OECD PISA 2006: excellent results for Finnish students
The knowledge and skills of Finnish students in science, mathematics and reading are of the highest order. In science and mathematics they are rated best in the OECD countries and in reading the second best. The main focus in PISA 2006 was science literacy.
Finnish students best in science knowledge and skills
The mean performance of Finland in science is significantly better than any other country participating in PISA 2006 and Finland's score is the best result ever achieved in any subject area in any of the PISA surveys.
Finnish students were rated the best in all the three science competencies surveyed. The best science competency for them was "Using scientific evidence". The difference between Finnish boys and girls in science literacy has narrowed from previous measurements.
Finland's success is based on a uniform performance. The share of poorly performing students is small compared to other OECD countries and the differences between schools are smaller than in any participating country.
Science is appreciated
Students appreciate science because advances in science and technology improve people's living conditions and help us understand the world around us. Finnish students also have a more positive attitude to studying science than students in the OECD countries on average.
On the other hand, Finnish students were less interested in the different aspects of science than their counterparts in the OECD countries. The least interesting aspects of science were how scientists plan experiments, what is required for scientific explanations, topics in geology and the biology of plants.
Reading skills still among the best, small changes over time
Finland has maintained its top level in students' reading skills, which has remained at almost the same level since PISA 2000.
In Finland the difference between boys' and girls' reading skills is still large: girls are better readers than boys. The gender difference is the second largest in the OECD countries.
Finnish students still the best in mathematics
Finnish students are among the world top in mathematics skills. The mean performance has improved from 2003. Boys are still better in mathematics than girls. The gender difference has grown from the previous measurement. Both girls and boys improved their performance from the previous assessment round.
PISA at three-year intervals
The PISA survey is conducted every three years to assess the knowledge and skills of students aged 15 in reading, mathematics and science. The main focus of the first (PISA 2000) was reading and in the second (PISA 2003) mathematics, while this latest, PISA 2006, focused on science.
In PISA "science literacy" means young people's ability to use scientific knowledge and skills in different areas and in different life situations. PISA 2006 also studied students' beliefs and attitudes towards scientific issues and towards scientific thinking and reasoning. Another aspect studied was the students' understanding of their responsibility for sustainable development and their optimism as to their chances of influencing it.
The aim in PISA is to assess how well students master knowledge and skills necessary for life in future society, for the development of working life, and for the quality of life. The primary focus is not on how well they have mastered curricular contents and attained objectives but how well they can apply their knowledge and skills in real life situations.
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In Finland, altogether 144 Finnish-language and 11 Swedish-language schools participated in PISA 2006. A total of 5,265 students were selected to take part and 4,714 (4,413 Finnish speakers and 301 Swedish-speakers) answered the questions, which makes 90% of the original random sample. In Finland the survey was conducted by the Centre for Educational Evaluation and Assessment.
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Additional information:
− Director Eeva-Riitta Pirhonen (Ministry of Education), tel. +358-(0)9-160 77268
− Counsellor for Education Jari Rajanen (Ministry of Education) tel. +358-(0)9-160 77463
− Professor Jarkko Hautamäki (Centre for Educational Evaluation and Assessment) tel. +358-(0)9-191 44 121
− National Project Manager (PISA 2006) Pekka Arinen (Centre for Educational Evaluation and Assessment), tel. +358-(0)9-191 44656
− Data Manager (PISA 2006) Tommi Karjalainen (Centre for Educational Evaluation and Assessment), tel. +358-(0)9-191 44181