Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Role of International Large-Scale Assessments (ILSAs) in Economically Developing Countries

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
International Handbook of Comparative Large-Scale Studies in Education

Part of the book series: Springer International Handbooks of Education ((SIHE))

  • 10 Accesses

Abstract

Increasingly, economically developing countries are using large-scale assessments (LSAs) frequently to monitor progress toward the sustainable development goals for the 2030 education agenda. In this chapter, the two regional assessment programs, namely the Pacific Island Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (PILNA) and the South East Asia Primary Learning Metric (SEA-PLM), are discussed in terms of the key factors that contribute toward uptake of evidence from LSAs in the education policy-making cycle. The objective is to understand the applicability and usefulness of LSAs in these contexts.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Addey, C., Sellar, S., Steiner-Khamsi, G., Lingard, B., & Verger, A. (2017). The rise of international large-scale assessments and rationales for participation. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 47(3), 434–452.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Banks, G. (2010). Evidence-based policy making: What is it? How do we get it? In World scientific reference on Asia-pacific trade policies: 2: Agricultural and Manufacturing Protection in Australia (pp. 719–736).

    Google Scholar 

  • Belisle, M., Cassity, E., Kacilala, R., Seniloli, M.T., & Taoi, T. (2016). Pacific Islands Literacy and Numeracy Assessment: Collaboration and innovation in reporting and dissemination. (Using assessment data in education policy and practice: Examples from the Asia Pacific; Issue 1) ACER/UNESCO. Retrieved from https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1023&context=ar_misc

  • Best, M., Knight, P., Lietz, P., Lockwood, C., Nugroho, D., & Tobin, M. (2013). The impact of national and international assessment programmes on education policy, particularly policies regarding resource allocation and teaching and learning practices in developing countries. Retrieved from Australian Council for Education Research website: https://research.acer.edu.au/ar_misc/16

  • Braun, H. I., & Singer, J. D. (2019). Assessment for monitoring of education systems: International comparisons. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 683(1), 75–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Breakespear, S. (2012). The policy impact of PISA: An exploration of the normative effects of international benchmarking in school system performance. OECD.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buckley, H., Tonmyr, L., Lewig, K., & Jack, S. (2014). Factors influencing the uptake of research evidence in child welfare: A synthesis of findings from Australia, Canada and Ireland. Child Abuse Review, 23(1), 5–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cherney, A., Povey, J., Head, B., Boreham, P., & Ferguson, M. (2012). What influences the utilisation of educational research by policy-makers and practitioners?: The perspectives of academic educational researchers. International Journal of Educational Research, 56, 23–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cox, C., & Meckes, L. (2016). International large-scale assessment studies and educational policy-making in Chile: Contexts and dimensions of influence. Research Papers in Education, 31(5), 502–515.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cresswell, J., Schwantner, U., & Waters, C. (2015). A review of international large-scale assessments in education: Assessing component skills and collecting contextual data, PISA, The World Bank, Washington, D.C. OECD Publishing.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Department for International Development (DFID). (2013). Education position paper: Improving learning, expanding opportunities. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225715/Education_Position_Paper_July_2013.pdf

  • Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). (2015). Strategy for Australia’s aid investments in education 2015–2020, September 2015. Retrieved from https://dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/Pages/strategy-for-australias-aid-investments-in-education-2015-2020.aspx

  • Fischman, G. E., Topper, A. M., Silova, I., Holloway, J. L., & Goebel, J. (2017). An examination of the ınfluence of ınternational large scale assessments and global learning metrics on national school reform policies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilmore, A. (2005). The impact of PIRLS (2001) and TIMSS (2003) in low- and middle-income countries. International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA).

    Google Scholar 

  • Heyneman, S. P., & Lee, B. (2014). The impact of international studies of academic achievement on policy and research. In L. Rutkowski, M. von Davier, & D. Rutkowski (Eds.), Handbook of international large-scale assessment: Background, technical issues and methods of data analysis (pp. 37–72). Taylor and Francis Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, H. (2012). Promoting evidence-based decision-making in development agencies. ODI Background Note, 1(1), 1–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamens, D. H. (2013). Globalization and the emergence of an audit culture: PISA and the search for ‘best practices’ and magic bullets. PISA, power and policy: The emergence of global educational governance, 117–140. https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=fqFwCQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA117&ots=Q-hHrXY0-b&sig=w2b5OLh3egcR_uDEBjjRJllbHcg#v=onepage&q&f=false

  • Kim, H. K., Lee, D. H., & Kim, S. (2016). Trends of science ability in the National Assessment of Educational Achievement (NAEA) of Korean ninth graders. EURASIA Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 12(7), 1781–1798.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kvernbekk, T. (2015). Evidence-based practice in education: Functions of evidence and causal presuppositions. Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lietz, P., Tobin, M., & Nugroho, D. (2016). Understanding PISA and its impact on policy initiative: A review of the evidence. In L. M. Thien, N. A. Razak, J. P. Keeves, & I. G. N. Darmawan (Eds.), What can PISA 2012 data tell us? Performance and Challenges in Five Participating Southeast Asian Countries. Sense Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lockheed, M. (2012). Policies, performance and panaceas: The role of international large-scale assessments in developing countries. COMPARE: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 42(3), 509–545.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lockheed, M. E., & Wagemaker, H. (2013). International large-scale assessments: Thermometers, whips or useful policy tools? Research in Comparative and International Education, 8(3), 296–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mullis, I. V. S., & Martin, M. O. (Eds.). (2017). TIMSS 2019 assessment frameworks. Retrieved from Boston College, TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center website: http://timssandpirls.bc.edu/timss2019/frameworks/

  • OECD. (2019a). PISA 2018 assessment and analytical framework. PISA, OECD Publishing.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2019b). Evaluation and assessment: Policy priorities and trends, 2008-19. In Education policy outlook 2019: Working together to help students achieve their potential. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/25806c6b-en

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Oliver, K., Innvar, S., Lorenc, T., Woodman, J., & Thomas, J. (2014). A systematic review of barriers to and facilitators of the use of evidence by policymakers. BMC Health Services Research, 14(2), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-14-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orem, J. N., Mafigiri, D. K., Marchal, B., Ssengooba, F., Macq, J., & Criel, B. (2012). Research, evidence and policymaking: The perspectives of policy actors on improving uptake of evidence in health policy development and implementation in Uganda. BMC Public Health, 12(109), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-12-109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pacific Community (SPC). (2019). Pacific Islands Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (PILNA) 2018 regional report. SPC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanderson, I. (2003). Is it ‘what works’ that matters? Evaluation and evidence-based policy-making. Research Papers in Education, 18(4), 331–345. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267152032000176846

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schulz, W., Ainley, J., Fraillon, J., Losito, B., & Agrusti, G. (2016). IEA international civic and citizenship education study 2016: Assessment framework. International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • SEAMEO & UNICEF. (2019). Governance structure. Retrieved from https://www.seaplm.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23&Itemid=224

  • Shamatov, D., & Sainazarov, K. (2010). The impact of standardized testing on education in Kyrgyzstan: The case of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2006. International Perspectives on Education and Society, 13, 145–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singer, J. D., & Braun, H. I. (2018). Testing international education assessments. Science, 360(6384), 38–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sutcliffe, S., & Court, J. (2005). Evidence-based policymaking: What is it? How does it work? What relevance for developing countries? https://apo.org.au/node/311114.

  • Tobin, M., Lietz, P., Nugroho, D., Vivekanandan, R., & Nyamkhuu, T. (2015). Using large-scale assessments of students’ learning to inform education policy: Insights from the Asia-Pacific region. Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). http://research.acer.edu.au/monitoring_learning/21

    Google Scholar 

  • UNICEF & SEAMEO. (2017). SEA-PLM 2019 Assessment Framework (1st ed.). United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) & Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) – SEA-PLM Secretariat.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNICEF & SEAMEO. (2018). SEA-PLM 2019 trial testing report. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) & Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) – SEA-PLM Secretariat.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNICEF & SEAMEO. (2019). The Southeast Asia primary learning metrics program: Thinking globally in a regional context. Australian Council for Educational Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNICEF & SEAMEO. (2020). SEA-PLM 2019 main regional report, children’s learning in 6 Southeast Asian countries. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) & South East Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) – SEA-PLM Secretariat.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations. (2016) Sustainable development goals: Quality education. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/education/

  • United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2015). Incheon declaration — education 2030: Towards inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all. UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2018). UNESCO pacific strategy 2018–2022. UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • United States Agency for International Development (USAID). (2019). Learning from experience. Retrieved from https://www.usaid.gov/project-starter/program-cycle/cdcs/learning-from-experience

  • Wagner, D. A., Lockheed, M., Mullis, I., Martin, M. O., Kanjee, A., Gove, A., & Dowd, A. J. (2012). The debate on learning assessments in developing countries. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 42(3), 509–545.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Willms, J. D. (2018). Learning divides: Using monitoring data to inform education policy. UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Young, E., & Quinn, L. (2002). Writing effective public policy papers. Open Society Institute.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), Adelaide, Australia

    Syeda Kashfee Ahmed

  2. Education Quality and Assessment Programme (EQAP), Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Suva, Fiji

    Michelle Belisle

  3. Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), Sydney, Australia

    Elizabeth Cassity

  4. Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), Melbourne, Australia

    Tim Friedman & Jeaniene Spink

  5. EMR, Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), Hamburg, Germany

    Petra Lietz

Authors
  1. Syeda Kashfee Ahmed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michelle Belisle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Elizabeth Cassity
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Tim Friedman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Petra Lietz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Jeaniene Spink
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Syeda Kashfee Ahmed .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway

    Trude Nilsen

  2. IEA Hamburg, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Agnes Stancel-Piątak

  3. University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Jan-Eric Gustafsson

Section Editor information

  1. University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Sigrid Blömeke

  2. EMR, ACER, Hamburg, Germany

    Petra Lietz

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Ahmed, S.K., Belisle, M., Cassity, E., Friedman, T., Lietz, P., Spink, J. (2022). The Role of International Large-Scale Assessments (ILSAs) in Economically Developing Countries. In: Nilsen, T., Stancel-Piątak, A., Gustafsson, JE. (eds) International Handbook of Comparative Large-Scale Studies in Education. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38298-8_7-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38298-8_7-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-38298-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-38298-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference EducationReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Education

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation