Investigating the progress of Dubai private schools’ PISA and TIMSS results and school inspection reports from 2011 to 2018
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Date
2019-09
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The British University in Dubai (BUiD)
Abstract
International assessments have made an impact on many countries’ national education policies. In 2014, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, launched the UAE National Agenda, detailed in the ‘UAE Vision 2021’ policy document, which includes an objective to put the UAE among the top 15 countries in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and top 20 in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), by 2021. A mixed method approach investigated the progress of private schools in Dubai using their results from PISA 2012 and 2015, TIMSS 2011 and 2015, PISA-based Test for Schools (PBTS) 2017; analysis of schools’ inspection reports; and the views of the schools’ principals. The findings show more progress in TIMSS results than in PISA. The researcher recommends that schools should modify their curricula, and improve the teachers’ strategies and students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills, in order to meet National Agenda targets. Further research is recommended after PISA 2018 and TIMSS 2019, correlating the results with analysis of inspection reports.
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Keywords
Private schools., Educational tests and measurement., TIMSS, school inspection, United Arab Emirates (UAE), education policies