Faroese students say they did not take PISA seriously

Several Faroese students who took part in the PISA assessment did not take it seriously because they knew too little about its purpose, KVF reports. Some also found the questions strange and unfamiliar.

The students described their experiences on the broadcaster’s morning programme. One said they were told it was an extra assessment, and that nobody wanted to do it. The students simply rushed through it so they could go home, the student said.

Several also rejected the idea that they struggled to understand what they read. They said the poor results could instead be partly explained by students not making enough effort.

Ingi Højsted, a lecturer and research leader, and Erla Olsen, a lecturer in biology and science education at the Department of Educational Sciences, analysed the PISA results. They said it was concerning that students did not take the assessment seriously, as this could affect the picture PISA provides of Faroese students’ abilities.

The researchers said this was not only a Faroese phenomenon, as the same pattern could be seen in other Nordic countries. They believe more should be done to explain to students why PISA is conducted and how its results are used.

They also said the unfamiliar questions served a purpose. PISA assesses not only whether students can read and calculate, but also whether they can use those skills in real-life situations. In reading, for example, students must find information, assess it critically and compare different texts. In mathematics, they must use maths to solve practical problems rather than simply perform calculations.

If Faroese students are not used to such tasks, that could explain why the PISA questions feel unfamiliar. Højsted said PISA could therefore be used as a tool to assess the school system itself.