In this episode, Professor Jenni Ingram and Dr Stuart Cadwallader discuss their analysis, undertaken with Pearson for the OECD, of England, Northern Ireland and Wales' performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022. In doing so, they discuss some of the key findings and headline takeaways of their analysis for parents, teachers, and for policy.
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide study of 15-year-old students. Primarily, it assesses students' knowledge and skills in mathematics, reading and science, but, in 2022, it also gathered valuable information about student experiences, attitudes and beliefs through a questionnaire. PISA facilitates (cautious) comparisons of performance between education systems (usually different countries) and over time, between PISA cycles. For this reason, PISA results often have a strong influence on education policymaking.
Among some of the key findings from their analysis, Jenni and Stuart highlight that the three nations perform above, or close to the OECD average in mathematics, reading, and science. Encouragingly, their analysis also points towards narrower socio-economic gaps in performance compared to many other countries, and they discuss findings on the balance of the three nations' performance in different areas of mathematics. They also address new questionnaire data which sheds light on safety and belonging in school, and the need for responsible interpretation of PISA data.
Deanery Digests (plain language summaries) of the research can be viewed and downloaded here:
1. PISA performance in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2022: https://www.education.ox.ac.uk/oxford-education-deanery/digest/15472/
2. PISA 2: What do students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland tell us about their experiences of learning mathematics? Analysing student questionnaire and performance data from PISA 2022: https://www.education.ox.ac.uk/oxford-education-deanery/digest/pisa-2-what-do-students-in-england-wales-and-northern-ireland-tell-us-about-their-experiences-of-learning-mathematics-analysing-student-questionnaire-and-performance-data-from-pisa-2022/
3. PISA 3: What do students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland tell us about their wellbeing? Analysing student questionnaire data from PISA 2022: https://www.education.ox.ac.uk/oxford-education-deanery/digest/pisa-3-what-do-students-in-england-wales-and-northern-ireland-tell-us-about-their-wellbeing-analysing-student-questionnaire-data-from-pisa-2022/
This podcast and the digests are based on the following open access reports:
* Ingram, J.; Stiff, J., Cadwallader S., Lee, G. & Kayton, H (2023) PISA 2022: National Report for England. Department for Education. Available from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pisa-2022-national-report-for-england
* Ingram, J.; Stiff, J., Cadwallader S., Lee, G. & Kayton, H (2023) PISA 2022: National Report for Northern Ireland. Department for Education. Available from https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/articles/programme-international-student-assessment-pisa
* Ingram, J.; Stiff, J., Cadwallader S., Lee, G. & Kayton, H (2023) PISA 2022: National Report for Wales. Welsh Government. Available from https://www.gov.wales/achievement-15-year-olds-program-international-student-assessment-pisa-national-report-2022
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Biographies
Professor Jenni Ingram
Prof Jenni Ingram is Professor of Mathematics Education at the Department of Education, University of Oxford. She is Deputy Chair of the Joint Mathematical Council, Executive Trustee and Treasurer for the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, and Chair of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education Interaction, communication and Language in Mathematics Education thematic working group. She is a member of the Royal Society Advisor Committee on Mathematics Education 11-16 Expert Group and the Mathematical Observatory Research Expert Panel. She is also an Editor of Research in Mathematics Education, Guest Editor for The Mathematics Enthusiast, and member of the Editorial Boards for the Journal of Mathematical Behavior and the Journal for Mathematics Teacher Education.
Dr Stuart Cadwallader
Dr Stuart Cadwallader is a Departmental Lecturer in Educational Assessment at the Department of Education, University of Oxford. Stuart has a PhD in Education from the University of Warwick. His research interests cover many aspects of educational assessment, including examination standards, the assessment of practical skills, the use of assistive technology for assessment, and the digitisation of assessment. Prior to January 2022, Stuart was Associate Director for Research at Ofqual, where he helped lead a research programme to support the regulation of examinations and qualifications in England. He has held senior research roles both at Ofqual and at an examination board.
Joe Bullough
Joe Bullough is Engagement and Partnerships Lead at the Department of Education, University of Oxford. He leads school partnerships under the Oxford Internship Scheme (PGCE), and, with the co-directors, drives the development of the Oxford Education Deanery. He also provides advisory support to the directors on wider partnership matters. Prior to his role at the Department of Education, Joe managed partnerships and engagement for the RISE Programme-a £40 million, UK Aid-funded programme focused on improving learning outcomes and education systems around the world. Prior to that, he worked for UNESCO's Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education, and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO).
