THE COMPARISON OF PISA EDUCATIONAL RESULTS WITH GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT IN MEMBER STATES OF EUROPEAN UNION

Abstract

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) – an OECD international survey project, has become the base for an international comparison of students’ results. This publication is oriented on the wide evaluation of basic statistical data in scientific, mathematical and reading literacy of students. We compare the main results of students in scientific, mathematical and reading literacy and the tendencies of GDP and expenditure to education from the GDP of the Member states of the European Union. PISA helps identify key problems and create effective school policy for all stakeholders.

It seems evident that the above-average education expenditure percentage of the gross domestic product affects also the above-average values of the index of the sum of the scores obtained in the pupils´ scientific, mathematical as well as reading literacy for the sum of the years 2006, 2009, 2012 and 2015 in the period under review. It seems Member States which spend a higher above-average education expenditure percentage of their gross domestic product have, on a long-term basis, above-average and relatively stable results in the summary index but also individually – in the pupils´ scientific, mathematical and reading literacy.

Political and professional decisions to increase education expenditure evidently positively affect the quality of education at schools in general, regardless of how the “economy is doing”. Our results of the analysis support the assumption that even in the case of a state´s restrictive budget, expenditure on education and creative activity in general should not be restricted.