PROGRAMME FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ASSESSMENT 2000 - SCOTLAND ANALYSIS
SECTION 6 - SCHOOL STAFF AND RESOURCES
School Size
1. Because of the large number of influences upon every pupil, no single factor can be expected to explain any large part of the variation in performance. The number of pupils in a school does not appear to have any significant correlation with test scores of Scottish pupils. However, in the UK as a whole there is a very small, but significant, effect that pupils in large schools perform worse than those in smaller ones. This effect in the UK is much larger when the number of pupils per teacher is considered, accounting for 1.7 per cent of variation in test scores. Pupils in schools with a large number of pupils for each teacher tend to perform considerably worse than those with fewer pupils per teacher. In Scotland, the effect is again not significant.
2. In Scotland, however, a significant relationship is noted between reading test score and the number of computers per pupil. This accounts for 0.5 per cent of the variation between pupils' scores.
Table 31a Change in the PISA reading literacy score per 100 students, Scotland & UK
The relationship between school size and reading test scores |
| Change in reading score per 100 students | Proportion of variation in reading score accounted for | Maximum school size in sample | Average school size in sample | Minimum school size in sample | Standard deviation of school sizes in sample |
Mean | 95% Confidence Interval | Level of Significance |
Scotland | -0.60 | (-1.8 0.68) | none | 0.0% | 2061 | 916 | 168 | 319 |
UK | -0.85 | (-1.35 -0.34) | high | 0.1% | 2520 | 932 | 61 | 381 |
Table 31b Change in the PISA reading literacy score per pupil per teacher, Scotland & UK
The relationship between pupil: teacher ratios and reading test scores |
| Change in reading score per pupil per teacher | Proportion of variation in reading score accounted for | Maximum number of pupils per teacher in sample | Average number of pupils per teacher in sample | Minimum number of pupils per teacher in sample | Standard deviation of number of pupils per teacher in sample |
Mean | 95% Confidence Interval | Level of Significance |
Scotland | 0.04 | (-1.37 1.45) | none | 0.0% | 25.0 | 14.1 | 7.5 | 3.0 |
UK | -4.76 | (-5.53 -3.99) | high | 1.7% | 25.0 | 15.4 | 5.8 | 2.5 |
Table 31c Change in the PISA reading literacy score per computer per pupil, Scotland & UK
The relationship between computer: pupil ratios and reading test scores |
| Change in reading score per 0.1 computers per pupil | Proportion of variation in reading score accounted for | Maximum computer: pupil ratio in sample | Average computer: pupil ratio in sample | Minimum computer: pupil ratio in sample | Standard deviation of computer: pupil ratios in sample |
Mean | 95% Confidence Interval | Level of Significance |
Scotland | 7.37 | (2.95 11.79) | high | 0.5% | 0.77 | 0.21 | 0.07 | 0.09 |
UK | 1.61 | (-2.2 35.45) | none | 0.0% | 0.77 | 0.17 | 0.01 | 0.08 |