PISA OECD Study

PISA assesses how students near the end of compulsory education have acquired some of the knowledge and skills that are essential for full participation in society. In all cycles, the domains of reading, mathematical and scientific literacy are examined in in terms of mastery of the school curriculum, and in terms of important knowledge and life-skills

In the PISA 2003 cycle, an additional domain of problem solving was introduced to continue the examination of cross-curriculum competencies.

These PISA surveys examined students’ performance in key subject areas and also looked at a wider range of educational outcomes, including students’ motivation to learn, their self-beliefs and their learning strategies. They examined how performance varies between genders and between socioeconomic groups. They also provided insight into some of the factors that influence the development of knowledge and skills at home and at school, how these factors interact, and what the implications are for policy development.

Prof. Dr. Reinhard Pekrun is head of the national commission "Parent questionnaire" and member of the national PISA-Consortium. The national pupil and parent questionnaire have been developed at the Institute for Personality & Educational Psychology in Munich with the help of various experts form Germany. The workgroup also evaluated data concerning context-factors. Staff Members are Anne Frenzel and Kathrin Ostendorp. For further information consult the national or international PISA-Homepage.