Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'OECD-PISA'

Ce travail est une étude du processus de production de connaissances réalisée avec le Programme international pour le suivi des acquis des élèves (PISA) tel que l'effectue la Direction de l'Éducation de l'OCDE. On trouve, au centre de ce travail, les mécanismes et stratégies de l'objectivation de l'enquête PISA et de la légitimation de l'OCDE dans le rôle de coordinateur et producteur de connaissances mais aussi, les pratiques et stratégies de traitement, analyse, interprétation et communication des données de la Direction de l'Éducation. Acteur autonome, la Direction de l'Éducation de l'OCDE qui dirige, interprète et diffuse les résultats PISA de manière spécifique n'a guerre fait l'objet de recherches scientifiques. Cependant, de par sa portée globale, le taux élevé de produits PISA et leur usage répandu dans les sciences, la politique et les médias, l'OCDE est un acteur important qui influence l'interprétation et l'usage des données et des résultats PISA. Par l'examen de l'action et de l'argumentation de la Direction de l'Éducation avec PISA, ce travail veut contribuer à expliquer l'influence globale de l'OCDE sur les politiques en éducation internationales. Ce travail se fonde sur une approche ethnographique. Il se base sur les connaissances et expériences que la chercheuse a obtenu par une participation observante dans la Direction de l'Éducation de l'OCDE ainsi que sur les connaissances obtenues avec des entretiens d'experts du personnel de la Direction de l'Éducation. En outre, avec l'analyse de documents des publications PISA, les spécificités du processus de production de connaissances de l'OCDE sont étudiées. Les résultats de ce travail montrent une production de connaissances croissante, à partir des données PISA, au Secrétariat de l'OCDE entre 2001 et 2014, qui s'accompagne d'un nombre croissant de publications et de matériaux, des nouvelles formes d'analyse de données ainsi qu'une communication des résultats en direction d'un public croissant, afin d'augmenter l'influence politique, pratique et sociale de l'enquête et de ses résultats. L'exigence de la Direction de l'Éducation d'augmenter son attractivité auprès des politiques, des pratiques éducatives et de la société au sens large, est en partie en contradiction avec l'exigence d'une rigueur scientifique des résultats et conclusions de l'enquête PISA. En resumé, les résultats de ce travail plaident pour une politisation croissante de la production des connaissances avec PISA dans la Direction de l'Éducation depuis la première publication des résultats en 2001
This study examines the process of knowledge production through the OECD Directorate for Education's Programme of International Student Assessment. The focus is on the mechanisms and strategies of objectivisation of the study and legitimatisation of the OECD as co-ordinator and knowledge producer with PISA, as well as the practices and strategies of data treatment, analysis, interpretation and communication in the OECD Directorate for Education. The OECD Directorate for Education, as an independent actor with a specific thematic orientation, interpretation and diffusion of PISA results has hardly been the focus of scholarly research. Yet, due to its global outreach, its high output rate of PISA products and the widespread use of its products in science, politics and media, the OECD is an important actor in shaping the interpretation and use of PISA data and results. By studying the acting and reasoning of the OECD Directorate for Education with PISA, this study intends to make a contribution to the understanding of the global influence of the OECD in international education policies. This study uses an ethnographic approach. It draws on knowledge and experiences which the researcher has gained through “observing participation” (Soulé, 2007) in the OECD Directorate for Education as well as on knowledge obtained from expert interviews with OECD staff members. Features of the knowledge production of the OECD were also studied by doing document analysis of PISA publications. The findings of this study show an increasing knowledge production with PISA data in the OECD Secretariat between 2001 and 2014, visible in the growing number of publications and materials, but also in new forms of data analysis as well as in public oriented data communication with the aim of raising the relevance of the study and its results in politics, educational practice and society. The pretension of the OECD Directorate for Education to achieve the highest possible attention from society, media and politics is partly in contradiction with the claim for scientific rigour of the results and inferences. Overall, the findings of this thesis suggest a growing politicisation of the knowledge production with PISA in the OECD's Directorate for Education since the publication of first PISA results in 2001
Die Forschungsarbeit untersucht den Prozess der Erkenntnisproduktion mit dem Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA), der sich innerhalb des OECD-Bildungsdirektorat vollzieht. Im Zentrum stehen Mechanismen und Strategien zur Objektivierung der Studie und zur Legitimierung der OECD als Koordinator von und Wissensproduzent mit PISA, sowie Praktiken und Strategien der Datenaufbereitung, -analyse, -interpretation und -kommunikation im OECD-Bildungsdirektorat. Das OECD-Bildungsdirektorat als eigenständig handelnder Akteur mit einer spezifischen inhaltlichen Ausrichtung, Interpretation und Verbreitung von PISA-Ergebnissen stand bisher kaum im Fokus der Forschung. Dabei ist die OECD aufgrund ihrer globalen Reichweite, ihrer hohen Output Rate an PISA Produkten und der weit verbreiteten Nutzung ihrer Produkte in Wissenschaft, Politik und Medien ein bedeutender Akteur, der die Öffentlichkeit hinsichtlich der Deutung und Nutzung von PISA-Daten und Erkenntnissen prägt. Durch die Untersuchung des Handelns und Räsonierens des OECD-Bildungsdirektorat mit PISA möchte diese Arbeit einen Beitrag dazu leisten, den weltweiten Einfluss der OECD auf die internationale Bildungspolitik zu erklären. Der Arbeit liegt ein ethnographischer Ansatz zu Grunde. Sie stützt sich auf Kenntnisse und Erfahrungen, die von der Forscherin im Rahmen einer beobachtenden Teilnahme im OECD-Bildungsdirektorat erworben wurden sowie auf Wissen, das mittels Experteninterviews mit Angestellten des OECD-Bildungsdirektorats gewonnen wurde. Zudem wurden mittels Dokumentenanalyse anhand von PISA-Publikationen Besonderheiten in der Erkenntnisproduktion der OECD untersucht. Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit zeigen eine wachsende Erkenntnisproduktion mit PISA-Daten im OECD Sekretariat im Zeitraum von 2001 bis 2014, sichtbar in einer zunehmenden Anzahl an Publikationen und Materialien, neuer Arten von Datenanalyse sowie einer zunehmend öffentlichkeitswirksamen Datenkommunikation um den politischen, bildungspraktischen und gesellschaftlichen Einfluss der Studie und ihrer Ergebnisse auszubauen. Der Anspruch des OECD-Bildungsdirektorats mit PISA möglichst hohe gesellschaftliche, mediale und politische Aufmerksamkeit auf sich zu ziehen steht zum Teil im Widerspruch mit dem Anspruch an die wissenschaftliche Güte der Ergebnisse und ihren Schlussfolgerungen. Insgesamt sprechen die Ergebnisse für eine zunehmende Politisierung der Erkenntnisproduktion mit PISA im OECD-Bildungsdirektorat seit Veröffentlichung der ersten Ergebnisse im Jahr 2001

Sveriges resultat i matematik i PISA-undersökningarna har sjunkit i varje undersökning. Sverige har gått från att ha legat över OECDs medelvärde för matematik, till att ligga under det. Sedan dess uppstart i slutet på 90-talet har resultaten från PISA-undersökningarna fått mer och mer uppmärksamhet i media. Varje gång resultaten från den senaste PISA-undersökningen publiceras skrivs det otaliga artiklar med dramatiska rubriker, så som "Sverige sämst i klassen" och "PISA chock". Vad alla dessa artiklar har gemensamt är att de använder sig av resultaten av PISA-undersökningarna utan att ifrågasätta dem. Sällan ser man en artikel som kritiskt granskar PISA-undersökningarna. Därför är syftet med denna konsumtionsuppsats att undersöka och lyfta fram kritik riktad mot PISA-undersökningarna och dess huvudman OECD, specifikt kritik som avser innehåll och kvalitet av PISA-undersökningarna och dess tolkning och användning med särskilt fokus på matematik. Detta har gjorts genom en kvalitativ litteraturstudie. Resultatet visar att det finns goda skäl till att ifrågasätta PISA-undersökningarna. Syftet med PISA-undersökningarna är att undersöka effektiviteten av ett skolsystem. Metoden för att undersöka detta är ett standardiserat test som ej utgår ifrån deltagarländernas läroplaner. Litteraturen visar att syftet med PISA-undersökningarna inte går ihop med dess metod. Liknande motsägelser finns beskrivna i litteraturen om uppgifterna i PISA-undersökningarna. Uppgifter ska vara autentiska, tidsenliga och baserade i elevers vardag, men samtidigt får de inte favorisera någon kultur eller land så de bearbetas om till att vara kulturellt neutrala. Resultaten från PISA-undersökningarna ger ingen tydlig orsak-verkan effekt vilket gör att de inte är användbara inom utbildningspolitiken

Syftet med studien var att utforska genom vilka handlingar OECD sprider New Public Management och vilket inflytande det får på den nationella politiken. Dessutom har studien undersökt varifrån OECD får sin legitimitet och hur det tar sig uttryck. Till sist granskades även PISA-testet och huruvida det kan anses legitimt som en grund till reform eller inte. För att undersöka studieområdet gjordes en litteraturstudie där analysmaterialet jämfördes mot en idealtyp utifrån en idé- och ideologianalytisk metod. Slutsatserna studien kommer fram till är att NPM sprids genom handlingar såsom reformförslag, analyser och press utifrån PISA-ranking. Inflytandet OECD har leder till ett skolsystem med New Public Management som styrmodell. Studien fann också att OECD:s legitimitet härstammar från status snarare än demokrati vilket utgör organisationens största legitmitetsbrist. PISA-testet kan enligt studien inte ses som en legitim grund för reform då det saknar validitet, rättvisa och även till viss del reliabilitet.

Every third year a PISA study is conducted, through international measurements for member states of the OECD-organization. This aims to measure each country´s pupils by the ages of 15 years old. Its purpose is to examine how each member´s pupils perform in mathematics, reading comprehensions, sciences and problem solving. In this essay we intend to examine how the PISA studies were received as a creation of opinion and self-image.  This research follows up on selected actors in the media debate surrounding PISA as a tool of argument and means of discussion. The natural demarcation is made by actors; mostly from professional teachers, but also journalists, lectures, writers and school experts in the fields. Its purpose is to give a well-balanced and comprehensive picture of the PISA-debates. From a political standpoint the actors represent different positions of the spectrum. The study consists of a total of 10 actors. Between the years of 2004-2005 and 2016-2017 of the PISA 2003 and 2015. This paper will focus on the PISA studies that were done by the years of 2003 and 2015. By working with different PISA studies with a long span of time between them. This is done as a conscious strategy in favor of the comparative study. In this essay the conceptual changes between these two PISA studies will be examined and studied with a conceptual analysis.

The purpose of this essay in the social sciences is to investigate whether the international PISAtests can be used to assess the Swedish education system. This is done with the help of a literature study. A survey and compilation have been made of a selection of articles in the subject. An analysis has been made with the help of an ontological approach based on knowledge construction as well as a theoretical framework around evaluation as control, the results are discussed to nuance the answer to the question. With a critical view, the discussion wants to nuance the use of the test as a basis for assessing the Swedish education system. The conclusion is that PISA is a powerful tool for assessing education systems, but as with all tools, it needs to be used properly. If PISA is to be used to assess Swedish school, it is valuable to be aware of strengths and weaknesses and with a unified picture from several evaluation and assessment tools.

The object of study is the international knowledge assessments and attention is given to the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) and the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). As a way to explain the content in the international knowledge assessments an historical exposition about the IEA and OECD is written. International knowledge assessment is studied in relation to the national and international perspective, but also in relation to educational governing. By doing this concepts of globalisation and internationalisation are discussed as communication patterns. It is then possible to understand organisations like the IEA and OECD as institutionalised communication channels. If this is done it is possible to discuss globalisation and internationalisation as something else than an inevitable endpoint.

Through institutionalised communication channels international knowledge assessments appear in national contexts and some observations can be made. The first one is that international knowledge assessments reformulate relationships. In this the educational actors on national levels are observed. These actors are involved in a struggle for power over definition in what should be seen as educational problems and solutions. In this the actors and the educational system they represent tries to strive and communicate modernity, strong international competitiveness and development. Secondly the actors when reformulating the international ideologies into national contexts transform extern priorities to internal priorities. Thirdly an international ideology might be understood as isomorphic ideology. When the isomorphic ideology impacts national contexts it has to be mediated. The mediation is driven by the fact that it is constituted by the national context, but also by the different roles the actors take or are given. The notion about isomorphic ideology is investigated more properly in Appendix I, in relation to UNESCO, and it is declared that international cooperations are part of nations urge to make their educational institutions more effective. In relation to the conclusion from Appendix I international knowledge assessments are interpreted as a technological/instrumental method for making the production process more effective.

When the international knowledge assessments come down in national contexts some empirical reactions can be discussed. This is analysed from examples taken from the Swedish context, but these results are also in relation to the contexts in Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands. In the study examples are given on how international knowledge assessments are given meaning by political, administrative and media actors. It is primarily three results that can be uplifted. International knowledge assessments are used as an arena for communication in which arguments can be fetched and discussions can be made. International knowledge assessments are also used as present point descriptions, and point of departure for descriptions of educational vision of the future. And finally they are used for legitimising or repudiating politics of education.

Undersökningen i arbetet syftar på att jämföra de gällande styrdokument som skall efterföljas i förundervisningen i Finland och på Åland och motsvarande i Sveriges förskoleklass. Vidare vill jag genom e-intervjuer till personer med yrkeskompetens undersöka olikheter som finns gällande hur länderna arbetar inom verksamheterna där sexåringarna befinner sig i, faktorer som skiljer länderna åt inom daghemmets och förskolekassens värld samt få ta del av deras synpunkter och funderingar kring ländernas vision om vad just deras sexåringar skall befinna sig i för miljö året innan de börjar årskurs ett.   Jag har studerat styrdokumenten för länderna i fråga och jämfört de ämnen som jag anser vara relevanta i en jämförelse, värdegrund, uppdrag och mål, pedagogens roll och specialundervisning. Styrdokumenten har klara och tydliga mål, men hur mycket skiljer det sig mellan länderna för vad som exempelvis skall uppnås när barnet är sex år. Jag skulle önska att detta ämne var lite mer kontroversiellt, men tiden kanske hinner ikapp och vi får läsa mer om detta i framtiden. Vidare har PISAs undersökningar granskats, syftet med projektet PISA är att undersöka i vilken grad respektive lands utbildningssystem bidrar till att elever som snart skall avsluta den obligatoriska skolan är mogna och har de kunskaper som behövs för att möta framtiden.   Elektronisk intervju per e-post och en diskussion av styrdokumenten användes som datainsamlingsmetod för denna undersökning och frågorna utformades så att respondenten fritt kunde resonera i ämnet så ingående som hon eller han ville. Jag fick svar av 10 barnträdgårdslärare/daghemsföreståndare och tre svar av personer med en högre position som besitter kunskap i de frågor som jag bestämde mig för att fråga.   Resultaten visade på att respondenterna upplever att de har det väldigt bra som det är och att de anser att barnen har det bäst om de får gå kvar på daghemmet till det att de skall in i skolvärlden.

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Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
This work has as its object of study the Programme For International Student Assessment (PISA), an international assessment system, created in 1997 by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and reaches fifteen students who are in final phase of compulsory schooling. The objective of this study is to analyze the PISA through its justification of creation, objectives and concepts that underlie the official documents of the OECD. In particular, through the analysis of conceptions of quality, equity and accountability in official documents of PISA, we seek to understand to what extent these conceptions are articulated with the economic development goals of OECD, as well as understand the participation of the Organization in educational policies, identify practices that the discourse of OECD seeks to engender in education management and how these conceptions allow to legitimate new forms of assessment which gradually reorganize and impose a new form to the educational process schooled. The theoretical-methodological approach is based on bibliographic and documentary research. The analysis will take place by means of the categories of discursive and social practices, by Paul Veyne, modernization and rationalization, by Max Weber, and the conceptions of social justice and equity, by John Rawls. Our analyzes showed that PISA is a producer and promoter of discursive practices, which aims to spread the instrumental rationality in education, standardize knowledge and skills required by the economic sphere, as well as homogenize and optimize the educational policies worldwide. Thus, PISA is more than an evaluation system, it is a global governance agent that, which through indications and discursive persuasion, kind of soft power actions made by the OECD and legitimized by the participating countries, seeks to disseminate best economic practices in order to homogenize the international productive sphere. Therefore, PISA is projected as an education regulation tool for economic and political purposes.
Este trabalho tem como objeto de estudo o Programme For International Student Assessment (PISA), sistema de avaliação internacional, criado em 1997 pela Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) e que atinge estudantes de quinze anos, que estão em fase final de formação escolar obrigatória. O objetivo deste estudo é analisar o PISA por meio de sua justificativa de criação, objetivos e de concepções que o embasam em documentos oficiais da OECD. Em particular, por meio da análise das concepções de qualidade (quality), equidade (equity) e responsabilidade (accountability) nos documentos oficiais sobre o PISA, busca-se compreender em que medida essas concepções se articulam com os objetivos de desenvolvimento econômico da OECD, bem como compreender a participação desta Organização nas políticas educacionais, identificar práticas que o discurso da OECD busca engendrar na gestão educacional e de que forma estas concepções permitem legitimar as novas formas de avaliação que gradualmente vêm reorganizando e impondo uma nova forma ao processo educativo escolarizado. O procedimento teóricometodológico é baseado em pesquisa bibliográfica e documental e sua análise dar-se-á por meio das categorias de práticas discursivas e sociais, de Paul Veyne, modernização e racionalização, de Max Weber, e das concepções de justiça social e equidade, de John Rawls. Nossas análises apontaram que o PISA constitui-se em um produtor e indutor de práticas discursivas, cujo objetivo é propagar a racionalidade instrumental na educação, padronizar conhecimentos e habilidades ensejados pela esfera econômica, bem como homogeneizar e otimizar as políticas educacionais em âmbito mundial. Assim, o PISA é mais do que um sistema de avaliação, sendo um agente de governança global que, por meio de indicações e persuasão discursivas, ações do tipo soft power feitas pela OECD e legitimadas pelos países participantes, busca difundir boas práticas econômicas a fim de homogeneizar a esfera produtiva internacional. Portanto, o PISA projeta-se como instrumento de regulação da educação com fins econômicos e políticos.

碩士
國立暨南國際大學
教育政策與行政學系
93
The purpose of the study is using the learning characteristics of OECD/PISA 2003 Student Questionnaire to discuss the interaction between the mathematical literacy and learning characteristics. Because Taiwan did not participat in OECD/PISA 2003 assessment, the author chose Hong Kong and Finland which are the first and second in the mathematical results to perform cross-national analysis. In this study, the terminology “mathematical literacy” refers the performs in the four overarching ideas of quality, space and shape, change and relationship, and uncertainty. The terminology “learning characteristics” means the answers of students interest in and enjoyment of mathematics, students anxiety in mathematics, students use control strategies to learn mathematics. Using SPSS 12.0, the author analyzed the data, such as descriptive statistics, factor analyses, reliability analyses, corellational analyses, and regression analyses. The suggestions for the educational people, including participate in program of international students assessment actively, valuing students’ acquisitions in absolute mathematical literacy, taking care of every students’ in learning mathematical literacy, making high light on student’s learning characteristics, taking the mathematising concepts in school curricula and family education. For the futher study, including increasing study variables in mathematical learning characteristics, adding the nations’ interactional analysis.

碩士
健行科技大學
國際企業經營系碩士班
103
Differences in regional development and resources often cause unequal educational opportunities, especially in urban areas. Due to the dense population, urban areas have access to more educational institutions as well as educational resources than rural areas do, thus causing a major discrepancy between educational opportunities in urban and rural zones. This trend can be seen on a global scale. Industrial countries such as Belgium, Iceland, Israel, Australia, Denmark, Finland, France have higher gross domestic products (GDP) due to an abundance of educational resources. Grades of middle-school students in industrial nations are better than those of middle-school students in non-industrialized nations. However, according to test results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), researchers discovered that the top five nations with superior education were, with the exception of Finland, Asian countries. Researchers had expected that global industrial powers, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, would follow the trend and rank higher, but were surprised to discover that they were placed beyond the top ten, contradicting their notion. A cross-reference between average GDP of OECD countries, educational expense ratios, and the Human Development Index, followed by an application of a Context-Dependent Model produced a conclusive analysis of national education. According to the data, Level 1 countries, ranked first, consisting of non-industrialized such as Poland, Slovakia, Estonia, Slovenia and Ireland, have relatively higher educational “scores”. On the other hand, Level 4 countries, ranked last, consisting of industrially advanced nations such as Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, the United States, and Israel, have relatively lower educational “scores”. In conclusion, advanced urbanization is not a clear indication of superior education.

The goal of this Diploma thesis is to provide the basic overview of current economic aspects of education of the Czech Republic. At the same time this Diploma thesis mapped out the basic concept of labor as a factor of production, or more precisely human capital (T. W Schultz, G. S Becker) and their application in the sector of education. The educational system in the Czech Republic will be assessed on the basis of a criterion that handles the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The methods used for this purpose are qualified heuristics, comparison and analysis, because some of the data and the results should be confronted with other results that are processed by some representative international and national statistical research organizations (CSO, Eurostat, CCERGE-EI). This Diploma thesis includes only selected economic aspects of education. The theoretical part introduces human capital, its conception by W. T. Schultz and G. S. Becker, his measurements and the importance of education for czech society. The theoretical part defines the main economic aspects of education and PISA and PIAAC Survey. The practical part is devoted to the results of selected indicators and PISA and PIAAC Survey.

Denna studie ämnar sammanställa resultat från de internationella jämförelser av elevers läsförståelsekunskaper som Sverige deltagit i, med särskilt fokus på svenska pojkars prestationer i dessa undersökningar. Studiens syfte är att undersöka vilka trender som går att skönja i pojkars läsning, och analysera hur skillnader mellan svenska pojkar och flickors läsning ter sig över tid. En överblick ges dessutom av svenska pojkar och flickors samlade resultat i läsförståelsestudier. Totalt har material från tio internationella studier insamlats och analyserats. Data har hämtats främst från de Skolverket-rapporter som författats efter varje undersökning. I resultatanalysen påvisas bland annat att svenska pojkar såväl som flickor försämrat sina läsförmågor signifikant sedan första undersökningen 1970. Dessutom har könsskillnaden vuxit och i den senaste undersökningen, 2012, registrerade svenska elever rekordhöga könsskillnader i läsförmåga, en skillnad som till stor del kan attribueras till pojkars kraftigt försämrade läsförmågor. Vidare så framkom det i analysen att svenska pojkars såväl som flickors läsattityder har försämrats det senaste decenniet. Denna trend var emellertid tydligast bland pojkar.
This study aims to compile results from international surveys of students’ reading competence that Sweden has participated in, with particular focus on the results of Swedish boys. The purpose of the study is to reveal trends in boys’ reading, and analyse how differences between Swedish boys and girls’ reading has developed over time. The paper also offers an overview of Swedish boys and girls’ general performances throughout all surveys. In total, material from ten major international surveys has been analysed. Foremost, data has been collected from the survey reports written by the Swedish National Agency for Education. In analysing the material it was found, among other things, that Swedish boys as well as girls significantly have worsened their reading competence since the first survey in 1970. Furthermore, the gender differences in reading have increased considerably, and in the latest survey, PISA 2012, Swedish students registered historically high gender differences, a circumstance that largely could be attributed to the deteriorating results of Swedish boys. In addition, it became apparent that Swedish students’ reading attitudes have worsened the last decade, a trend particularly salient among boys.

This thesis answers the question of whether and to what extent the goals of PISA align with the Manitoba Government’s goals and priority action areas, and whether the published results of PISA 2012 provide information that addresses the Manitoba Government’s education goals and priority action areas, within the context of mathematics. This thesis provides a qualitative analysis of three PISA 2012 documents, and explores and compares Manitoba PISA 2012 achievement data to Manitoba grade 9 mathematics credit achievement data for English and Français program students, EAL and Aboriginal students to determine whether and to what extent the goals of PISA align with the goals and priority action areas of Manitoba Education and Training, and whether the published results of PISA 2012 provide information addressing the goals and priority action areas of Manitoba Education and Training, within the context of mathematics.
February 2017

This thesis addresses the local reception and use in Sweden of the major international large scale assessments (ILSAs) of student performance: Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS). The aim is to describe and analyze how Swedish teachers, principals and school directors interpret and possibly use ILSAs in their professional practice. ILSA is treated here as a new idea or a new social technology defining what constitutes good (or bad) education. The theoretical framework combines a top-down perspective provided by Rogers’ (2003) Diffusion of Innovation theory, and a complementary, more critical Policy Enactment approach (Ball et al. 2012), stressing the import-ance of context and local actors’ perspectives. Empirically, the thesis is based on 40 semi-structured interviews carried out in the 2011-2012 school year with teachers, principals and municipal school directors in five municipalities and 12 compulsory schools, selected to cover diverse municipalities, schools, and respondents. The respondents perceive ILSAs as valid evaluations of the Swedish school system. Most think it is important to compare results of different nations, although ILSA is not expected to cover the whole curriculum. Most interviewees are aware that Swedish ILSA results have been declining for years and perceive an urgent need to reverse this trend. However, few of the directors, principals or teachers believe that Swedish schools are in a deep crisis, as described in Swedish media. The participants frequently regard schools as primary determinants of ILSA results, and few blame family, socio-economic, cultural and contextual factors for the Swedish decline in ILSA rankings. There are significant differences between the three occupational groups in their reception and use of ILSA. Municipal school directors who are very well-informed emphasize the influence of ILSA on their local development efforts. Principals and teachers say that ILSAs have had modest direct effects on their work, but they argue that poor Swedish results in international assessments have had indirect effects, for instance by prompting the introduction of a new national curriculum.

Contains an English summary.

Efciency-driven reforms have become increasingly relevant in education policy, as education systems face tighter budget constraints. Educational authorities around the world often struggle to foster the best student outcomes out of the set of available school resources. This dissertation aims to contribute to this debate by using a semi-parametric approach to evaluate the efciency across 34 OECD countries, using data from PISA 2015. The estimation of the education production possibilities frontier is made through a free disposal hull (FDH) method, a non-convex and non-parametric estimator, also extending the analysis to incorporate recently developed partial frontier methods (order-m and order-x).According to the different specifications, ineficient schools could have increased average student achievement between 9%-18%, for the same level of human and material resources, and given the socio-economic characteristics of their students. Differences in eficiency scores are also investigated. The results suggest that schools that enrol a larger number of students and where the principal can decide on budget allocations are more eficient. On the other hand, schools with high concentration of students from immigrant backgrounds and more repeaters are hindered in the provision of eficient allocations of school resources. Finally, no necessary trade-off is found between efciency and equity in the provision of quality education.
Reformas tendo em vista aumentos de eficiência têm-se tornado crescentemente relevantes na definição de políticas educativas, especialmente no contexto de orçamentos educativos mais limitados. Neste sentido, responsáveis em diferentes sistemas educativos têm tentado saber como melhorar os resultados dos alunos, dados os recursos escolares disponíveis. Esta dissertação tem por objectivo contribuir para este debate, através de uma avaliação semi-paramétrica de eficiência escolar em 34 países da OCDE, recorrendo a dados do PISA 2015. Estimamos a fronteira de possibilidades de produção educativa através de "free disposal hull" (FDH), um estimador não-paramétrico e não-convexo. Também estendemos a análise para incorporar métodos de fronteiras parciais (order-m e order-x). De acordo com as diferentes especificações, as escolas ineficientes na amostra poderiam ter aumentado a qualidade de educação entre 9% e 18%, utilizando o mesmo nível de recursos humanos e materiais, e tendo em conta as características socio-económicas dos seus alunos. A variação nos scores de eficiência é também investigada. Os resultados sugerem que escolas com um maior número de alunos e em que o diretor tem poder de decisão sobre a alocação do orçamento escolar são mais efcientes. Por outro lado, escolas com maior concentração de alunos de contextos familiares de imigração e com mais repetentes têm maior difculdade em se aproximar da fronteira internacional de efciência. Por fm, não há evidência de um trade-off necessário entre efciência e equidade na provisão de educação de qualidade.

A mais recente onda de globalização do final do século XX e as consequências geradas pela interdependência dos Estados trouxeram novas formas de olhar as políticas públicas, bem como os mecanismos de influência das organizações internacionais na difusão, transferência e convergência dessas políticas. A OCDE é uma das organizações que, nas políticas de educação, tem tido um papel destacado, o qual adquiriu maior impacto e visibilidade com o lançamento do programa PISA. A ação da OCDE em Portugal iniciou-se nos anos 60 e prolongou-se até à atualidade. Foram vários os mecanismos de ação da OCDE, ao longo das três fases em que a mesma teve lugar, como a produção de ideias, a produção de dados e a avaliação de políticas. Na primeira fase o principal instrumento de ação foi o Projeto Regional do Mediterrâneo, ocorrendo uma mudança de paradigma da política educativa portuguesa. Na segunda fase o instrumento utilizado foi o Exame à Política Nacional de Educação, vindo a ter lugar a estabilização dos eixos estruturantes dessa política. Na terceira fase, os instrumentos usados foram a produção e divulgação de indicadores educacionais, constituídos como standards e benchmarks, com relevo para os relativos ao PISA, vindo a ocorrer, para além da consolidação daqueles eixos, uma convergência com as políticas e os referenciais definidos pela OCDE. Conclui-seque as políticas públicas que estiveram presentes na construção do sistema educativo português nos últimos 50 anos tiveram uma importanteinfluência da OCDE, designadamente na mudança para uma escola mais democratizada e equitativa, na consolidação de um sistema educativo mais estruturado e universal e na convergência de políticas para a melhoria dos resultados educativos.
The latest wave of globalization in the late twentieth century and the consequences generated by the interdependence of States have brought new ways of looking at public policy, as well as the mechanisms ofinfluence of international organizations in the diffusion, transfer and convergence of these policies. The OECD is one of the organizations, in education policy, has played a prominent role, which acquired greater impact and visibility with the release ofthe PISA program. TheOECDactionin Portugal began in the '60s and lasted to the present day. There were several mechanisms of action of the OECD, over the three phases in which it took place, as the ideasproduction, datageneration and policy evaluation. In the first phase the main instrument of action was the Mediterranean Regional Project and a paradigm shift occurredin the Portuguese educational policy. In the second phase the instrument used was theNational Education Policy Examination and has been taking place stabilization of structural axes of this policy. In the third phase, the instruments used were the production and dissemination of educational indicators, established as standards and benchmarks, with emphasis on those related to PISA, been taking place, in addition to the consolidation of those axes, a convergence with the policies and benchmarks defined OECD. We conclude that public policies that were present in the construction of the Portuguese educational system in the last 50 years havehad a major influence of the OECD, notably the shift towards a more equitable and more democratic school, the consolidation of a more structured and universal education system and convergence of policies to improve educational outcomes.