Southampton Education School - Seminar: PISA, student achievement and perceptions: it’s not just about schools Event

What is the seminar about? What can we learn from Big Data in Education?  Large data sets, PISA and NPD, provide opportunities to explore associations between different variables.  We were interested in exploring instructional strategies and different aspects of ‘affect’ and aspirations on the PISA / GCSE scores.  Comparing instructional approaches shows a complex picture: inquiry-based teaching shows positive associations with interest and engagement in science and negative associations with achievement.  This is a controversial and contested finding but consistent across countries. We will look at some of the headline representations of PISA and share our analyses of instructional strategies, students’ awareness of environmental issues and consider geo-political contexts.

What are the key messages? Schools can support interest in science, develop scientific literacy and raise awareness of environmental issues.

What are the implications for practice or research? For science educators, that there is a ‘sweet spot’ in using different instructional approaches in teaching science.