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Knowledge is already one of the main drivers of today’s economic system. In the future those nations, regions, and even local areas that succeed best will be those capable of capturing the benefits of scientific and technical innovations and transforming them into marketable goods and services in the face of global competition. But an understanding of science and technology is necessary not only for those whose livelihood depends on it directly, but also for any citizen who wishes to make informed choices about issues ranging from stem cell research to global warming to genetically modified organisms to teaching the theory of evolution in schools. And new issues are bound to emerge in the years to come. The education system is vital to this, training the scientists, engineers and technicians who constitute the “human capital” of an increasingly fast changing, knowledge-intensive economy, and teaching students how to think about science.
Science literacy is the focus of the latest PISA round, based on data collected in 2015 from around 540,000 students in 74 countries and economies. PISA defines science literacy as “the ability to engage with science-related issues, and with the ideas of science, as a reflective citizen. A scientifically literate person is willing to engage in reasoned discourse about science and technology, which requires the competencies to explain phenomena scientifically, evaluate and design scientific enquiry, and interpret data and evidence scientifically”.
How much has changed since the last science-focused round in 2006 and how much do you know about what we know about science in schools? Take the quiz and find out. You can find some of the answers on the interactive infographic below.
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You must be from Singapore
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The experiment isn’t a complete success, but results are promising
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You’re quite knowledgeable, but not as lucky at guessing as some other participants
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Ask for one of these for your birthday
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Step away from that test tube!
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Question 1 of 15
1. Question
How many heads of government of the 35 OECD countries have a science degree?
Correct
Three. Well done Chile’s doctor, Germany’s quantum chemist, and Iceland’s vet. You could argue it’s four if you count the UK’s Theresa May’s geography degree, even though it was as a Bachelor of Arts.
Incorrect
Three. Well done Chile’s doctor, Germany’s quantum chemist, and Iceland’s vet. You could argue it’s four if you count the UK’s Theresa May’s geography degree, even though it was as a Bachelor of Arts.
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Question 2 of 15
2. Question
A link item in PISA 2015 is:
Correct
A verification method. In 2015, for the first time, the PISA science test was mainly delivered on computer. Doing so greatly expanded the scope of what was assessed, for example, students’ ability to conduct a scientific enquiry by asking students to design (simulated) experiments and interpret the resulting evidence. In order to compare the results of this test to those obtained by earlier cohorts of students on past PISA paper-based tests, it was necessary to establish first the equivalence of the paper- and the computer-based instruments using common items, so-called “link items”, or “link tasks”.
Incorrect
A verification method. In 2015, for the first time, the PISA science test was mainly delivered on computer. Doing so greatly expanded the scope of what was assessed, for example, students’ ability to conduct a scientific enquiry by asking students to design (simulated) experiments and interpret the resulting evidence. In order to compare the results of this test to those obtained by earlier cohorts of students on past PISA paper-based tests, it was necessary to establish first the equivalence of the paper- and the computer-based instruments using common items, so-called “link items”, or “link tasks”.
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Question 3 of 15
3. Question
Whose students did best in science in PISA 2015?
Correct
Singapore, with a score of 556 points, well above the 493 points average for OECD countries. Japan is the highest scoring OECD country, with 538.
Incorrect
Singapore, with a score of 556 points, well above the 493 points average for OECD countries. Japan is the highest scoring OECD country, with 538.
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Question 4 of 15
4. Question
Whose students did worst in science in PISA 2015?
Correct
Dominican Republic’s score of 332 points puts it at the foot of the table, well behind the average of 493 points for OECD countries. Mexico has the lowest score in the OECD, at 416 points.
Incorrect
Dominican Republic’s score of 332 points puts it at the foot of the table, well behind the average of 493 points for OECD countries. Mexico has the lowest score in the OECD, at 416 points.
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Question 5 of 15
5. Question
What percentage of students performs below the baseline level of science proficiency in OECD countries?
Correct
21%. PISA ranges from Level 6, the highest, to 1 the lowest, itself split into 1a and an even lower level, 1b. Level 2 is considered the baseline level of science proficiency that is required to engage in science-related issues as a critical and informed citizen. All students should be expected to attain this level by the time they leave compulsory education. More than 90% of students in Viet Nam (94.1%), Macao (China) (91.9%), Estonia (91.2%), Hong Kong (China) (90.6%), Singapore and Japan (both 90.4%) meet this benchmark. (The Viet Nam sample covers only about one in two of its 15-year-olds – a reflection of inequities in access to secondary education in that country.)
Incorrect
21%. PISA ranges from Level 6, the highest, to 1 the lowest, itself split into 1a and an even lower level, 1b. Level 2 is considered the baseline level of science proficiency that is required to engage in science-related issues as a critical and informed citizen. All students should be expected to attain this level by the time they leave compulsory education. More than 90% of students in Viet Nam (94.1%), Macao (China) (91.9%), Estonia (91.2%), Hong Kong (China) (90.6%), Singapore and Japan (both 90.4%) meet this benchmark. (The Viet Nam sample covers only about one in two of its 15-year-olds – a reflection of inequities in access to secondary education in that country.)
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Question 6 of 15
6. Question
What percentage of students performs at the top two levels of science proficiency in OECD countries?
Correct
7.7%. PISA ranges from Level 6, the highest, to 1 the lowest. Some 7.7% of students across OECD countries are proficient at Level 5 or 6. Compare that to one in four (24.2%) students in Singapore, and more than one in seven students in Chinese Taipei (15.4%), Japan (15.3%) and Finland (14.3%). By contrast, in 20 countries/economies, including OECD countries Turkey (0.3%) and Mexico (0.1%), less than 1% of all students are top performers.
Incorrect
7.7%. PISA ranges from Level 6, the highest, to 1 the lowest. Some 7.7% of students across OECD countries are proficient at Level 5 or 6. Compare that to one in four (24.2%) students in Singapore, and more than one in seven students in Chinese Taipei (15.4%), Japan (15.3%) and Finland (14.3%). By contrast, in 20 countries/economies, including OECD countries Turkey (0.3%) and Mexico (0.1%), less than 1% of all students are top performers.
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Question 7 of 15
7. Question
Who is more likely to think that experiments are a good way to know if something is true, girls or boys?
Correct
Girls, but the differences are generally small. Where there are differences, girls are more likely than boys to support empirical approaches to enquiry as a source of knowing, and they are more likely to agree that scientific ideas are tentative and subject to change. The largest such difference between girls and boys is found in Jordan, where 86% of girls reported that a good way to know if something is true is to do an experiment, but only 62% of boys agreed with that statement. Wide differences in favour of girls are also found in Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, Lithuania and Slovenia.
Incorrect
Girls, but the differences are generally small. Where there are differences, girls are more likely than boys to support empirical approaches to enquiry as a source of knowing, and they are more likely to agree that scientific ideas are tentative and subject to change. The largest such difference between girls and boys is found in Jordan, where 86% of girls reported that a good way to know if something is true is to do an experiment, but only 62% of boys agreed with that statement. Wide differences in favour of girls are also found in Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, Lithuania and Slovenia.
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Question 8 of 15
8. Question
Who scores higher in science, girls or boys?
Correct
Boys, but only slightly so, and not everywhere. Boys score four points higher than girls in science, on average across OECD countries – a small, but statistically significant difference. Boys perform significantly better than girls in science in 24 countries and economies. The largest advantage for boys is found in Austria, Costa Rica and Italy, where the difference between boys’ and girls’ scores is over 15 points. Girls score significantly higher than boys, on average, in 22 countries and economies. In Albania, Bulgaria, Finland, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, Jordan, Qatar, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Arab Emirates, girls’ mean score is more than 15 points higher than boys’.
Incorrect
Boys, but only slightly so, and not everywhere. Boys score four points higher than girls in science, on average across OECD countries – a small, but statistically significant difference. Boys perform significantly better than girls in science in 24 countries and economies. The largest advantage for boys is found in Austria, Costa Rica and Italy, where the difference between boys’ and girls’ scores is over 15 points. Girls score significantly higher than boys, on average, in 22 countries and economies. In Albania, Bulgaria, Finland, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, Jordan, Qatar, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Arab Emirates, girls’ mean score is more than 15 points higher than boys’.
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Question 9 of 15
9. Question
Compared with PISA 2006, science scores in PISA 2015 for OECD countries are:
Correct
Much the same. The biggest improvement is for Portugal, at more than seven score points every three years on average, and Israel raised its score by about five points every three years. Partner countries/economies Macao (China), Romania, Singapore, and Trinidad and Tobago also show significant improvements over the period in which they participated in PISA. By contrast, in Finland, the Slovak Republic and the United Arab Emirates, student performance in science deteriorated by more than ten points every three years, on average. Performance in Australia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hong Kong (China), Hungary, Iceland and New Zealand deteriorated between five and ten points every three years; and mean performance in science in Austria, Croatia, Jordan, the Netherlands and Sweden declined by less than five points every three years, on average.
Incorrect
Much the same. The biggest improvement is for Portugal, at more than seven score points every three years on average, and Israel raised its score by about five points every three years. Partner countries/economies Macao (China), Romania, Singapore, and Trinidad and Tobago also show significant improvements over the period in which they participated in PISA. By contrast, in Finland, the Slovak Republic and the United Arab Emirates, student performance in science deteriorated by more than ten points every three years, on average. Performance in Australia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hong Kong (China), Hungary, Iceland and New Zealand deteriorated between five and ten points every three years; and mean performance in science in Austria, Croatia, Jordan, the Netherlands and Sweden declined by less than five points every three years, on average.
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Question 10 of 15
10. Question
What percentage of OECD students scoring below the basic proficiency level see themselves in a science-related career?
Correct
13% of students scoring below PISA Level 2 expect to work in an occupation that requires further science training beyond compulsory education. That percentage increases to 23% for those scoring at Level 2 or 3; 34% among those scoring at Level 4; but is still less than half (42%) among the top performers in science (those who score at or above Level 5).
Incorrect
13% of students scoring below PISA Level 2 expect to work in an occupation that requires further science training beyond compulsory education. That percentage increases to 23% for those scoring at Level 2 or 3; 34% among those scoring at Level 4; but is still less than half (42%) among the top performers in science (those who score at or above Level 5).
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Question 11 of 15
11. Question
Who are more likely to think they will be working in a science-related career at age 30?
Correct
It’s about the same, but what those who see themselves working in science want to do varies. On average across OECD countries, boys are more than twice as likely as girls to expect to work as engineers, scientists or architects (science and engineering professionals); and 4.8% of boys, but only 0.4% of girls, expect to work as ICT professionals. On the other hand, girls are almost three times as likely as boys to expect to work as doctors, veterinarians or nurses (health professionals).
Incorrect
It’s about the same, but what those who see themselves working in science want to do varies. On average across OECD countries, boys are more than twice as likely as girls to expect to work as engineers, scientists or architects (science and engineering professionals); and 4.8% of boys, but only 0.4% of girls, expect to work as ICT professionals. On the other hand, girls are almost three times as likely as boys to expect to work as doctors, veterinarians or nurses (health professionals).
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Question 12 of 15
12. Question
Who is more interested in science outside school?
Correct
Boys. In general, only a minority of students reported that they watch TV programmes about science, visit websites about science topics, or read science magazines or newspaper articles about science regularly or very often. But on average, nearly twice as many boys as girls reported doing so. This gender difference in favour of boys is observed across all science-related activities proposed, and in all 57 countries and economies that included this question in the PISA student questionnaire.
Incorrect
Boys. In general, only a minority of students reported that they watch TV programmes about science, visit websites about science topics, or read science magazines or newspaper articles about science regularly or very often. But on average, nearly twice as many boys as girls reported doing so. This gender difference in favour of boys is observed across all science-related activities proposed, and in all 57 countries and economies that included this question in the PISA student questionnaire.
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Question 13 of 15
13. Question
Countries that spend more per student perform better in science:
Correct
In general they do. As expenditure on educational institutions per student increases, so does a country’s mean science performance; but the rate of increase diminishes fast. At the same time, the results also show that lower spenders can do better than high spenders. Estonia, which spends about USD 66 000 per student, and Chinese Taipei, which spends around USD 46 000 per student, perform above Austria, Luxembourg, Norway and Switzerland – all of which spend more than double this amount (more than USD 132 000 per student).
Incorrect
In general they do. As expenditure on educational institutions per student increases, so does a country’s mean science performance; but the rate of increase diminishes fast. At the same time, the results also show that lower spenders can do better than high spenders. Estonia, which spends about USD 66 000 per student, and Chinese Taipei, which spends around USD 46 000 per student, perform above Austria, Luxembourg, Norway and Switzerland – all of which spend more than double this amount (more than USD 132 000 per student).
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Question 14 of 15
14. Question
Which OECD country spends the highest share of GDP on R&D?
Correct
Korea spends 4.29% of GDP according to OECD figures for gross domestic expenditures on R&D (GERD), compared with 2.97% for Switzerland and 2.74% for the US. At the other end of the scale, Chile spends 0.38%.
Incorrect
Korea spends 4.29% of GDP according to OECD figures for gross domestic expenditures on R&D (GERD), compared with 2.97% for Switzerland and 2.74% for the US. At the other end of the scale, Chile spends 0.38%.
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Question 15 of 15
15. Question
In which OECD country do students claim to have the most fun learning science topics?
Correct
85% of Mexico’s students agreed that “I generally have fun when I am learning
topics”, compared with 40% in the Netherlands and 66% in New Zealand. Mexico has the highest score for any country in PISA 2015, along with Kosovo, and ranks one point above Singapore whose students mean science score was 556 compared with 416 for Mexico, 509 for the Netherlands, and 513 for New Zealand. Incorrect
85% of Mexico’s students agreed that “I generally have fun when I am learning
topics”, compared with 40% in the Netherlands and 66% in New Zealand. Mexico has the highest score for any country in PISA 2015, along with Kosovo, and ranks one point above Singapore whose students mean science score was 556 compared with 416 for Mexico, 509 for the Netherlands, and 513 for New Zealand.