What did PISA and TIMSS ever do for us?: the potential of large scale datasets for understanding and improving educational practice

Elliott, J.G.; Stankov, L.; Lee, J.; Beckmann, J.F.

doi:10.1080/03050068.2018.1545386

What did PISA and TIMSS ever do for us?: the potential of large scale datasets for understanding and improving educational practice

Elliott, J.G.; Stankov, L.; Lee, J.; Beckmann, J.F.

Authors

Professor Joe Elliott joe.elliott@durham.ac.uk
Principal

L. Stankov

J. Lee

Professor Jens Beckmann j.beckmann@durham.ac.uk
Professor

Abstract

There appears to be something of an intellectual and philosophical gulf between education researchers who seek insights from statistical analyses of complex data-sets such as those provided by the OECD (PISA), and others who seek to develop rich, contextualised socio-historical understandings that can shed light upon why particular classroom practices operate and are sustained within a given milieu. This paper outlines these different perspectives, with particular reference to non-cognitive factors. Detailed analysis of the roots of high academic achievement, and associated challenges to student wellbeing, in many East Asian countries, is provided. The important influence of broad political and societal factors is highlighted by reference to cross-cultural differences across a large number of countries. The paper concludes by stating that while data from large datasets can assist in gaining greater understanding of cross-cultural differences, to be meaningful, such analyses should be incorporated within complex ecosystemic accounts.

Citation

Elliott, J., Stankov, L., Lee, J., & Beckmann, J. (2019). What did PISA and TIMSS ever do for us?: the potential of large scale datasets for understanding and improving educational practice. Comparative Education, 55(1), 133-155. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050068.2018.1545386

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Nov 2, 2018
Online Publication Date	Nov 23, 2018
Publication Date	2019
Deposit Date	Dec 10, 2018
Publicly Available Date	May 23, 2020
Journal	Comparative Education
Print ISSN	0305-0068
Electronic ISSN	1360-0486
Publisher	Taylor and Francis Group
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	55
Issue	1
Pages	133-155
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1080/03050068.2018.1545386

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Copyright Statement
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Comparative Education on 23 Nov 2018, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/03050068.2018.1545386.