New Measures for Comparative Studies of Low- and Middle-Income Countries

• In Event: The Role of Assessment and New Metrics in Dealing With Changes in Education in the Digital Age: Findings From the International Academy of Education

Abstract

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) was designed by member countries of the OECD to provide evidence on students’ performance in reading, mathematics and science. The surveys included student and school questionnaires which collected contextual data on a wide range of topics deemed useful for informing policy development within the member countries. Since 2000, a number of low- and middle income countries, with a Gross National Income below $12,000, have participated in PISA. This expansion has presented a number of challenges as there is a wider range of performance and marked differences in their educational contexts. In many countries, a substantial proportion of students score at or near the floor of the PISA proficiency tests. This paper uses data from the 2009 PISA to estimate the effects on reading performance of the key factors known to be related to student performance. The model addresses the problem of floor effects by using a multinomial outcome measure of reading performance. However, the estimated effects are much smaller than those observed in high income countries. The paper concludes with a discussion of how the measures of the ‘foundation of success’ of educational systems – inclusive environments, quality instruction, learning time, and material resources – can be modified and extended to address the needs of low-and middle income countries.

Authors

• Lucia Tramonte, University of New Brunswick

• Jon Douglas Willms, University of New Brunswick