The most recent PISA survey, postponed by a year due to pandemic lockdowns, revealed a significant decline in educational achievement.
The most recent PISA survey, postponed by a year due to pandemic lockdowns, revealed a significant decline in educational achievement.
The rise of skimming, scanning, and scrolling through ubiquitous social media, coupled with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to an “unprecedented drop” in school performance globally.
“We are looking at a nearly insurmountable scale of loss to children’s schooling,” said Robert Jenkins, chief of education at UNICEF.
The most recent PISA survey, postponed by a year due to pandemic lockdowns, assessed 690,000 15-year-old students globally, revealing a significant decline in educational achievement in reading, maths, and science since the 2018 survey.
Singaporean students continue to excel as the world’s top performers in all three measures, consistently outperforming the average student worldwide by three to five schooling years.
A handful of East Asian economies, including Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, consistently maintain their top positions worldwide. Interestingly, students in regions with shorter school shutdowns during the pandemic generally experienced smaller declines in school performance.
Despite hopes of a post-pandemic recovery, the survey indicates a more prolonged stagnation in achievement levels since 2012.
UNICEF reports an alarming trend with only one-third of the world’s 10-year-olds capable of reading and comprehending a basic story. A prior Pisa survey highlighted a concerning sentiment, with 49 percent of students agreeing that they read only out of necessity.
Andreas Schleicher, lead author of the latest Pisa report, identifies various negative factors contributing to declining educational achievement, including teacher shortages, low salaries, and teachers’ diminished social standing.
Notably, the global surge in social media is also recognized as a significant influence.
The attitude toward the digital revolution in education is complex. On one hand, it has facilitated teachers’ access to quality teaching materials, and digitally literate students benefit from swift access to vast learning resources.
However, the social media revolution, accelerated by digital advancements, has brought about problematic changes negatively impacting students’ educational progress and learning capacity.
“It’s more difficult to concentrate on studying for long periods of time because everything is done on a computer and notifications are pinging all the time.” said Esko Häyrynen, Finnish maths and philosophy teacher in a Financial Times article.
65 percent of students reported being distracted by devices during some maths lessons, while 59 percent were distracted by others using phones, tablets, or laptops according to the PISA report.
Educators are increasingly concerned about what Simon Kuper of the Financial Times calls “simplism,” as young people skim, scan, and scroll through their social media feeds.
Kuper notes that individuals who lose reading skills also lose thinking skills, and their preference for simplicity aligns with politicians offering “simplism” – the ideology of simple answers for complex problems.
If educators are correct in attributing much of the decline in Pisa performance to social-media-induced “simplism” rather than pandemic disruption, the learning crisis may not be temporary.
The smart jobs of the future will demand stronger literacy, numeracy, and scientific competencies, and the reported slippage in the latest Pisa report is a significant concern for the tech-driven economic landscape ahead.
In a trend that is redefining the educational landscape, teachers and scholars are turning to the social media platform TikTok to teach history that often goes overlooked in conventional school curriculums. A recent CNN report highlighted this phenomenon, examining how educators are embracing TikTok to bring the lesser-known aspects of history to the forefront.
The 2022 survey conducted by Study.com revealed that one in four TikTok users in the US use the platform for educational purposes, with history emerging as one of the most popular subjects. This data underscores the growing significance of social media as an alternative channel for education.
A market study on the digital education system predicts robust growth in the sector, fueled by increased demand for online educational resources.
The comprehensive report, published by HTF Market Intelligence, sheds light on key drivers, challenges, and opportunities shaping the future of digital education.
Prominent market players profiled in the report include Coursera, Udemy, BYJU’S, and Alison among others. The study delves deep into the contributions and market share of key players, providing insights for policy and regulatory considerations.
The term “digital education system” encompasses the integration of various digital tools – ranging from computers and software to the internet – to enhance educational processes.
As distance learning becomes increasingly essential, digital education systems are seeing a surge in popularity, not just for their convenience but also for their potential to democratize education. The technology can transcend geographical and socioeconomic barriers, offering tailored learning experiences to students around the world.
The report, however, cautions against the challenges ahead. Issues such as digital literacy, equitable access to technology, and striking a balance between online and offline educational experiences need to be addressed to fully exploit the potential of digital education systems.
