IBSE Final

Chapter 1 The Teaching of Science: Contemporary Challenges

tHE tEACHING OF SCIENCE: 21 st-CENTURY PERSPECTIVES 27

ably different from the OECD average. Nine countries outperformed the United

States in reading literacy in that year’s study. Between 2000 and 2003, there was

no change in either the U.S. reading literacy score or the U.S. position compared

with the OECD average.

U.S. 15-year-olds’ mathematical literacy was below the OECD average and

lower than 23 of the 38 countries whose data have been analyzed. PISA also

reports percentages of students at six proficiency levels—low to high. Disap-

pointingly, the United States had greater percentages at the lowest levels and

fewer students at the higher levels of proficiency than the OECD average

percentages. Half (19) of the 38 participating countries had more students at the

highest level of proficiency (level 6) than the United States. These data indicate

that the United States is holding its position in reading literacy and is behind

most OECD countries in mathematical literacy.

Another basic skill involves the ability to solve problems. PISA included

problem solving as a cross-disciplinary component of the 2003 survey. The

PISA exercises assessed 15-year-olds’ abilities to use reasoning processes to

draw conclusions, make decisions, troubleshoot, and analyze procedures and

structures of complex systems. The assessment required students to apply

processes such as inductive and deductive reasoning, establishing cause-and-

effect relationships, and combinatorial reasoning. Finally, the problem-solving

assessment also related to other basic skills, namely, working toward solutions

and communicating the solution to others through appropriate representation.

U.S. students scored lower than their peers in 25 of the 38 countries. In short,

our students’ performance on problem solving does not compare well with

other industrialized democracies.

U.S. students are not doing as well as expected in several basic skills that are

essential to individuals’ potential in the workforce and our nation’s economic

development. Given this disappointing performance, one might reasonably

ask about the expectations of U.S. 15-year-olds as far as their future educa-

tion and occupations. Well, PISA did ask about these goals. Sixty-four percent

of U.S. students reported that they expected to complete a bachelor’s degree

or higher. This was much higher than the OECD average (44%). Only South

Korea reported a higher percentage than the United States. U.S. students who

expected to complete a bachelor’s degree did score higher than their peers with

lower educational expectations. However, compared with the 37 other countries

reporting data, U.S. students were outperformed by their peers in 26 countries

in mathematics literacy.

Students were also asked about their job expectations by age 30.

Responses were coded according to one of the groups in the International

Standard Classification of Occupations. The responses were then collapsed

into three categories—high, medium, and low—based on skill level. Sixty-

seven percent of U.S. students reported high job expectations; 32% reported