This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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International education statistics
08/06/2004
This Statistics Publication Notice presents information on the Scottish results from the Programme for International Student Assessment which took place in 2000.
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) was set up by the OECD to assess the performance of 15 year olds in reading literacy, mathematical literacy and scientific literacy in its member countries.
The results are intended to contribute school outcome measures for the OECD educational indicators programme. PISA is a three phase study. The first phase took place in 2000, the second was in 2003, and the third will take place in 2006. In 2000 the main domain assessed was reading literacy. Mathematical literacy and scientific literacy were also assessed, but to a lesser extent. In 2003, the main domain was mathematical literacy. First results from PISA 2003 will be published in December 2004.
The main findings for PISA 2000 for Scotland are:
Variations in test scores
Scottish 15 year olds were 6th in the rankings of reading literacy test scores of OECD countries. The level of variation among Scottish students was close to the OECD average. Females outscored males in all countries participating in the study.
3.3 per cent of 15 year olds in Scotland failed to attain the lowest reading proficiency level, demonstrating serious deficiencies in their ability to use reading as a tool for the acquisition of knowledge and skills. This proportion is much less than the OECD average of 6.2 per cent.
15.3 per cent of pupils in Scotland achieved the highest reading level.
This is a lot higher than the OECD average of 9.4 per cent.
15 year olds in Scotland ranked equal fifth in a ranking of mathematical literacy test scores of OECD countries. The level of variation among Scottish students was lower than the OECD average. Male students outperformed females by a small margin.
15 year olds in Scotland ranked 9th in scientific literacy test scores, well above the OECD average. The level of variation among Scottish students was close to the OECD average. Male students in Scotland outperformed females by a small margin, although there was a greater variation in the scores of males.
Family and Home Life
In Scotland, native students perform better than first generation students who, in turn, perform better than non-native student. The difference between these groups is smaller in Scotland than the OECD average. It is not surprising to find that the language spoken at home also has a very significant effect on the reading literacy scores of 15 year olds.
Students who have regular discussions with their parents scored considerably higher than those students who had discussions never or hardly ever.
School Life
Comparisons with the international data reveal that only in the UK as a whole was the level of support provided by teachers considered by students to be as high as that in Scotland.
A quarter of students in Scotland reported that in most or every English language lesson there is noise and disorder. Overall, however, Scotland's disciplinary climate was more positive than most OECD countries.
37 per cent of 15 year olds in school reported being absent from school at least once during a two week period. The same proportion also reported arriving late for school at least once over the same period. Sixty five per cent of 15 year olds attended schools where the headteacher reported that learning was hindered by absenteeism.
Over 70 per cent of 15 year olds in both Scotland and the UK as a whole felt that they got on well with most teachers and almost 90 per cent also felt that if they needed extra help from teachers, they would receive it
85 per cent of 15 year olds in Scotland felt like they belonged at school. However, 27 per cent did not want to go to school, and 56 per cent often felt bored there.
Engagement with reading
One third of Scottish 15 year olds never or hardly ever read for pleasure. Those who do were much more likely to read magazines or newspapers than they were to read books.
Those reading a large amount of fiction tended to score highest in the reading tests. Pupils reading a large amount of non-fiction, or reading from the internet also tended to perform well above average. Only the reading of comics failed to have a positive correlation with reading scores.
School Staff and Resources
Thirteen per cent of 15 year olds in Scotland were enrolled in schools where the headteacher was concerned about the lack of educational material in the library. This figure is lower than all but two of the OECD countries.
One third of 15 year olds in Scotland attend schools where the headteacher views a lack of computers and multi-media resources as a hindrance to learning. However, the ratio of students per computer in secondary schools in Scotland is less than or equal to that in all other OECD countries and the percentage of these computers which is available to students is higher than in any other country.
PISA looked at young people's ability to use their knowledge and skills
in order to meet real-life challenges rather than how well they had mastered a specific school curriculum. For instance, PISA defines reading literacy as the ability to understand, use and reflect upon written texts to participate effectively in life.
PISA provides a broad assessment of comparative learning outcomes towards
the end of compulsory schooling. This can guide policy decisions and provide insights into the factors that contribute to the development of knowledge and skills, and the extent to which these factors are common to different countries. In the 2003 and 2006 studies a proportion of the test items from the previous study are retained to provide a measure of performance change over time.
The results of PISA 2000 were published by the OECD in 2001 in 'Knowledge and Skills for Life: First Results from PISA 2000'. There have been two thematic reports since; 'Reading for Change: Performance and Engagement Across Countries' and 'Literacy Skills for the World of Tomorrow'.
Scotland took part in PISA as part of the UK1. This meant that the Scottish results were not disaggregated in the international reports.
Instead, our performance in the three subjects was published in our own national report in January 2002. The purpose of the analysis that is described below is to provide further interrogation of our data. The analysis is not, however, exhaustive and we encourage researchers to undertake further analysis by accessing the database at www.pisa.oecd.org2.
More details can be found in the Scottish PISA Report and in the OECD executive summary of First Results from PISA: Knowledge and Skills for Life.
Details on methodology can be found in the annex to Education at a Glance, and on the PISA website, from which data can also be downloaded.