Estonian Human Development Report

a bachelor’s degree and in the 19–21 age group, the corresponding
rate would be 55%. This indicator provides a
comparatively approximate evaluation of the gross enrolment
rate because it does not consider the real duration of
the educational path in the case of various programmes,
and the indicator is also affected by variations or systematic
changes in the sizes of the age groups. Education
acquired abroad is also not considered.
Despite the given shortcoming, this indicator is well
suited for differentiating countries with developed educational
organizations from the others. Despite all the problems
related to education in Estonia, Estonia is indisputably
among the countries with a developed educational
organization. However, does this mean that the education
provided in Estonia is substantively significant and valuable
based on international criteria?
Estonian students’ PISA results:
an international comparison
In order to obtain internationally weighted feedback on
the values and content borne by Estonian schools today,
our 15-year-olds participated for the first time in PISA
2006, the Programme for International Student Assessment.
The principal questions we sought to answer were:
Are Estonian students ready to cope with the informationand
knowledge-based society of the future? Are they able
to analyze and relate to what is happening around them
and are they able to communicate their ideas comprehensibly?
How ready are they for lifelong learning? Participation
in the study provided Estonia with a valuable
comparative database, on which subsequent studies can
be constructed. In order to shape future educational policy,
it is important to know what differences exist within
schools and between schools; how students’ achievements
are affected by their home life, attitudes toward learning,
language of instruction, gender, ethnicity, class size,
school administration model; as well as whether and how
the money invested in education is correlated to students’
achievements, etc. We must consider all these factors if we
wish to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of our
current educational system and to manage future change.
PISA history
The PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment)
was first conducted by the Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2000.
This is an international achievement study that measures
the knowledge of 15-year-old students and their skill at
implementing their knowledge at the end of compulsory
education. The PISA evaluates educational success (“literacy”
in the PISA vernacular) in three fields of activity:
in 2000 the main emphasis was on functional literacy, in
2003 on mathematical literacy and in 2006 on science literacy.
In the next PISA cycle (2009–2015) the studies will
also be organized every three years.
Forty-three countries participated in the 2000 study
and three years later 41 countries participated. In 2006, 57
countries were involved in the study. The PISA sample is
formed so that its results can be generalized for the country’s
entire student contingent of a certain age.
The 2006 PISA study in Estonia
The PISA study was carried out in April 2006 and its random
sample included 4,865 students that represented an
approximately 19,600-member group of contemporaries
(according to the conditions of the study, the age of the participants
in the test ranged from 15.3 years to 16.2 years);
49% of the participants were girls, and 51% were boys. Pro-
portionally to the distribution of the language of instruction
in the country, 24.3% of the students included in the
study were from schools with Russian-language instruction.
In total, 127 schools with Estonian-language instruction,
38 with Russian-language instruction and 4 with
mixed language instruction participated in the study. Small
rural schools were also represented. Almost 85% of the participants
were attending eighth or ninth grade of upper secondary
schools, the rest were attending basic schools.
The testing was carried out under the auspices of the
National Examination and Qualification Centre, which
was supported by local coordinators and school directors.
The testing was monitored by independent observers. The
contribution and dedication of Estonian teachers was very
important; a stress-free atmosphere during the testing
helped to unblock the knowledge and creativity of the students
(including those with special needs). The study also
included a questionnaire for school directors in order to
evaluate the quality of the learning environment.
Results of PISA 2006
In PISA 2006, the main emphasis was placed on the natural
sciences and the students’ performance results were
presented in two ways: as an average score and by ranking.
In both cases, the Estonian students demonstrated excellent
results in sciences. The PISA study helped to disprove
a myth about Estonian education – supposedly, our curricula
are too focused on factual knowledge and students
do not know how to use their knowledge in everyday life.
From the results, it turned out that in solving the assignments,
the students were able to identify problems, scientifically
explain phenomena, and interpret and implement
Figure 1.3.2. Countries participating in PISA 2006
Source: PISA website: www.pisa.oecd.org
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