Kaycheng Soh Knihy

The OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) evaluates the academic performance of 15-year-olds in Reading, Mathematics, and Science, with a rotating focus on these subjects across various assessments. Since its inception in 2000, the number of participating economies has surged from 43 to 74 by 2015, highlighting its growing significance among global education authorities. PISA's findings provide valuable insights into educational outcomes and practices worldwide.

Focusing on the influence of culture and school environment, this book explores their critical roles in educational achievement as highlighted by international comparative studies. It addresses the conceptual and methodological challenges faced by governments, policymakers, and educators in interpreting these studies, emphasizing the need for a nuanced understanding of how these factors impact student performance. By providing insights into these issues, the book aims to enhance the evaluation of educational systems worldwide.

Focusing on the behaviors of teachers that enhance student creativity, this book introduces the CFTIndex, a rating scale for assessing such behaviors. It features a lead article by Professor Authur Cropley, whose foundational ideas inspired the CFTIndex, alongside research contributions from international authors who have applied the scale in their studies. The collection offers insights into effective teaching practices that foster creativity, making it a valuable resource for educators and researchers alike.

Assessment in Singaporean education is pivotal, heavily influencing students' future paths through tests and examinations. The outcomes of these evaluations lead to significant, often irreversible decisions regarding their educational trajectories, highlighting the high stakes involved in academic performance.

This collection of articles begins with an overview of the Reviews from past decades, then goes on to describe the current practices, and foretells the possible future developments. This is followed by a discussion of the use of ICT and surveys on several professional aspects of teaching, including teachers’ training needs and perception of student difficulties, assessment literacy, familiarity and use of language teaching strategies, as well as perceived social status and job satisfaction. The book ends with an extensive discussion of bilingualism and code-switching as well as the teaching of Chinese culture in Singapore schools. The comprehensive coverage provides a milestone in Chinese Language teaching in the multi-lingual context of Singapore.

The book explores the evolution of world university rankings over the past fifteen years, highlighting their role in defining excellence in higher education. It discusses the origins of the Academic Ranking of World Universities from Shanghai Jiaotong University, followed by the QS and Times Higher Education rankings, which have become foundational in this field. Additionally, it examines the emergence of over ten new ranking systems, reflecting the growing interest and complexity in evaluating academic institutions globally.