What PISA Tells us about Student-Centered Teaching and Student Outcomes 1

Abstract

This chapter describes how PISA has measured student-centered and related teaching practices since its first cycle in 2000 and how these practices are related to various student outcomes. The chapter then compares teacher-directed and student-oriented instruction using PISA 2012 and TALIS 2013 data, and teacher-directed and enquiry-based instruction in science lessons using PISA 2015 data. The findings show that, in almost every school system, students who are more exposed to student-centered and enquiry-based instruction show weaker academic performance. However, the evidence regarding academic performance is more ambiguous, as the analyses shift from a purely correlational approach to a more causal one, such as those involving regression analysis and student-fixed effects models. Also, students who are more exposed to student-centered teaching practices display greater intrinsic motivation, are more likely to enjoy learning, show stronger epistemic beliefs and are more likely to expect working in science-related careers. PISA findings bring important insights about student-centered learning and teaching practices relevant also for the higher education context.