PISA 2018 to Assess Global Competence

December 2017 sees the public launch of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) PISA Global Competence Framework, which will serve as a foundation for the PISA test of 2018, co-hosted by Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Directorate of Education and Skills at the OECD. The framework is intended to explain, develop, and assess global competence among adolescents around the world. It is a tool designed for policy makers, leaders, and teachers interested in nurturing global competence among young people worldwide.

The framework has been in the making for a couple of years. It is a response to the growing importance of preparing young people to be positive contributors to the interconnected world in which they will live and work with those of different backgrounds and cultures. The new test represents a step towards understanding attitudes, values, and knowledge of global issues among students. According to the OECD, it represents “the first comprehensive overview of education systems’ success in equipping young people to support the development of peaceful, diverse communities.”

Gabriela Ramos, OECD Chief of Staff and Sherpa noted that “Finding innovative solutions to escalating problems, from the depletion of natural resources to a fairer distribution of wealth and opportunity, depends on the ability of people to act creatively and ethically, and in collaboration with others. But in many countries, social cohesion, the bedrock for collaboration, is growing weaker. The challenge now is to embed global competence in schools around the world so that young people are better equipped for today’s fast-changing, globalized world. Global competence is the centerpiece of a broader vision for 21st-century education, shaped by three principles: equity, cohesion, and sustainability.”

In its framework document, the OECD defines global competence as “the capacity to analyze global and intercultural issues critically from multiple perspectives, to understand how differences affect perceptions, judgments, and ideas of self and others, and to engage in open, appropriate, and effective interactions with others from different backgrounds on the basis of a shared respect for human dignity.” It is admittedly a complex learning goal, which the OECD deconstructs into three dimensions: knowledge and understanding, skills, and attitudes. Each area is then broken down further into multiple cognitive and non-cognitive components that can be measured. These components, the report indicates, are formulated with the belief that diversity should be valued as long as it does not violate human dignity.

The assessment, developed in consultation with OECD member countries and expert advisors, involves a test of 15-year-olds, taken alongside separate tests in reading, mathematics, and science, in the form of a questionnaire. The PISA 2018 aim, according to the framework, is to build a single scale that measures the extent to which students are able to use their knowledge and understanding, recognize relationships and perspectives, and think critically about a specific global or intercultural issue in an authentic problem-solving context.

There is an emphasis on the inter-relationship of the components of knowledge, understanding, and critical thinking that students need to use simultaneously to approach such issues. All three, the report notes, can be developed at school according to a logical progression. It begins with an awareness that others hold different views of the world, leads to greater factual knowledge of the world then, by extension, to greater cross-cultural awareness and empathy, and finally culminates in an increased understanding of the underlying systems of global and cultural dynamics.

The main focus of the first PISA assessment is on the cognitive components of knowledge and understanding and the analytical and critical thinking skills that can be rated on cognitive scales, based on a case study approach. Students are presented with a case and are required to answer questions set to evaluate their capacity to understand the complexity of the situation, including the diverse perspectives of those involved.

Questions are in the form of multiple-choice items as well as open response opportunities, allowing the student to use evidence from the case study and to draw on prior knowledge or experience.

To complement the cognitive assessment, data collection on global competence in PISA 2018 will also include country or sub-population level self-reported measures on skills and attitudes. Among the components addressed in this portion of the test are knowledge and understanding of global and intercultural issues; the ability to interact respectfully, appropriately, and effectively; flexibility; and empathy. For example, students are asked to rate their familiarity with each of 13 different global issues, such as climate change and global warming, global health and population growth. Additional self-reported data will also be collected about attitudes that will foster the effective application of intercultural knowledge and awareness, described in PISA 2018 as openness towards people from other cultures, respect for cultural otherness, global mindedness, and responsibility.

Educators in international school settings are already familiar with the core concepts related to global competence, but its inclusion in PISA 2018 demonstrates dedicated attention to the task of elaborating specific dimensions and components. Teachers should be encouraged to continue developing approaches that move beyond factual knowledge of global issues and engage students in activities involving experience, comparison, analysis, reflection, and cooperative problem-solving.

---

Please fill out the form below if you would like to post a comment on this article:

Nickname

(this will appear with your comments)

Email

Comments

---

Comments

There are currently no comments posted. Please post one via the form above.