pisainfocus

Greater anxiety about mathematics is associated with lower scores in mathematics, both between and within countries.

Attending preschool is associated with better student performance later on.

When students believe that putting effort into their studies will make a difference, they achieve significantly higher scores in math.

Few students in high-performing school systems are absent without a valid reason from certain classes or even from school for entire days.

Most students enjoy classrooms where order prevails during lessons taught in their own language.

It seems that grades not only measure students’ progress in school, but also indicate the skills, behaviors, habits, and attitudes that are valued at school.

Approximately 90% of students in OECD countries attend schools that offer educational field trips to places where students can learn about scientific principles and concepts.

Students in countries that perform well on PISA spend less time, on average, on extracurricular classes and independent study, and more time on school classes, than students in countries that perform poorly on PISA.

On average across OECD countries, students in rural schools scored 31 points lower in science than students in urban schools, a fact that can be fully explained by differences in the socioeconomic profiles of the students and schools.

Fifteen-year-old students who report having stronger motivation to succeed also perform better on the PISA assessment in nearly all of the education systems participating in the study.