Unraveling a Secret : Vietnam's Outstanding Performance on the PISA Test

Parandekar, Suhas D. ; Sedmik, Elisabeth K.

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: SKILLS;    STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS;    PARENT PARTICIPATION;    ACADEMIC STANDARDS;    COLLEGE;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-7630
RP-ID  :  WPS7630

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

This paper seeks to find an empiricalexplanation of Vietnam's outstanding performance on theProgramme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in2012. Only a few developing countries participate in theassessment. Those who do, with the unique exception ofVietnam, are typically clustered at the lower end of therange of the Programme for International student Assessmentscores. The paper compares Vietnam's performance withthat of a set of seven developing countries from the 2012assessment's data set, using a cut-off per capita GDP(in 2010 purchasing power parity dollars) of $10,000. Theseven developing countries' average performance lagsVietnam's by more than 100 points. The "Vietnameffect" is difficult to unscramble, but the paper isable to explain about half of the gap between Vietnam andthe seven countries. The analysis reveals that Vietnamesestudents may be approaching their studies with higherdiligence and discipline, their parents may have higherexpectations, and the parents may be following up withteachers regarding those expectations. The teachersthemselves may be working in a more disciplined environment,with tabs being kept on their own performance as teachers.Vietnam may also be benefiting from investments inpre-school education and in school infrastructure that aredisproportionately higher when compared with Vietnam'sper capita income level.