International Comparative Surveys

Tryggvi ThayerUniversity of Iceland

October, 2016

Today onAs the World Learns

The kind and caring grandmother,

The return of the long-lost twin,

The evil, rich egomaniac,

And the slow and painful death of common sense.

Our discussion here today

• What is the theory underlying the current wave of international comparative survey (ICS) projects?

• How are the outcomes of these projects being used?

• What is the impact of these projects?

The purpose of ICSs

• To provide comprehensive and comparable data on educational inputs and outcomes at the national level to encourage discourse, reflection and improvement.– What works in education?– What are barriers to educational attainment?– How do national educational systems rate in

comparison to others?

What do we want from ICSs?

• Provide high quality data for educational research

• Gauge for evaluating national systems• Compass for seeking out best practice

A brief history of ICSs• 1950s-60s – Explanatory research

– IEA: Effects of various personal and social factors on education– International approach creates “controls” to determine what mix works

• 1970s – Massive data– Several large studies in various subjects– Humongous data processing centers– Emphasis is still on explanatory research – what’s the secret sauce?!?

• 1980s – Diminishing interest• 1990s – Descriptive research

– TIMSS – ICSs’ big comeback– Emphasis on “what is” rather than “what works”– Explanatory research left up to others

• 2000s – Benchmarking– OECD’s PISA– Introduction of concept of “literacy”– Equality takes center stage– ICSs are policy tools – and not just educational policy

• 2010s – Academia on the warpath!

What do we get out of ICSs?Sophisticated comparative analyses

What do we get out of ICSs?Rankings

ICSs in contemporary discourse

• Educational systems influence countries’/nations’/regions’ competitive status within the global marketplace– Educational system co-opted by the economic system

(Shift from Bourdieu’s autonomous to heteronomous pole)– A good educational system increases national

competitiveness(Steiner-Khamsi, et al., 2006)

Concept of the “best” educational system is born.

GERM!Global Education Reform Movement

• Pasi Sahlberg (2011)– GERM starts to emerge in the late 1980s– Promotes:• Standardised education• Focus on traditional core subjects• Minimal risk in pursuit of learning outcomes• Corporate management models• Test-based accountability

Policy borrowing: Shopping in the educational policy marketplace?

Attention shoppers: Today’s blue light special is Finnish educational policy in aisle 10!

Phillips & Ochs, 2003Stage III:Implementation

Policy borrowing in practice

How’s all this working out?

“Perhaps most important, participation in international programs also increases awareness of the methods, strategies, and policies employed by other countries and education systems.”

(Tamassia & Adams, 2009, p. 213)

“[If I were a conspiracy theorist], I could say that PISA is a plot to disrupt all Eastern Asian countries’ serious efforts to develop an education system that cultivates confident, creative, diverse, and happy students.”

(Yong Zhao, 2014)

http://zhaolearning.com/2014/04/12/how-does-pisa-put-the-world-at-risk-part-5-racing-to-the-past/