Programme for International Student Assessment

Scientific Literacy in PISA 2006

In PISA 2006, the majority of assessment time was allocated to scientific literacy. Although results on student performance are available for the scientific literacy scale overall and for three subscales (identifying scientific issues, explaining phenomena scientifically and using scientific evidence) results in this section are only provided for the scientific literacy scale overall. More details about the subscales can be found in the PISA 2006 National report.

How to read the graphs...

Each country’s results are represented in horizontal bars with various colours.  On the left end of the bar is the 5th percentile – this is the score below which 5 per cent of the students have scored.  The next two lines indicate the 10th percentile and the 25th percentile.  The next line at the left of the white band is the lower limit of the confidence interval for the mean – i.e. there is 95 per cent confidence that the mean will lie in this white band.  The line in the centre of the white band is the mean.  The lines to the right of the white band indicate the 75th, 90th and 95th percentiles.

Results for states and territories are presented vertically, however the interpretation is the same.

Reading the graphs
Reading the graphs

From an international perspective...

  • Australia was outperformed by three countries: Finland, Hong Kong-China and Canada.
  • Seven countries (Chinese Taipei, Estonia, Japan, New Zealand, Netherlands, Liechtenstein and Korea) performed at a simliar level to Australia.
  • Australia achieved a mean score higher than the OECD average.

Figure 3-1
Student performance in scientific literacy by country

  • The OECD average shows a small but statistically significant difference in favour of males. 
  • There were no significant gender differences for Australia in scientific literacy.

From an national perspective...

  • Performance of students in the Australian Capital Territory was significantly better than that of students in all other states except Western Australia.
  • All but one state and one territory achieved higher mean scores compared to the OECD average. The mean scores for Tasmania and the Northern Territory were similar to the OECD average.

Figure 3-5

  • Within the Australian states and territories there were no statistically significant gender differences in the performance on the overall scientific literary scale.

Scientific Literacy - International comparison PISA 2003

How to Interpret graphs?

Three countries outperformed Australia in scientific literacy (Finland, Japan and Korea).  In PISA 2000, only Korea and Japan outperformed Australia. Compare PISA 2000 Science results here.

 

Gender Differences

Australian boys and girls scored at equivalent levels in each of mathematical and scientific literacy but this was not the case in all countries involved in PISA.

Gender differences in Science achievement across countries in PISA 2003

Proficiency levels

Scientific literacy was a minor domain both in PISA 2000 and PISA 2003 so there has thus far been insufficient information to define proficiency levels. Detailed proficiency levels will be established when scientific literacy is the major assessment domain in 2006.

Download the national Australian report from the reports page.