Power, Conflict and Change in World Society: The Case of International Assessment of Student Achievement

• In Event: 079 - Regular Session. Sociology of Education: Comparative and Historical Approaches

Abstract

This paper examines a vital catalyst in the globalization of education: international assessments—that involve testing and rankings—of student achievement in academic subjects. Nearly all high-income countries participate in international assessments such as Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), and participation is also growing among low-income countries. Empirical research on these assessments, however, is less extensive than what might be expected. Using a multi-method approach to address this void, I draw on a variety of data sources: an extensive array of primary-sources materials from archives from North America and Europe, and interviews with 45 key actors from 15 countries in the field of international assessments. The analysis shows two key patterns. First, the field of international assessments emerged from a loose network of scholars oriented toward education research and later transformed into a set of organizations that emphasized accountability of education systems. This transformation was driven by two mechanisms: resources and international discourse about education. Second, the transformation of the field of international assessments toward educational accountability is implicated in the diffusion of international assessments worldwide. In the early stages of the field, a country’s embeddedness in Western scholarship affected participation in international assessments. Subsequently, when the field emphasized accountability, a country’s embeddedness in world society affected participation in international assessments. Taken together, these patterns suggest that the institutionalization of policy scripts—such as international assessments—is driven by dynamic processes that take place at the global and local level.

Author

• Oren Pizmony-Levy, Columbia University