Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 - global competence: results - highlights

Chapter 9: Education for living in an interconnected world

Key findings

• Students in Scotland report fewer learning activities related to global competence in school compared to the OECD average
• More than 4 out of 5 students (82.2%) had teachers who felt they could adapt their teaching to the cultural diversity of students

Activities that may promote global competence

65. Students who participated in PISA 2018 were asked 10 questions about different learning activities to which they are exposed.

Figures in bold represent the figure which is statistically significantly higher (where a statistically significant difference exists)

66. The most common learning activities reported by students in schools in Scotland were learning about different cultures at school (69.7%), learning how different cultures can have different perspectives (56.3%) and participating in classroom discussions about world events (55.6%). Compared to the OECD average, students in Scotland reported fewer learning activities related to global competence in school, however a higher proportion of students in Scotland reported reading newspapers, looking for news on the internet or watching the news together during classes (45.1% compared to 40.1%). The number of learning activities reported by students in Scotland (4.91) is lower than the OECD average (5.45).

67. On average across OECD countries, boys were slightly more likely than girls to have access to intercultural and global learning opportunities. However, in Scotland there was no statistically significant difference between boys and girls.

68. On average across the OECD, advantaged students reported greater access to learning opportunities than disadvantaged pupils. This was the case in 33 of 65 countries and economies, including Scotland.

To what extent do teachers include global topics in lessons?

69. Eighteen countries participated in the global competence module of the teacher questionnaire. The results below have been converted from teacher responses to proportion of students where teachers include the global issues in their lessons. Students are most likely to have teachers who include climate change and global warming (54.7% of students have teachers who reported that this topic is included in their lessons). Climate change is followed by equality between men and women (46.7%), global health (44.0%), and causes of poverty (39.7%). Compared to the average of the 18 countries taking part in the teacher survey, a lower proportion of students were in schools where teachers include these issues in their lessons.

Figures in bold represent the figure which is statistically significantly higher (where a statistically significant difference exists)

Multicultural learning at school

Head teachers in participating schools were asked 10 questions about whether particular intercultural learning activities are included in lessons and activities at their school.

Figures in bold represent the figure which is statistically significantly higher (where a statistically significant difference exists)

70. In Scotland, the most common intercultural activities reported by head teachers were activities that encourage students' expression of diverse identities (98.2%), learning about the histories of diverse cultural groups that live in other countries (97.9%), and learning about diverse groups that live in our country (95.8%). A higher proportion of head teachers in Scotland reported cultural learning activities and multicultural events than the OECD average. However, a lower than OECD average proportion of head teachers reported exchange programmes and communicating with people from other countries using digital means.

Are teachers prepared for teaching global competence?

71. Teachers participating in PISA 2018 were asked three sets of questions about their readiness to teach the skills needed to live in an interconnected world. The questions focused on teachers' professional development needs, on opportunities to promote intercultural skills in lessons and on their sense of self-efficacy in teaching those topics. Teachers in 18 countries/economies completed the teacher questionnaire.

72. Teachers were asked four yes-or-no questions about whether they received training in: teaching in multicultural or multilingual settings, second-language teaching, teaching intercultural communication skills, and teaching about equity and diversity. The questions covered training in teachers' development programmes and in-service training during the 12 months prior to the PISA 2018 assessment.

Figures in bold represent the figure which is statistically significantly higher (where a statistically significant difference exists)

73. In initial teacher education, the most common form of training that teachers reported was teaching about equity and diversity (35.2%), teaching in a multicultural or multilingual situations (19.2%), and communicating with people from different cultures or countries (12.7%). When reporting on training activities in the previous 12 months, the most common types of training reported were teaching about equity and diversity (40.7%) and communicating with people from different cultures or countries (12.7%). 58.8% of students had teachers who reported receiving training on conflict-resolution strategies at some point, while 41.3% had teachers who reported training on the role education can play in confronting discrimination in all its forms. Compared to the average for the 18 countries participating in the teacher survey, pupils in Scotland were less likely to have teachers who reported receiving almost all of the types of training listed above.

74. Teachers were also asked a set of four questions about their professional development needs. Their answers were given on a four-point scale: "No need at present", "low level of need", "moderate level of need", and "high level of need". The questions covered the need for training in teaching in a multicultural or multilingual setting, second-language teaching, teaching intercultural communication skills, and teaching about equity and diversity.

Figures in bold represent the figure which is statistically significantly higher (where a statistically significant difference exists)

75. Teachers in Scotland were most likely to indicate a need for training in teaching in a multicultural or multilingual setting (45.8%). Respondents in Scotland were less likely than the average of all participating countries to indicate that they required training in global competence related issues.

76. In PISA 2018, teachers were asked to respond to five statements that indicate the extent to which they feel capable of teaching in multicultural settings. Responses were given on a four-point scale: "strongly agree", "agree", "disagree" and "strongly disagree". The responses were combined to create the index of teacher self-efficacy in multicultural environments.

Figures in bold represent the figure which is statistically significantly higher (where a statistically significant difference exists)

77. Scotland was similar to the average of all participating countries for the percentage of students whose teachers reported that they can teach in multicultural and diverse cultures. Teachers are most likely to be confident about contributing to reducing ethnic stereotypes between the students (89.1% of students whose teacher reported this) and taking care that students with and without migrant backgrounds work together (85.8%).