The annual Pisa study stirs emotions – also in the SRF community: Where are subjects like drawing or music in this showdown of school performance? The Pisa performance tests are actually limited to the areas of mathematics, reading and science – with mathematics being the main domain this year.
Andrea Erzinger, who is responsible for Pisa in Switzerland, explains why the creative subjects don’t play a role and what that has to do with the lack of tablets.
SRF: How is it decided in which areas Switzerland will take part in the Pisa study? What criteria play a role here?
Andrea Erzinger: We have an offer that is proposed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation (OECD). This is assessed by a Pisa Governing Board. People from education policy from all participating countries are represented. In the individual countries, it is ultimately determined at the educational policy level in which domains they participate.
We can’t imagine how creative expression can actually be measured on the current platform.
The Pisa Study 2022 offered the area of creative thinking for the first time. Why didn’t Switzerland take part?
Creative thinking is an innovative domain. Such a study is only offered once in a PISA survey, so trends cannot be measured. Switzerland has never taken part in an innovative domain because it does not test specialist knowledge, which is a focus of the language-regional compulsory school curricula. Basically, we always check what the content is and whether it corresponds to the curricula and its focuses.
So the concept of creative thinking hasn’t completely convinced you. What would have to change for Switzerland to take part in the future?
What is particularly important is that the individual domain can be processed sensibly and adequately by the students in this test setting. And especially with elements that also include creative thinking, the question is always how this can be offered, carried out and set up in a standardized digital test setting on the Pisa platform. So that it ultimately leads to results that we could take into account in this area.
Can you give an example? What do you wish you had participated in Creative Thinking?
The platform we use primarily allows you to enter text, navigate it or move elements from one place to another. But the tests are carried out on school computers and we have no options for touchscreen operation. We can’t really imagine how creative expression can actually be measured on the current platform. In addition, we do not have a comprehensive internet connection in schools. This will only come in the future.
These would be the prerequisites for adequately capturing creative thinking. When the decision had to be made, we were still too unsure.
The interview was conducted by Simon Burri.