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This report also considers the way in which school learning environments can make a difference in the performance of socio-economically disadvantaged students. PISA data suggest that an increase in the number of science courses and hours of study may benefit disadvantaged students more than other students.
Disadvantaged students are often not exposed to much science at school. On average they spend 20% less time in science then their advantaged peers. However, those who do attend more science classes seem better equipped to close the performance gap between them and their more advantaged peers and perform better in school. In Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Slovak Republic and Switzerland disadvantaged students spend less then two hours a week in regular lessons at school learning science, whereas advantaged students in general spend more than 3 hours per week on regular science lessons per week and disadvantaged students in general only 2 hours per week.
"Differences are especially pronounced in France, Germany, and the Netherlands, where resilient students spend at least one hour and 45 minutes more than disadvantaged low achievers learning science at school per week. In the Netherlands, on average disadvantaged low achievers spend less than one hour and 15 minutes a week learning science at school, the lowest average across OECD countries." (p.11).
"For example, in the United States across the board attending a science course is associated with a relatively modest increase in performance of about 15 score points on the PISA science scale, but for disadvantaged students that advantage almost triples, to more than 40 score points. In Australia, the odds of being resilient for disadvantaged students who take part in compulsory science course are four times greater than the odds of being resilient for disadvantaged students who do not take part on these courses, even after accounting for student and school background factors. If science is important to success later in life and the betterment of society, then disadvantaged students need to be exposed to science in school. All else equal, policies geared to this goal will help improve equityin educational outcomes and boost average performance." (p. 12)
Resilient students are characterised by their positive approaches to learning
or, more specifically in this report, increased self-confidence or interest in science. The evidence in PISA shows that positive approaches to learning tend to boost the performance of socio-economically advantaged students more than that of disadvantaged ones. Therefore, in their aim to foster positive learning approaches, policies should target disadvantaged students more than others.Against the Odds takes a close look at the resilient students who excel in PISA surveys despite a disadvantaged background. The report shows that overcoming barriers to achievement is possible, and provides students, parents, policy makers and other education stakeholders with insights into what enables socio-economically disadvantaged students to fulfill their potential.
"Hundreds of research studies spanning four decades have chronicled the association between socioeconomic background and student outcomes, but only a few have looked specifically at students who, despite coming from disadvantaged backgrounds, exhibit high levels of academic achievement (Finn and Rock, 1997; Rouse, 2001; Waxman and Huang, 1996). The educational research literature calls these students resilient because they overcome adversity to achieve academic success."(p.16) The same page gives an interesting overview of insights in characteristics out of research of resilience students. more info
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