TIMSS and PISA impact – the case of Jordan

Abstract

Jordan has participated in international large-scale assessments (LSAs) since 1991 and in most of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Studies (TIMSS) as well as the Programme for International Student Assessments (PISA). After a short description of education system and policy-making context in the country, this article provides an overview of Jordan’s involvement in and reporting of LSAs. It then discusses various ways in which results from TIMSS and PISA have impacted education policy, for example, as key performance indicators in the policy-making process, through the development of school curricula and teacher training guides, in the evaluation of initiatives and programmes by donors or by providing data to address questions regarding gender differences or declining performance. The article concludes with considerations as to how to further increase the usefulness of data from international LSAs through an increase in student motivation, further training in the data analyses and improved funding security.

Keywords:

• Large-scale assessments
• Jordan
• education system
• education policy
• data