Factors Contributing to Lower Average Levels of Student Performance in Either Reading or Mathematics in Mexico - Term Paper Example

Factors Contributing to Lower Average Levels of Student Performance in Either Reading or Mathematics in Mexico Student’s Name: Institutional Affiliation: Contents I. Introduction 2 II. Purpose 3 III. Methodology 5 IV. Findings 6 V. Discussion 8 A. Factors Contributing to the Low Performances 8 1. The Socio-Economic Background 8 2. Poor Educational Quality 13 3. Low School Enrollment Rates 15 4. High Drop-Out Rates 15 VI. Conclusion 16 VII. References 17 I. Introduction Since the year 1997, OECD governments have done collaborations with the aim of monitoring the outcomes of education. This is in terms of student performance on an usual basis and within an internationally approved common framework. In the year 2000, the first PISA assignment was carried out. This assessment revealed broad variations in the extent to which countries are successful in equipping young adults with skills and knowledge in reading, mathematics and science. For some countries, the outcomes were disappointing, indicating that fifteen-year-olds’ performance considerably lagged behind that of other countries. PISA 2000 also indicated notable disparity in the performance of schools and brought up concerns about impartiality in the allotment of learning opportunities. Among the twenty five OECD nations for which performance was compared between the year 2000 and the year 2003, average performance of mathematics increased in one of the 2 content areas considered in both surveys. For the other content area in mathematics, as well as for reading and science, average performance among OECD countries remained widely unchanged. Despite this, performance changed in different ways across different OECD countries. The top performing nation in the PISA 2000, Finland, maintained a high level of reading performance and at the same time improved its performance in mathematics. On the other hand, the lowest performing nation in the PISA 2000 assessment, Mexico, lower average levels of performance in both reading and mathematics were observed. In the 2003 assessment, the performance was lower than that in 2000 in all the three assessment areas which included reading, mathematics and science. Since then, other surveys have been conducted in 2006 and 2009 with the latest survey being conducted in the year 2012. The results for the 2012 survey have not yet been compiled. At the same time, the number of participating countries has also increased significantly. The aim of these surveys is to compare the performance in reading, mathematics and science in different countries. The surveys are conducted after every three years. These surveys try to compare the current and previous status of performances in various countries. From the results, countries can be able to analyze their performances and find out if they are improving or declining. Countries often deploy various measures to ensure that the education standards are raised. However, education goes beyond the classroom. Education goes beyond the student’s ability. Performance in educational subjects is influenced by many factors. According to the 2009 PISA rankings (OECD, 2010), Mexico was among the least performing countries. This paper seeks to establish the factors that are contributing to lower average levels of student performance in either reading or mathematics in Mexico. In order to improve this performance, the factors that affect performance need to be addressed. This paper therefore contributes greatly in adding knowledge to the measures that should be put in place to improve performance in Mexico. II. Purpose According to the 2009 PISA rankings and statistics, Mexico ranks as being “statistically notably below the OECD average.” This is in all the three subject areas which include reading, mathematics and science. Other three categories exist in this ranking. These are “statistically notably above the OECD average” and “not statistically notably different from the OECD average.” Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the factors contributing to lower average levels of student performance in either reading or mathematics in Mexico. In order to do this, the study will examine the various rankings for the country over the years, as well as compare them with a country that performs above average in the PISA rankings. The paper also aims to evaluate the factors and provide possible recommendations to the problems that might be affecting student performance. A. Background on Country According to the OECD Better Life Index (2012), Mexico has a population of about 106.7 million people. The country has made tremendous progress in terms of enhancing the quality of life of its citizens, mainly in the areas of health, education and jobs. There are a number of topics that are addressed in the Better Life Index. These include Housing, Jobs, Income, Education, Community, Civic Engagement, Environment, Safety, Life Satisfaction, Health and Work-Life Balance. The country ranks low in a number of these topics when compared to other countries. Notably, the country ranks extremely low in education with OECD ranking it as 35th out 36. So how is education Mexico? A well-educated and trained population is vital for a nation’s social and economic prosperity. As such, education has a pivotal role in providing people with the knowledge, competencies and skills that are needed for effective participation in the society and economy. Consequently, having a good education largely enhances the possibility of getting a job and earning a decent income. Manual labor has continued to decrease over the years. Employers are now in favor of a more educated and skilled labor force. Therefore, High-School graduation rates are a good indicator of whether a nation is preparing its pupils in meeting the minimum requirements for the job market. The Mexican educational system has experienced a rapid growth in the last 50 years. This is estimated to be from 3 million students to about 30 million students. Currently, almost all the children between age 5 and age 14 are in school. Progress has also been made in making certain that young people finish up school. According to OECD Better Life Index (2012), these rates have increased from 33 percent in the year 2000 to about 42 percent in the year 2011. This progress has been accomplished in spite of tight budgets and a fast growing school-age popu7lation which includes 15 percent of those who live on less than $2 per day. III. Methodology This study was conducted using qualitative research methods. The basic method of conducting the study was the analysis of documents and materials. This called for an extensive review of literature regarding the subject of discussion. Information was obtained from the various PISA reports as well as the OECD website. Questionnaires in the PISA website were also examined in seeking suitable information for analysis. At the same time, other related scholarly articles were used in identifying the key factors that usually affect student performance generally. Most of the information used in this study is drawn from the review of various literatures regarding the PISA rankings, as well as issues that are attributed to high and low performance in the OECD countries. The aim of the review was to first establish the status of Mexico in terms of its educational system. The next step was to collect information regarding Mexico’s PISA ranking, as well as other countries for comparison. After the collection of this information, a comparative study was done in order to establish the factors that could be responsible for the differences in performance between high-performing countries and low-performing countries. The study then concluded with identifying the factors that contribute to the low average levels of student performance in reading and mathematics in Mexico. IV. Findings The study’s results were mainly drawn from the 2009 PISA rankings. The countries’ performances were divided into three levels. The first level contained countries whose performance was “statistically considerably above the OCED average. The next level comprised of those countries whose performance was “not statistically considerably different from the OCED average. The final and last level comprised of those countries whose performances were “statistically considerably below the OECD average.” The table below show Mexico’s ranking, as well as results from a higher performing country like Finland. On the Overall Reading Scale On the Reading Subscales On the Mathematics Scale Access and Retrieve Integrate and Interpret Reflect and Evaluate Continuous texts Non-continuous texts OECD Average 493 495 493 494 494 493 496 Finland 536 549 558 557 564 539 600 Korea 539 542 541 542 538 542 546 France 496 492 497 495 492 498 497 Mexico 425 433 418 432 426 424 419 Table 1. Performance of Select Countries (source: OECD 2009 PISA Rankings Database) From this table, Finland and Korea lie on the first level, France on the second level and Mexico on the last level. On the overall reading scale, Mexico’s score of 425 was considerably below that of OECD which was 493. On the other hand, Korea had a significantly higher score than the average with 539. On the individual reading subscales which included Access and Retrieve, Integrate and Interpret, Reflect and Evaluate, Continuous and non-continuous texts, the performance was significantly below the OECD average. The same applied to mathematics whereby the country’s score was 419 while the OECD average was 496. Finland had the highest score with 600 which was way above the OECD average, (OECD, 2010). Information was also obtained from the OECD Better Life Index on Mexico. In Mexico, about 35 percent of adults who are aged between 25 and 64 years have earned an equivalent of a high-school degree. This is much lower than OECD’s average of 73 percent. The young people are a good indicator of the country’s future. Among the younger people, just 40 percent of those between the ages of 25 and 34 have attained an equivalent of a high-school degree, (OECD Better Life Index, 2012). This can be translated as about half of OECD’s average of 80. However, graduation rates do not capture the full picture of the quality of education that is obtained. As such, the PISA rankings shown above used different criteria in analyzing performance. The program reviewed the extent to which students acquired some of the knowledge and skills that are essential for full contribution in modern societies. The 2009 ranking was focused on evaluating the students’ reading ability. This is because research indicates that reading skills are more reliable indicators of social and economic well-being than the number of years that are spent in school. From the information, it can be noted that the average pupil in Mexico had a score of 425 out of 600 in reading literacy. This is much lower than OECD’s average. In fact, it was the lowest rate in the OECD. Further findings indicated that a huge number of students are lacking in essential skills and knowledge. About 50 percent of fifteen-year-olds were below PISA level 2 (basic skills level) when OECD’s average was 19.2 percent. Only 3 percent of the pupils scored at top levels which include level 5 and 6. These levels require that students consistently identify, explain and apply scientific knowledge in various complex day-to-day situations. About 18.4 percent of 15-19 year-olds and 30 percent of 25-29 year-olds in Mexico are not in education, are not in the labor force or are not under employment, (OECD, 2011). At the same time, gender differences do play a significant role in levels of inactivity. In the country, women who are between the ages of 15 and 29 are 3.6 times more likely to not be in education than men of the same age, (OECD, 2011). On the other hand, student performance has been improving steadily. Between the years 2003 and 2006, there was an improvement in the reading scores from 400 to 410 points. Between the years 2006 and 2009, the scores rose again from 410 points to 425 points. There was a steady improvement in mathematics also, with the scores improving from 385 in 2003 to 406 in 2006 and to 419 points in 2009, (OECD, 2010). Despite these improvements, the performance is still lower than the average OECD levels. So what could be the factors that are affecting this performance in Mexico? V. Discussion According to the OECD Better Life Index (2012), Mexico’s relatively poor PISA performance scores and low enrolment in secondary schools are largely related to socio-economic backgrounds. About less than 50 percent of children from households in the bottom 10% of the income distribution attend secondary school. This is contrast to the more than 80% who attend secondary school in the top 10%. A. Factors Contributing to the Low Performances 1. The Socio-Economic Background When determining the performance of a group of students, it is important to take into account the socio-economic background of the particular country. In most cases, though not all, the outcomes of an education system needs to be accountable for a country’s economic circumstances, as well as the resources that the particular country allocates or devotes to education. The relative prosperity of certain countries allows them to spend more on education. However, other countries can be constrained by a relatively lower national income which means that resources allocated to education are also constrained. The figure below shows the relationship between the average performance of students in mathematics and the national income which is measured in terms of GDP per capita. Figure 1. Student Performance and National Income (Source: OECD PISA 2003 Database) This scatter plot seems to suggest that countries that have a higher national income will tend to have a better performance in mathematics, (OECD, 2004). Mexico and Turkey are below $10000 per capita GDP. At the same time, their performances are way below the OECD average. Therefore, it is appropriate that the country’s low national income or GDP per capita is directly related to the low performance in mathematics. Let’s make a comparison between this relationship in year 2003 and that in the year 2009. The figure below shows the average reading performance in PISA and national wealth in 2009. Figure 2. Average Reading Performance in PISA and National Wealth, 2009. (Source: OECD PISA 2009 Database) Mexico’s GDP per capita is just below $15000. This is more than the GDP in 2003 which was below $10000. From the diagram, it can be seen that there is an improvement in performance in 2009 as compared to 2003. What does this mean? It means that the increase in the country’s national income has translated to an increase in performance in reading and mathematics. The performance in reading improved from 400 points to 425 points. Performance in mathematics increased from 385 points to 419 points, (OECD, 2010). An increase in the national income means that the country is likely to allocate more resources on education. This can be seen in a country like Finland. Finland is a high-income economy. The same case applies to Korea. Consequently, their performances are well above the OECD average in both reading and mathematics. While the national wealth of a country might be reflective of the resources that are available for education in that particular country, it does not directly measure the financial resources that are actually allocated to education. A more appropriate method would be to compare the countries using the actual spending per student from the start of primary education to the age of 15. This spending is then plotted against student performance in reading and mathematics. Again, we compare the 2003 and 2009 figures. Figure 3. Student Spending and Spending Per Student. (source: OECD, 2004) Figure 4. Student Performance and Spending Per student: (source: OECD, 2012) From the two figures 3 and 4, it can be observed that Mexico allocates fewer resources per student. This directly impacts on the standards of education in the country and hence the below average performances in reading and mathematics. The two figures show a positive relationship between mean performance and spending per student. This implies that a country’s mean performance will increase as the expenditure per student on education increases. Therefore, socio-economic background is one of the factors that are contributing to the below average performances by the country in reading and mathematics. When the country increases the resources allocated to education, the average scores can be noted to improve. This means that more allocation of resources to education would yield greater scores. The relatively low national income for Mexico means that the country is limited in allocating resources among the various key sectors such as health and education. With limited allocation of resources for the education sector, the expenditure per student on education also reduces. When the expenditure per student on education reduces, the performance of that particular student will most definitely decline. What does the reduction on spending per student imply? Spending per student on education has to do with the resources that are allocated to a particular student in terms of teachers, learning materials and other essential aspects of a good education. A low national income means that these resources are also limited. When this happens, students’ access to reading materials, mathematical resources and other resources is limited. The enrollment of teachers becomes low. The result of this is that the teacher-to-student ratio becomes very high. The implication of this is that the educational standards will go down. A drop in the educational standards of a country directly implies that the performance in major content areas such as reading and mathematics will decline significantly. Therefore, in Mexico, the socio-economic background has had a huge influence in the below average performances in reading and mathematics. Also, this factor has a huge influence on the other factors affecting performance. 2. Poor Educational Quality Poor educational quality in Mexico is evidenced by the low achievement at all levels of the system. According to Santibanez et al (2005), even in urban public schools, less than 20% of 6th graders attain satisfactory or more than satisfactory competency in math. In lower secondary schools where demand and access issues have kept out people with higher direct and indirect costs of schooling, the percentage of students accomplishing competency in reading and math remains at or lower than 50%. At the same time, Mexican students do not perform well in some international exams. So what are the factors causing poor educational quality in Mexico? One of the most common reasons is inadequate teacher preparation at both the secondary and primary level. Poor teacher training has always been blamed for the low teacher quality. In the year 1999, Mexico reformed its secondary school teacher college curriculum. The reform was aimed at putting a greater emphasis on pedagogical content knowledge, subject-matter knowledge and practice (Santibanez et al, 2005). However, this reform’s implementation came almost 6 years after Mexico had reformed the secondary school curriculum. Therefore, it poised a problem for teachers since they had to learn new materials and teach specialized subjects that were demanded by the new curriculum. There is also another issue with the quality of teacher training. About 40% of Mexican school teachers have never attended a teacher education institution. These teachers are often university students or graduates who are hurriedly hired to fill teacher shortages in certain regions and subjects. Another reason attributed to this poor educational quality is the school multi-shifting that is used in Mexico. Most of the schools are used to their full capacity and at times operate in 2 or 3 shifts. This therefore waters down the definition of a school as a learning community. A school is supposed to be a learning community where pupils can spend longer time periods and engage in extracurricular activities or extended sessions. Multi-shifts therefore eliminate these important aspects of the learning process. At the same time, teachers are affected when they work multiple shifts since they can at times become fatigued hence compromising the quality of instructions issued. Another issue is teacher absenteeism which is highly prevalent in the rural areas. These factors can be summarized as lack of adequate teacher preparation, short school day in primary, teacher absenteeism in rural areas, and poor articulation of curriculum between primary and secondary. Therefore, poor educational quality has greatly contributed to the below average performances in reading and mathematics. 3. Low School Enrollment Rates In Mexico, there are several youths in the relevant age group who are not enrolled in upper or lower secondary schools. This issue is related both to supply and demand factors. supply factors include issues such as insufficient or not enough classrooms or schools. Demand factors include issues such as students choosing not to attend classes or school. The most affected by this problem are youth in marginal rural areas, urban areas and indigenous groups. According to Santibanez et al (2005), demand factors are likely to play a bigger role in marginal urban areas. In these places, students choose not to attend school since the opportunity cost of attending school, as opposed to working, is higher in urban areas. In the rural areas, supply factors play a bigger role, as well as in indigenous communities. These places lack enough schools or classrooms. Therefore, many students end up locked out of the educational system in Mexico. Enrollment rates are used as one aspect in the OECD country rankings in education. This means that a sizeable amount of children are receiving little or no education. In certain rural areas, local secondary schools are lacking. This means that students usually have to travel for hours in order to get to the nearest school. This directly impacts on the quality of education. Such a scenario is not comparable to a country where schools are everywhere and children are picked and dropped by schools as is the case with high-income economies. Therefore, the low enrollment rates in Mexican schools have also contributed greatly to the below average performances in reading and mathematics. 4. High Drop-Out Rates This factor is complementary to the factor discussed above. High drop-out rates are witnessed in lower secondary schools, as well as in the transition from lower secondary to upper secondary. According to Santibanez et al (2005), almost a third of the people who enter basic education do not complete this level. This is an indicator that a large proportion of the Mexican population leaves school without having acquired a basic set of competencies. Among these competencies includes reading literacy and mathematics. This factor usually impacts on the progression to higher education levels. Out of every 100 students who enter basic education, 68 complete it, but only 35 graduate from upper secondary. Demand factors can be highly attributed to this trend. Students drop out of school in favor of unskilled employment opportunities as the opportunity cost for pupils staying in school becomes increasingly higher in levels after primary. Others are getting involved in high-risk but high-return ventures such as the illicit drug trade. All these aspects have contributed to the poor ranking of Mexico in PISA rankings in terms of performance of reading and mathematics. VI. Conclusion The paper has extensively covered the subject of research. Mexico’s country background as well as the educational system has been evaluated. The various PISA rankings were also examined during this study with the purpose of drawing various factors that affect the differences in performance among various countries. The rankings for Mexico were examined and compared with those of other select countries in table 1. The findings from the research were then analyzed comparatively using the various year-rankings, as well as comparing different countries based on performance and national income. These comparisons yielded the indicators that are responsible for the below average performances of Mexico in reading and mathematics. These factors include the socio-economic background of Mexico, poor educational quality, low high school enrollment rates and high drop-out rates. However, one thing to note from this study is that a nation’s wealth does not necessarily guarantee higher scores in the PISA rankings. It depends on how the resources allocated for education are used. Other important factors that are also imperative in improving student performance in the major content areas include a school system’s attitudes towards students and teachers (OECD, 2012). It was established that successful PISA countries invest something else in addition to money in their education systems. They invest high expectations for all of their students. This means that teachers and schools in these systems do not permit struggling students to fail, they do not transfer them to other schools, they do not force them to repeat a grade and nor do they group students into different classes based on ability. Instead, these countries commit the available resources in ensuring that all students perform better. VII. References OECD Better Life Index. (2012). Mexico. Retrieved from http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/mexico/. OECD. (2004). A Profile for Student Performance in Mathematics. Learning for Tomorrow’s World-First Results from PISA 2003. Paris: OECD Publishing OECD. (2010). PISA 2009 Results: Executive Summary. OECD, PISA 2009 Database. Retrieved from, 2012. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888932343342 OECD. (2011). Country Note-Mexico. Education at a Glance 2011, OECD Indicators. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2011-en OECD. (2012). Does Money Buy Strong Performance in PISA? PISA in Focus, 2012. Retrieved. from, www.oecd.org/pisa/infocus. Santibanez, L., Vernez, G., & Razquin, P. (2005). Education in Mexico: Challenges and Opportunities. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. Retrieved from www.rand.org. Read More