A Closer Look at PISA Results

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A Closer Lookat PISA Results

• Patrik Scheinin
• Faculty of Behavioural Sciences
• Department of Education
• And Centre for Educational Assessment

International Conference on Strategic Issues of
Modernizing the Hungarian Educational System.
Budapest, 3.9.2007
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• 500 is the OECD mean and 100 is the SD.

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R 0,42 R2 0,18

• Money does have a role in the results BUT
• Top results are attained with medium costs.

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R 0,53 R2 0, 28

• Over all investment in Education correlates
  strongly with PISA success.
• Building a knowledge society sends a message to
  the students Knowledge is important and studying
  will will matter for your future.

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• Comparing macro statistics at the country level
  stability, and wealth invested in health and
  education correlate with good results.

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Ten years later What is the effect of preschool?

• The preschool effect is similarly positive on all
  levels of parental education.
• The interaction preschool seems to protect those
  who come from less advantaged homes.

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Is the effect of going to preschool similar in
different countries?

• In no country is there a negative preschool
  effect!
• The preschool effects are not systematic between
  countries with comprehensive schooling and
  parallel schooling.

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• Best results can be achieved with lower than
  average student variation.

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• Generally large between school differences are
  associated with poorer PISA results.

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• Two paths to excellence left - Scandinavian and
  right - Asian.

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• But only one path leads to bad results.

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This field is empty!

• No country does badly with small between school
  variance!

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• Equal opportunity is necessary for attaining top
  results.

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• The best for the few or for the majority?

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• Finnish pupils believe that school is useful.
• Among the most positive of those countries that
  get top results!

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• Even from the least educated families more than
  70 of the girls attain grades that are higher
  than the entrance requirement for upper secondary
  schools ( 7.0).
• The risk of boys staying under the entrance level
  is twice as high as that of the girls.

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• School achievement (Finnish), test results, and
  self concept.

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• School achievement (Math), test results, and
  self concept.

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Students in vocational tertiary education 1999
Students in universities 1999
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Possible explanations for the Finnish situation

• History
• The lutheran church is based on a work ethos, and
  
• it demanded reading skill.
• The nationalistic movement used general
  litteracy, litterature, newspapers, the
  university - and teachers to further its cause.
• gt A general respect for knowledge, studies,
  teaching and work.
• Non-independence, civil war, wars with USSR have
  taught us the value of self sufficient
  independence and an integrated society.
• The society is fundamentally democratic, equal
  and law abiding -gt stable.
• Finland is wealthy enough to provide social
  security, a high standard of health and free
  education - and school lunches! (Cause and
  effect.)
• The educational system and especially the
  comprehensive school provide and support equal
  opportunity. (Cause and effect.)
• Respect for teaching as a profession -gt many
  applicants -gt selection and high quality of
  teacher education -gt Masters level for all -gt
  Breadth and quality of educational research -gt
  Research litteracy in schools.
• A knowledge based society the educational
  system, parents example and employment
  opportunities support studying.

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9th grade GPA for students in upper secondary
schools
Ability in upper secondary schools
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• By the end of the comprehensive school the
  difference in school achievement (GPA) between
  girls and boys is significant.
• The educational level of the parents also
  correlates with students school achievement.

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Take a moment to think of your ideal school

• Do you want the best for your children?
• Do you want top performance?
• Do you want a high general level of knowledge and
  skill?
• Do you want the students to love school?
• Do you want to cut educational expenditure?
• Do you want school to be a good work place for
  the teachers?
• do you want to have the cake and eat it too?

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Cognitive abilities of students in upper
secondary schools
by gender
95 Confidence Interval
,8
,6
,4
,2
0
Z-scores
-,2
-,4
-,6
-,8
-1
Ross z
Hierarkia z
Yleissiv z
AMO, poika
AMO, tyttö
Lukio, poika
Lukio, tyttö
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• The gender distribution of those accepted in
  entrance examinations depends on what tests are
  used.
• Tests based on text and reading favor women.

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Selected Publications

• Oppimaan oppiminen ala-asteilla. 1999. Toim.
  Hautamäki, Jarkko Arinen, Pekka Bergholm,
  Bettina Hautamäki, Airi Kupiainen, Sirkku
  Kuusela, Jorma Lehto, Juhani Niemivirta, Markku
  ja Scheinin, Patrik. Opetushallitus 2/1999.
  Helsinki, Yliopistopaino.
• Scheinin, P.M. and Mehtäläinen, J. 1999. Applying
  the theory of knowledge to teaching thinking. In
  Teaching and learning thinking skill, J.M.H.
  Hamers, J.E.H. van Luit and B. Csapó (eds.).
  Lisse Swets Zeitlinger.
• Lehto, J.E., Scheinin, P. Kupiainen, S. and
  Hautamäki, J. 2001. National survey of reading
  comprehension in Finland. Journal of research in
  reading 24. Pages 99-110.
• Oppimaan oppiminen yläasteella. 2000. Toim.
  Hautamäki, Jarkko Arinen, Pekka Hautamäki,
  Airi Merja Ikonen-Varila Kupiainen, Sirkku
  Lindblom, Bettina Niemivirta, Markku Rantanen,
  Pekka ja Scheinin, Patrik. Opetushallitus 7/2000.
  Helsinki, Yliopistopaino.
• Hautamäki, J., Arinen, P., Eronen, S., Hautamäki,
  A., Kupiainen, S., Lindblom, B., Niemivirta, M.,
  Pakaslahti, L., Rantanen, P. Scheinin, P. 2002.
  Assessing learning-to-learn A framework.
  National Board of Education. Helsinki, Helsinki
  University Printing House.
• Oppimaan oppiminen toisen asteen koulutuksessa.
  2002. Toim. Hautamäki, Jarkko Arinen, Pekka
  Hautamäki, Airi Kupiainen, Sirkku Lindblom,
  Bettina Mehtäläinen, Jouko Niemivirta, Markku
  Rantanen, Pekka ja Scheinin, Patrik.
  Opetushallitus 2/2002. Helsinki, Edita Prima OY.

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PISA Results and Finland What is so Special?

• Patrik Scheinin
• Faculty of Behavioural Sciences
• Department of Education
• And Centre for Educational Assessment

Helsinki 7.5.2007
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Suomalainen koulu arvioinnin näkökulmasta

• Patrik Scheinin
• Käyttäytymistieteellinen tiedekunta
• Kasvatustieteen laitos ja
• Koulutuksen arviointikeskus

Mihin koulu on menossa? -seminaari
27.3.2007 Mannerheimin lastensuojeluliitto ry.
Vanha ylioppilastalo, Helsinki
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Problem Solvingand Pisa Results

• Patrik Scheinin
• Faculty of Behavioural Sciences
• Department of Education
• and Centre for Educational Assessment

10th Conference of the European Council for High
Ability Values and Foundations in Gifted
Education Reflections on the Ethics of Multiple
Intelligences September 13 - 16, 2006. Lahti,
Finland
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Problem Solvingand Pisa Results

• Patrik Scheinin
• Faculty of Behavioural Sciences
• Department of Education
• And Centre for Educational Assessment

Tradition in transition - teaching Sloyd, Arts
and Crafts in Contemporary Society, 15. -
18.5.2006, Umeå
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Finnish PISA ResultsWhere are we, and why?

• Patrik Scheinin
• Faculty of Behavioural Sciences
• Department of Education
• And Centre for Educational Assessment

Hungarian Academy of Sciences Szeged 25.10.2005
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What do we know about learning results in Europe?

• Patrik Scheinin
• Faculty of Behavioural Sciences
• Department of Education
• And Centre for Educational Assessment

Heureka 13.1.2006
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Oppimisvalmiudet - mitä oppilaitos voi tehdä?

• Patrik Scheinin
• Faculty of Behavioural Sciences
• Department of Education
• And Centre for Educationaal Assessment

Yhteiset opinnot ammattitaidon tukena ja
jatko-opintojen avaimena - kehittämispäivät
ammatillisen koulutuksen yhteisten opintojen
opettajille 9. -10.3.2006 Helsinki, Opetushallitus
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PISA ja suomalaisen koulutusjärjestelmän
kehittäminen

• Patrik Scheinin
• Faculty of Behavioural Sciences
• Department of Education
• And Centre for Educationaal Assessment

OAJ/TJS POEn kevätseminaari 31.3-1-4.2006,
Hotelli Majvik, Kirkkonummi
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Introduction

• Are students prepared to meet the challenges of
  the future? Do they have the knowledge and skills
  that are essential for full participation in
  society? Do they have the capacity to continue
  learning throughout life? What is our situation
  compared with other countries?
• The Programme for International Student
  Assessment (PISA) provides some answers.
• PISA is an internationally standardised
  assessment that was jointly developed by
  participating OECD countries.
• Administered to 15-year-olds in schools.

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• The results can not be explained by factors
  associated with just one subject.
• Broad explanations are more interesting from the
  point of educational policy.

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Is the effect of going to preschool similar in
different countries?

• All Scandinavian countries have comprehensive
  schools.
• In some the preschool effect is small, in others
  relatively large.
• So comprehensive school is not necessarily the
  great equalizer

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Is the effect of going to preschool similar in
different countries?

• A small preschool effect is found in Yugoslavia,
  Russia, Slovakia, Latvia, and the Chech Republic
  Portugal and Italy Ireland, the UK Korea
  Iceland and Finland.

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Is the effect of going to preschool similar in
different countries?

• A large preschool effect is found in Turkey -
  Hungary, France, Belgium, Switzerland, and
  Lichtenstein Japan and Hong Kong.

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• Unequal opportunity is associated with lower
  results.

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• Beware of what you wish for... You may get it.
• Do you want the students to love school or to
  work?

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Nobody is perfekt

• Beware of what you wish... You may get it.
• Do you want the students to love school or to
  work?

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• Girls get better grades than boys in every
  subject.
• Girls are only relatively weak in math - not
  absolutely!