National interpretations of OECD: s PISA studies

Author(s):

Daniel Pettersson(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2012

Network:

09. Assessment, Evaluation, Testing and Measurement

Format:

Paper

Session Information

09 SES 07 B, Findings from International Comparative Achievement Studies: Issues in Study Design and Reporting

Parallel Paper Session

Time:

2012-09-19

17:15-18:45

Room:

FCT - Aula 15

Chair:

Martin Goy

Contribution

The paper begins with the observation that we seem to accept governing. On the governing it is stated that no actor can be assumed to be outside the net of interactions that bind us together in how we think and act within the constituted frames. This is observed from discussions about discourse, but mainly in relation to Gramscis conception of common sense. This implies, in brief terms, to examine the consensus of what is possible to argue for or against, which emanates from the prevailing context. In this, the relation between the international and the national is under investigation. The paper deals with how the relationship between the international and national is constituted in international co-operations like OECD in relation to national educational governing, studied with help of the national report concerning PISA. The international knowledge assessments of PISA and the use of these in the national politics of education are therefore the main theme for the paper.

International knowledge assessments, like PISA, are given different content and form regarding the involved actors priorities dependent on the purpose and goals. International knowledge assessments represent a reflection of the actors view on education and the relationship between international and national. Through studies of international knowledge assessments, and the national reports connected to them, it is possible to give examples on how national educational politics discuss and understand education. It is also possible to lift the role national priorities play in a global net of interaction that not only deals with education but also deals with the relationship with economics and how ideologies about this evolve and give expression. The assessment culture, verbalized in PISA, gives attention to the field as important to investigate when we study the discussion of education. In this the assessments are observed from their governing potential within nations. The purpose of the paper is to contribute via knowledge and understanding of international assessments as a phenomenon and in what context this is a part of national educational governing, shown in national reports dealing with the results in PISA studies.

Method

One of the central points in the paper lies on how international knowledge assessments, like PISA, comes down, is discussed and is reformulated within national contexts represented by national reports based on national results in the PISA studies. The paper is due to this largely based on text analysis of the national reports where selection of content is in focus. The selection of content is analyzed with help of Gramscis conception of common sense emanated throughout the common sense visible in the work of PISA.

Expected Outcomes

OECD: s PISA studies are much debated and are given a dominant role in national press. The countries that are involved in the PISA studies normally publish national reports in which the national results are analyzed and interpreted in a national context. This paper goes beyond the actual assessments and look into how different participating countries choose to analyze and interpret the national results in PISA. In so doing it can be shown that different countries choose to uplift different results and different contents from the tests, mostly based on national debates and national contexts. The analyzed material show some similarities and differences observed at the national level which makes it possible to speak of an international culture of how the results of international knowledge assessments are presented at national level, but it also shows that it is possible to interpret the national reports as a way to solve and discuss national priorities based on a national context. The results show that there is a dominating way of presenting the results, and an alternative, most common in countries outside the westernized world.

References

Gramsci, A (1971) Selections from the Prison Notebooks. Lawrence and Wishart: London. Kallo, J & Rinne, R (2006) (Eds.) Supranational Regimes and National Education Policies. Encountering Challenge. Research in Eductional Science 24, Finnish Educational Research Association: Helsingfors. Nóvoa, A & Yariv-Mashal, T (2003) Comparative research in Education: a mode of governance or a historical journey? Comparative Education Vol. 39 no. 4 p. 423-438. Pettersson, D (2003) Politics of Assessments: International organisations and globalisation of educational steering. Studies in Educational Policy and Educational Philosophy 2003:3: Uppsala Pettersson, D (2008) Internationell kunskapsbedömning som inslag i nationell styrning av skolan. Uppsala University: Uppsala.

Author Information

Daniel Pettersson (presenting / submitting)

University of Gävle

Department of Education

Gävle

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