the French-speaking Community of Belgium and France but smaller in Spain and Portugal.     

Assessing pupil development and education in an inclusive setting

In the evaluation of an experimental, full inclusion model in the Netherlands, data on participating pupils with special needs were collected. The evaluation focused on social/emotional functioning, pupil behaviour and the quality of education. Independent assessors were invited to study the files of 24 pupils and evaluate their development and education. The assessors regarded the development of seven pupils as worrying. The remaining 17 were average or above average. The findings were compared with parents’ and teachers’ assessments. The discussion addresses the difficulties involved in interpreting evaluation results for Special Educational Needs (SEN) pupils in inclusive settings.     

Including pupils with autistic spectrum disorders in the classroom: the role of teaching assistants

The aims of the current study were (i) to explore the extent to which pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) were effectively included in lessons, compared with pupils with dyslexia (DYS) or no Special Educational Needs (CON) and (ii) to understand how the presence of a teaching assistant (TA) influences the inclusion/exclusion process. One hundred and twenty pupils (40 each in the ASD, DYS and CON groups) drawn from 12 mainstream secondary schools in the north-west of England were observed in a variety of lessons using structured observation schedules. Additionally, the classroom inclusion of 21 pupils with ASD was examined through qualitative observations. The analysis indicated that pupils with ASD were less effectively included in lessons than pupils in the other two groups. Specifically, they were less likely to work independently and be socially included, particularly when a TA was present. The findings are discussed in relation to the growing literature on inclusive education for pupils with ASD.     

Special and mainstream school collaboration for the promotion of inclusion

The Green Paper Excellence for All Children ( DfEE, 1997 ) set out an agenda for the future of special needs provision which was further endorsed by Meeting Special Educational Needs: A Programme for Action ( DfEE, 1998 ). Amongst the recommendations made within these documents was a reappraisal of the role of special schools to support increased opportunities for inclusion. This paper reports on research conducted in one English local education authority (LEA) to examine an approach to develop greater links between a special school and a number of mainstream schools, with the intention of enabling pupils with complex needs to be supported in mainstream classrooms. The research focused upon the procedures which had been developed to support pupils through a period of transition from segregated to mainstream education, and considered those conditions which had been created in order that inclusion might succeed.     

International assessments of student achievement and public confidence in education: evidence from a cross-national study

One of the overarching goals of international large-scale assessments (ILSA) is to inform public discourse about the quality of education in different countries. To fulfil this function, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), for example, raises awareness of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) results through different forms of traditional and social media (e.g. press releases and other activities under the slogan PISA Day). Scholars have responded to the rapid growth of ILSA by examining public discourse through newspaper articles, policy documents, and other outlets. However, we know very little about whether and to what extent the general public is actually affected by PISA results. In order to address this gap, this study uses data regarding public trust in education from the 2011 wave of the International Social Survey Program (ISSP). Drawing on survey data from 30 countries and Hierarchical Linear Models (HLM), the study shows that PISA rankings have a significant effect on public perceptions. We find that in high performing countries the general public expresses higher levels of confidence in the education system. We discuss these patterns in the context of growing politicisation of education policy making and the use of ILSA as evidence.     

PISA and education reform in Shanghai

This article examines how Chinese education officials interpret and utilise selective information from Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to legitimate and consolidate contested reform messages and initiatives in Shanghai. A content analysis of data obtained from newspaper articles, official documents and education essays published in China yielded two key findings. First, Chinese officials turn to PISA data to highlight the existing problems of academic burden and ‘school choice fever’ that validate the need for reform. Second, they aim to garner support for on-going reform initiatives that seek to redefine the aims and nature of education in Shanghai. In both instances, the education officials do not just rely on the resources from PISA to advance local reforms. They also re-interpret the information in such a way that allows them to create new possibilities and realities. The example of Shanghai illustrates the symbiotic relationship between PISA/Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the domestic education system that is characterised by both dependence and independence.     

Pedagogical practices and ICT use around the world: Findings from the IEA international comparative study SITES2006

This special issue presents a number of secondary analyses of data collected in 2006 in the Second Information Technology in Education Study (SITES 2006). This study is the last of a number of international comparative surveys on information and communication technology (ICT) in education conducted under auspices of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). After summarizing the aims and scope of previous studies, the aims of SITES 2006 as well as key aspects of the research design are summarized. This is followed by a brief abstract of each of the articles included in this special issue. Three articles discuss international findings of the study and also findings from three participating education systems (South Africa, Denmark, Hong Kong SAR) are presented.     

The OECD and the expansion of PISA: new global modes of governance in education

This paper examines the expansion of the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and associated growth in the influence of the OECD's education work. PISA has become one of the OECD's most successful ‘products’ and has both strengthened the role of the Directorate for Education within the organization and enhanced the significance of the organization in education globally. We provide an overview of the OECD, including organizational changes in response to globalization and the changing place of the Directorate for Education within the organization, particularly with the development of PISA in the late 1990s. We show how the OECD is expanding PISA by broadening the scope of what is measured; increasing the scale of the assessment to cover more countries, systems and schools; and enhancing its explanatory power to provide policy‐makers with better information. The OECD has also developed the Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) and PISA‐based Tests for Schools, which draw on the PISA template to extend the influence of its education work to new sites. The paper draws on data from 33 interviews with past and present personnel from the OECD, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) and the English and Australian education systems, as well as analysis of relevant OECD documents. We argue that PISA, and the OECD's education work more broadly, has facilitated new epistemological and infrastructural modes of global governance for the OECD in education.     

Fairness in education – a normative analysis of OECD policy documents

Educational policy depends on assumptions about fairness in education, whether they are made explicit or kept implicit. Without a view of fairness, one would be in the dark as to what should be done about the reproduction of social inequality through education, or whether or not anything should be done at all. The aim of this paper is to uncover the view of fairness in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) education policy. It is based on an analysis of the normative argumentation concerning educational fairness in a set of policy documents from the last seven years, with special emphasis on the association between social background and educational achievement. The main result of the analysis is that the OECD explicitly operate with a loose idea of equal opportunity, compatible with even a merely formal equality, but implicitly with a meritocratic variant of fair equality of opportunity. In the final section, I argue that the OECD approach to fairness suffers from a limitation in that it considers educational justice in isolation from social justice in general.     

学校教育与教育公平的政策意蕴——学生组成与教育效果关系的维度

本文根据国际教育评估协会与国际学生评价项目的统计分析及相关的实证研究,考察了学校教育与教育公平的深层关系,发现即使考虑学生的社会经济地位及其对学校教育的影响,学校的教育效果仍然存在很大的差异。这说明,学校教育在教育公平发展中起着关键作用。同时,本文在分析学校分层、学校融合、学校同质与教育效果的关系和基础上,尝试解答学校教育与教育公平关系的三个基本问题,并提出了促进教育公平发展政策的建议。     

Variations in Reading Achievement Across 14 Southern African School Systems: Which Factors Matter?

In this study the authors employed a multilevel analysis procedure in order to examine the pupil and school levels factors that contributed to variation in reading achievement among Grade 6 primary school pupils in 14 southern African school systems (Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zanzibar). The data for this study were collected in 2002 as part of a major project known as the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ) that sought to examine the quality of education offered in primary schools in these countries. The most important factors affecting variation in pupil achievement across most of these school systems were grade repetition, pupil socioeconomic background, speaking the language of instruction at home, and Pupil age. South Africa, Uganda and Namibia were among the school systems with the largest between-school variation while Seychelles and Mauritius had the largest within-school variation. Low social equity in reading achievement was evident in Mauritius, Seychelles and Tanzania. Policy implications of the findings are discussed.     

PISA as an ideational roadmap for policy change: exploring Germany and England in a comparative perspective

Education policy has undergone transformation in many countries over the last decade. In this article, we focus on the effects of the most significant international initiative in secondary education, which is the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). We analyse two countries that provide variation regarding the degree of change in their respective education policy-making due to this study; while Germany substantially reformed its education system in reaction to its mediocre PISA results, almost no change has been observed in England. As we show, alterations and shifts in ideas of education policy best account for such a change.     

Issues of inclusion

Abstract

This article represents a meta-analysis of three research KEYWORDS projects undertaken recently at the National Foundation for Educational children in Research. The projects were discrete but resultant data showed that they care; had a common focus: ways in which schools do or might accommo-disaffection; date more effectively the needs of a range of pupils who are at risk of inclusion; being denied the opportunity to experience the ‘normality’ of the cur-special riculum offered by schools in England and Wales. The pupils whose educational experiences were studied had special educational needs, and/or were needs ‘disaffected’, and/or were in the public care. While their circumstances were, thus, ostensibly various, analysis showed that they were underpinned by a common set of needs which, unaddressed by the education system, resulted in the exclusion of the pupils. Strategies that effectively nurtured pupils’ inclusion were found to be applicable across the client group.