Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2022): Scotland's results - highlights

5. How students view themselves and their schools

114. The PISA assessments are supplemented by background questionnaires. Pupils are asked questions about their experiences of school, wellbeing, and socio economic status, among other topics. Key findings included:

• Two-thirds of students (67 per cent) feel like they belong at their school. This is below the OECD average (74.6), but is higher than was the case in Scotland in PISA 2018 (64.7 per cent).
• Students reported a higher life satisfaction in PISA 2022 (an average of 6.48 on a scale of 1-10) than in PISA 2018 (6.25). However, this was below the OECD average of 6.75.
• Students in Scotland were more likely to report that their parents or family provide support with their learning than the OECD average.
• Experience of frequent bullying was less prevalent in Scotland in 2022, compared to 2018. Bullying includes being made fun of, being left out of things, and being hit or pushed around by other students. However, a higher proportion of students in Scotland reported experiencing a bullying act on at least a weekly basis (10.6 per cent) than the OECD average (9.4 per cent).
• Students in Scotland were more likely to feel safe in school and travelling to and from school than the OECD average. Students in Scotland were more likely to report experiencing vandalism and witnessing fights on school grounds than the OECD average, but less likely to see gangs or a student carrying a weapon at school.
• Students in Scotland were more likely to say that they had skipped at least a whole day of school in the last two weeks (28.9 per cent) compared to PISA 2018 (19.8 per cent), which was higher than the OECD average (14.6 per cent). However, a similar proportion to PISA 2018 reported skipping some classes.
• Students in Scotland spent a similar amount of time using digital resources for learning activities and leisure compared to the OECD average. However, students in Scotland were more likely to feel nervous when they didn't have their digital devices near them (49.7 per cent) compared to the OECD average (44.5 per cent).

Student wellbeing

115. The PISA student questionnaire asks students a range of questions that are designed to measure changes in wellbeing over time. These questions can be used to measure wellbeing before and after the period of school building closures.

116. Students were asked whether they agreed with a series of statements around their sense of belonging in school. Table 5.1 outlines these responses in 2018 and 2022, for both Scotland and the OECD average.

Table 5.1: Proportion of students who 'agree' or 'strongly agree' with the following statements

	Scotland		OECD
	2018	2022	2018	2022
I feel like an outsider (or left out of things) at school	25.0	16.5	19.6	16.7
I make friends easily at school	75.1	77.2	75.1	76.1
I feel like I belong at school	64.7	67.0	71.2	74.6
I feel awkward and out of place in my school	25.0	24.1	19.9	20.6
Other students seem to like me	86.8	87.1	80.7	81.9
I feel lonely at school	15.5	14.4	16.6	16.2

Figures in bold represent the figure which is statistically significantly higher between 2018 and 2022 (where a statistically significant difference exists)

117. Compared to 2018, students in Scotland were more likely in 2022 to report that they feel like they belong at school and that they make friends easily at school. In 2022, students in Scotland were less likely than in 2018 to say that they feel like an outsider (or left out of things) at school.

118. Compared to the OECD average, students in Scotland were less likely to say that they feel lonely at school and more likely to say that they make friends easily. However, students in Scotland were less likely to report they feel like they belong at school.

119. The PISA student questionnaire asks students to rate their current life satisfaction on a scale of 1-10. Students in Scotland had an average rating of 6.48, which was higher than the average of 6.25 in 2018. However, this was lower than the OECD average of 6.75 in 2022.

120. PISA assesses a student to be 'satisfied' with their life if they report between 7 and 10 on the life satisfaction scale. In Scotland, this was 55.9 per cent of students, compared with 61.4 per cent on average across the OECD.

Experiences of bullying and school safety

121. Students were asked about types of bullying in their school, and whether and how frequently they experience them. The options for answering were 'never or almost never', 'a few times a year', 'a few times a month', and 'once a week or more'. The percentage of students who reported experiencing bullying at least once per week is outlined in Table 5.3.

122. 10.6 per cent of students reported experiencing any type of bullying at least once a week, which was higher than the OECD average of 9.4 per cent. Conversely, 40.6 per cent of students in Scotland 'never or almost never' experienced any type of bullying, compared to an OECD average of 49.0 per cent. Using these data, PISA constructs a measure of the percentage of students who are frequently bullied^[1]. In Scotland, this was 10.8 per cent compared to an OECD average of 8.3 per cent.

Table 5.3: Percentage of students who reported the following (at least once per week):

	Scotland		OECD
	2018	2022	2018	2022
Any type of bullying act	11.8	10.6	9.3	9.4
Other students left me out of things on purpose	3.8	2.5	3.0	2.7
Other students made fun of me	8.1	7.2	5.0	5.2
I was threatened by other students	2.6	2.2	1.8	1.3
Other students took away or destroyed things that belong to me	1.8	0.8	2.1	1.3
I got hit or pushed around by other students	2.7	1.7	2.3	1.7
Other students spread nasty rumours about me	3.9	1.8	3.6	2.6
I was in a physical fight on school property	-	0.8	-	1.0
I stayed home from school because I felt unsafe	-	1.1	-	1.7
Percentage of frequently bullied students	11.4	10.8	7.8	8.3

Figures in bold represent the figure which is statistically significantly higher between 2018 and 2022 (where a statistically significant difference exists)

123. Table 5.3 shows that students in Scotland were more likely than the OECD average to report experiencing, on at least a weekly basis, other students making fun of them and being threatened by other students. Conversely, students in Scotland were less likely than the OECD average to report that other students took away or destroyed things that belonged to them, that other students spread rumours about them, or that they stayed home because they felt unsafe.

124. Students were asked whether they felt safe at school or travelling to or from school. This is outlined in Table 5.4. The vast majority of students felt safe in these settings, and students in Scotland were more like to report feeling safe travelling to and from school and in their classrooms than the OECD average. However, students in Scotland were slightly less likely to report feeling safe in other places at school than the OECD average.

Table 5.4: Percentage of students who agreed with the following statements:

	Scotland	OECD
I feel safe on my way to school	95.8	91.7
I feel safe on my way home from school	94.2	91.5
I feel safe in my classrooms at school	95.4	93.1
I feel safe at other places at school	87.3	89.9

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

125. Students were also asked whether they had witnessed different behaviours in their school in the four weeks prior to the assessment. Students in Scotland were more likely to have witnessed their school being vandalised or to have witnessed a fight on school property in which someone got hurt, but less like to have witnessed gangs or a student carrying a weapon.

Table 5.5: Percentage of students who reported the following had happened during the four weeks before the PISA assessment at school:

	Scotland	OECD
Our school was vandalized	40.0	19.8
I witnessed a fight on school property in which someone got hurt	35.8	17.0
I saw gangs in school	9.4	12.1
I heard a student threaten to hurt another student	35.7	20.2
I saw a student carrying a gun or knife at school	4.9	10.6

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

Disciplinary climate in lessons

126. Students were asked whether and how often there is disruption in mathematics lessons. The same question was asked in PISA 2018, but for English lessons as reading was the major domain in 2018. A comparison between 2018 and 2022 is provided below.

127. Compared to 2018, a lower proportion of students in Scotland reported that students do not listen to what the teacher said, that there was noise and disorder, and that the teacher has to wait a long time for students to quiet down. However, a higher proportion of students said that students cannot work well and that students do not start working for a long time after the lesson begins.

128. Compared to the OECD average, a lower proportion of students in Scotland reported that students do not listen to what the teacher said, that students cannot work well, and that students do not start working for a long time after the lesson begins. However, a higher proportion of students in Scotland reported that students get distracted by using digital devices, both their own and by other students using them.

Table 5.6: Percentage of students who reported the following things happen in their English lessons (2018) and Maths lessons (2022) ('every lesson' or 'most lessons'):

	Scotland		OECD
	2018	2022	2018	2022
Students do not listen to what the teacher said	31.7	26.9	29.5	30.4
There is noise and disorder	34.6	30.1	31.5	30.3
The teacher has to wait a long time for students to quiet down	25.0	22.9	26.5	25.0
Students cannot work well	16.5	20.2	18.5	22.6
Students do not start working for a long time after the lesson begins	21.1	24.2	24.5	25.6
Students get distracted by using digital devices	-	31.1	-	30.4
Students get distracted by other students who are using digital devices	-	27.4	-	25.2

Figures in bold represent the figure which is statistically significantly higher between 2018 and 2022 (where a statistically significant difference exists)

Student truancy

129. Students were asked whether they had either skipped at least one class or one day at school in the two weeks prior to the PISA test. In Scotland, 39.2 per cent of students reported that they had, which was higher than the OECD average of 31.3 per cent.

130. Around seven per cent of students in Scotland had skipped a day of school at least three times in this period, compared to an OECD average of 5.2 per cent. This was similar to the proportion of students (6.7 per cent) who reported that they skipped classes at least three times, which was similar to the OECD average of 6.3 per cent. There may be some overlap between pupils answering that they skipped a day of school and those saying they had skipped classes.

131. Students in Scotland were more likely to say they had never skipped a class in this period (78.2 per cent) than to report never skipping a whole day of school (71.1 per cent). The opposite was true for the OECD averages.

132. Compared to 2018, pupils in Scotland were more likely to report that they had skipped a whole day of school. However, the proportion of pupils reporting that they had skipped some classes in 2022 was similar to 2018.

Table 5.7: Percentage of students who reported that the following happened in the two weeks prior to the PISA test:

	Scotland		OECD
	2018	2022	2018	2022
I skipped a whole day of school
Never	77.9	71.1	78.7	80.2
Once or twice	16.8	21.9	15.4	14.6
Three or four times	3.3	4.2	3.1	2.7
Five or more times	2.0	2.8	2.7	2.5
I skipped some classes
Never	77.9	78.2	72.7	77.5
Once or twice	15.4	15.1	19.5	16.2
Three or four times	3.8	3.8	4.7	3.5
Five or more times	2.8	2.9	3.1	2.8

Figures in bold represent the figure which is statistically significantly higher between 2018 and 2022 (where a statistically significant difference exists)

School resources

133. Headteachers in participating schools answered questions on the school context, including whether a range of factors hindered learning in their schools. Table 5.8 outlines the extent to which they reported that a shortage of education staff hindered teaching, and the proportion of students affected by this.

134. Compared to the OECD average, students in Scotland were less likely to be in a school where the headteacher reported that a lack of teaching staff was a factor. However, over half of students were in schools where the headteacher reported this, which was higher than in 2018.

Table 5.8: Proportion of students in schools whose principal reported that the school's capacity to provide instruction is hindered by the following factors ('to some extent' or 'a lot':

	Scotland		OECD
	2018	2022	2018	2022
A lack of teaching staff	46.3	53.8	32.6	56.7
Inadequate or poorly qualified teaching staff	8.4	10.6	26.1	25.4
A lack of assisting staff	47.0	54.5	32.6	37.3
Inadequate or poorly qualified assisting staff	8.4	24.7	15.1	19.4

Figures in bold represent the figure which is statistically significantly higher between 2018 and 2022 (where a statistically significant difference exists)

135. Headteachers were asked whether a range of factors hindered learning in their schools. Table 5.9 outlines the extent to which they reported that a shortage of educational material hindered teaching, and the proportion of students affected by this.

Table 5.9: Percentage of students in schools whose principal reported that the school's capacity to provide instruction is hindered (to some extent or a lot) by:

	Scotland		OECD
	2018	2022	2018	2022
A lack of educational material (e.g. textbooks, ICT equipment, library or laboratory material)	19.4	18.7	27.3	23.8
Inadequate or poor quality educational material (e.g. textbooks, ICT equipment, library or laboratory material)	19.5	18.5	25.3	21.7
A lack of physical infrastructure (e.g. building, grounds, heating/cooling systems, lighting and acoustic systems)	21.1	26.2	33.1	29.0
Inadequate or poor quality physical infrastructure (e.g. building, grounds, heating/cooling systems, lighting and acoustic systems)	26.3	25.2	32.6	27.9
A lack of digital resources (e.g. desktop or laptop computers, internet access, learning management systems or school learning platforms)	-	31.1	-	23.9
Inadequate or poor quality digital resources (e.g. desktop or laptop computers, internet access, learning management systems or school learning platforms)	-	32.3	-	24.6

Figures in bold represent the figure which is statistically significantly higher between 2018 and 2022 (where a statistically significant difference exists)

Family support

136. Students were asked whether their parents or someone in their family do a series of activities with them. This is outlined for Scotland and the OECD average in Table 5.10. On every statement, students in Scotland were more likely than the OECD average to report that a member of family undertook the activity with them at least once a week.

Table 5.10: Proportion of students who reported that their parents or someone in their family do the following with them (at least once a week):

	Scotland	OECD
Discuss how well you are doing at school	70.3	66.1
Eat the main meal with you	86.0	83.7
Spend some time just talking to you	86.7	77.0
Talk to you about the importance of completing upper secondary education	67.5	50.7
Talk to you about any problems that you might have at school	63.9	56.5
Ask you about how well you are getting along with other students at school	63.6	56.0
Encourage you to get good marks	80.8	69.0
Take an interest in what you are learning at school	74.1	66.3
Talk to you about your future education	65.9	58.3
Ask you what you did in school that day	84.9	77.4

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

Digital

137. Students were asked a range of questions on their use of digital devices in and outside of school. Table 5.11 below outlines the average number of hours that students in Scotland and on average in the OECD spend on digital devices in different settings.

138. Compared to the OECD average, students in Scotland spent more time on digital devices during learning activities at school, but less time using them for learning activities at the weekend. Students in Scotland spent a similar amount of leisure time on digital devices to the OECD average.

Table 5.11: Time spent on digital resources per day (in hours)

	Scotland	OECD
Learning activities at school	2.2	2.0
Learning activities before and after school	1.5	1.5
Learning activities on weekends	1.4	1.6
Leisure at school	1.0	1.1
Leisure before and after school	2.7	2.6
Leisure at weekends	3.9	3.9

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

139. Students were asked a series of statements on how they feel or act in relation to digital devices. This is outlined in Table 5.12:

Table 5.12: Percentage of students who feel or act the following way (at least half of the time):

	Scotland	OECD
Turn off notifications from social networks and apps on my digital devices during class	70.1	69.7
Turn off notifications from social networks and apps on my digital devices when I go to sleep	66.1	65.3
Keep my digital devices near me to answer messages when I am home	93.1	89.7
Have my digital devices open in class so I can take notes or search for information	68.8	56.5
Feel pressured to be online and answer messages when I am in class	37.2	34.2
Feel nervous/anxious when I don't have my digital devices near me	49.7	44.5

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

140. Compared to the OECD average, students in Scotland were more likely to report that they keep digital devices open in class in order to take notes and search for information, and also that they keep their digital devices near them at home. Students in Scotland were also more likely to report that they feel nervous or anxious when they don't have their digital device near them, and that they feel pressure to be online and answer messages when they are in class.

141. Students were asked for their views on using digital devices in class. This was part of an optional ICT survey that Scotland participated in, which means that there is not an OECD average.

142. The results show that the majority of students agree that students should collaborate with teachers to decide on the rules regarding the use of digital devices during lessons. However, only a minority of students agreed with the statements suggested limitations to use of digital devices in class.

Table 5.13: Percentage of students who agreed or strongly agreed with the following statements on the use of digital devices in class

	Scotland
Students should not be allowed to bring mobile phones to class	20.8
Students should not be allowed to bring their own laptop (or tablet device) to class	23.2
Students should collaborate with teachers to decide on the rules regarding the use of digital devices during lessons	77.3
The school should set up filters to prevent students from going on social media	24.6
The school should set up filters to prevent students from playing games on line	29.0
Teachers should monitor what students do on their laptops	36.6

Additional Information

Supplementary Tables

The data used in all charts and tables within this publication are available in table form on the Scottish Government website in the supporting files of this report.