Science Education for Innovation-Driven Societies

Francesco Avvisati

OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI)

Paris, Educating for Innovation-Driven Societies, 26 April 2012

Outline• How does science

education contribute to individual skills for innovation?

• Do education systems foster all skills for innovation?

• Are certain science pedagogies more effective in that respect?

• How can technology and informal learning help?

Innovation

Skills

Educati

on and

training

HOW DOES SCIENCE EDUCATION CONTRIBUTE TO INDIVIDUAL SKILLS FOR INNOVATION?

4

Innovation intensity by field of study

0

10

20

30

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engi

neer

ing

& co

mpu

ting

scie

nces

&

mat

hs

arch

itect

ure

agric

ultu

re

arts

educ

atio

n

socia

l scie

nces

busin

ess

heal

th

hum

anitie

s

law ot

her

innovation intensity: any typeproduct or servicetechnology or tools knowledge or methods

• Traditional views emphasise role of STEM graduates, but...

5

Non-disciplinary skills and innovation

come up with new ideas/solutions

present ideas to audience

coordinate activities

acquire new knowledge

make your meaning clear

write reports or documents

write/speak a foreign language

use computers and internet

negociate

assert your authority

14.1

3.12.9

2.82.6

Odds ratio (innovative vs non-innovative graduates); based on Reflex and Hegesco

• Critical skills according to tertiary educated workers

Science education and Innovation Skills

• need to consider learning outcomes that go beyond mastery of content knowledge and of procedural knowledge:– Skills in thinking and creativity, positive

habits of mind (curiosity, perseverance,...) and social skills;

• Science, as a subject, offers excellent opportunities for developing these...

• ... but how far are they really fostered in today’s schools?

DO EDUCATION SYSTEMS FOSTER ALL SKILLS FOR INNOVATION?

Do countries foster simultaneously subject-based and behavioural skills? Not necessarily

380 400 420 440 460 480 500 520 540 560 580 600 620440

460

480

500

520

540

560

580

600

620

640

BRA

HKGMAC

IDN

RUS

AUS

AUTBEL

CAN

CHL

CZE

DNK

EST

FIN

FRADEU

GRC

HUN

ISL

IRL

ISR

ITA

JPN

KOR

LUX

MEX

NLDNZL

NOR

POL

PRT

SVK

SVN

ESP

SWE

CHE

GBR

TUR

USA

Science Score

Inte

rest

in S

cien

ce T

opic

s HIGH SCOREHIGH INTEREST

LOW SCORELOW INTEREST

LOW SCOREHIGH INTEREST

HIGH SCORELOW INTEREST

Example: Science scores and interest in science

Source: OECD, based on PISA 2006

Robustnesspartial correlation coefficents between science interest and science score

  (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)partial correlation -0.74 -0.71 -0.66 -0.69 -0.74 -0.56

controls:GDP p/c X X XLuxembourg X XSelf-concept (mean) X XSelf-efficacy (mean) X XCulture (Hofstede 4-dim) X X

N 34 34 33 34 32 31

The Test-Score/Interest Paradox

-1-0.5

00.5

1

CH

LU

SA PRT

ISR ITA

POL

BEL

NZL

MEX

TUR

NLD SV

KES

PC

ZEH

UN

AUT

EST

GB

RSV

NG

RC

CAN DEU

FIN

IRL

AUS

CH

ELU

XFR

AD

NK

SWE

NO

RIS

LJP

N KO

R

BR

AR

US

HK

GID

NM

AC

between-school correlation of average interest and scores

-0.600000000000001-0.300000000000001

-9.99200722162641E-160.2999999999999990.599999999999999

CH

LPO

LM

EXH

UN

PRT

USA

EST

TUR

SVK

CZE

ITA

ESP

ISR

GR

CLU

XAU

TD

EU BEL

NZL

NLD

GB

RIR

LC

HE

FRA

AUS

CAN

KO

RSV

ND

NK

JPN

SWE

FIN

NO

RIS

L

BR

AR

US

IDN

MAC HK

G

within-school correlation of individual interest and scores

Source: OECD, based on PISA 2006

ARE SOME PEDAGOGIES MORE EFFECTIVE IN FOSTERING ALL SETS OF SKILLS FOR INNOVATION?

A within-country analysis

• Interaction– Collaboration and

participatory exchanges

• Application– Drawing

connections between school science and the outside world

• Hands-on– Guided activities

around lab experiments

• Investigation– Autonomous

student inquiries

Teaching indicators in PISA 2006 based on 4 clusters of activities:

Pedagogies for innovation skills

appli

catio

n

hands

-on

inter

actio

n

inve

stiga

tion

-0.15

-0.1

-0.0500000000000001

-5.55111512312578E-17

0.0499999999999999

0.0999999999999999

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

4 8

1

-1-2 -2

-10

Science score

appli

catio

n

hands

-on

inte

ract

ion

inve

stiga

tion

-0.15

-0.1

-0.0500000000000001

-5.55111512312578E-17

0.0499999999999999

0.0999999999999999

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

20

36

-2-1 -1

Interest in Science Top-ics

Effective Science Pedagogies• The current teacher has more impact on

interest than on scores;• Structured inquiry (“hands-on”) dominates

unstructured inquiry for scores• Interest and curiosity are nurtured with

“applications”: i.e. when the teacher…– …explains how a school science idea can be

applied to a number of different phenomena– …uses science to help students understand the

world outside school– …explains the relevance of science concepts to our

lives– … uses technological applications to show how

school science is relevant to society

INNOVATING SCIENCE EDUCATION

Leverage technology, harness informal learning opportunities,...

THANK YOU

Francesco.Avvisati@oecd.org

www.oecd.org/edu/innovation