Office for National Statistics
PISA 2012 Results: Creative Problem Solving
Report

PISA 2012 Results: Creative Problem Solving

Students’ Skills in Tackling Real-Life Problems, Volume V

OECD
OECD, 2014
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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Today’s employees need critical-thinking skills and must be able to solve problems. A recent survey by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) found that “highly skilled adults are twice as likely to be employed and almost three times more likely to earn an above-median salary than poorly skilled adults.” To compete economically, countries need educated citizens. The OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests 15-year-olds in its 34 member nations in math, reading, science and, as of 2012, also in general problem solving. Findings show that boys and girls solve problems differently. Each gender excels in different cognitive processes. Performance in math and problem solving correlates. This report features many charts and graphs that can be tedious to examine, but the results prove compelling. getAbstract recommends this dense summation of global student skills to policy makers, school principals, teachers, parents and others interested in education.

Summary

Above Average

The 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test was administered via computer to some 85,000 15-year-old students in 34 OECD-member countries and economies. In the final tally, Singapore, Korea and Japan scored the highest in problem solving. Other countries that scored above the OECD average included Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany and the United States. Top performers total 11.4% of the 15-year-olds who took PISA 2012.

The assessment found that a gender gap exists in problem solving skills. “On average...there are three top-performing boys for every two top-performing girls in problem solving” Within nations, girls never outnumber boys among the top performers. Girls and boys solve problems differently. Girls excel in “planning and executing” but struggle in “representing and formulating” tasks.

Socioeconomic status affects problem-solving performance less than it does subject area performance. Disadvantaged students are more likely to have high scores in problem solving than in math, possibly due to after-school situations in which they must apply problem-solving skills in actual, real-life situations...

About the Author

The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) helps governments address economic, social and environmental issues relating to globalization.

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