Science Literacy: Average Scores


Overall Content Subscales Process Subscales

Process Subscales

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Table S3. Average scores of 15-year-old students on the PISA science literacy process subscales, by education system: 2015
Explain phenomena   Evaluate and design enquiry   Interpret data and evidence
Education system Average score s.e.   Education system Average score s.e.   Education system Average score s.e.
OECD average 493   0.5   OECD average 493 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 0.5   OECD average 493   0.5
Singapore 553 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 1.5   Singapore 560 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 1.4   Singapore 556 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 1.4
Japan 539 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.3   Japan 536 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.3   Japan 541 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.1
Chinese Taipei 536 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.8   Estonia 535 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.6   Estonia 537 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.7
Finland 534 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.4   Canada 530 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.7   Chinese Taipei 533 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.9
Estonia 533 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.0   Finland 529 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.9   Macau (China) 532 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 1.3
Canada 530 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.1   Macau (China) 525 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 1.9   Finland 529 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.8
Macau (China) 528 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 1.4   Chinese Taipei 525 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.1   Canada 525 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.7
Hong Kong (China) 524 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.6   Hong Kong (China) 524 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.0   Korea, Republic of 523 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.2
B-S-J-G (China) 520 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 4.7   B-S-J-G (China) 517 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 5.1   Hong Kong (China) 521 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.7
Slovenia 515 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 1.5   New Zealand 517 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.1   B-S-J-G (China) 516 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 4.8
New Zealand 511 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.6   Korea, Republic of 515 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.3   New Zealand 512 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.5
Germany 511 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.8   Australia 512 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.0   Slovenia 512 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.0
Australia 510 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 1.6   Slovenia 511 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.0   United Kingdom 509 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.9
Korea, Republic of 510 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.4   Netherlands 511 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.5   Germany 509 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.0
United Kingdom 509 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.7   United Kingdom 508   2.8   Australia 508 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 1.8
Netherlands 509 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.5   Belgium 507   2.5   Netherlands 506 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.5
Ireland 505 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.5   Switzerland 507   3.5   Switzerland 506 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.0
Switzerland 505 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.1   Germany 506   2.9   Belgium 503   2.5
Norway 502 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.3   Denmark 504   2.6   Portugal 503   2.6
Denmark 502 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.7   United States 503   3.6   Poland 501   2.6
Poland 501 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.8   Portugal 502   2.7   France 501   2.5
Austria 499   2.7   Poland 502   3.0   Ireland 500   2.7
Belgium 499   2.4   Ireland 500   2.6   Denmark 500   2.6
Sweden 498   3.7   France 498   2.5   Norway 498   2.8
Portugal 498   2.5   Norway 493 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.6   United States 497   3.5
Czech Republic 496   2.5   Sweden 491 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 4.0   Latvia 494   1.7
Spain 494   2.2   Latvia 489 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.0   Czech Republic 493   2.8
United States 492   3.4   Spain 489 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.7   Spain 493   2.4
France 488   2.2   Austria 488 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.6   Austria 493   2.6
Latvia 488   1.8   Czech Republic 486 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.8   Sweden 490   3.7
Russian Federation 486   3.2   Russian Federation 484 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.3   Russian Federation 489   3.0
Luxembourg 482 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 1.1   Luxembourg 479 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 1.7   Luxembourg 486 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 1.8
Italy 481 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.7   Lithuania 478 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.9   Italy 482 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.9
Hungary 478 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.5   Italy 477 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.7   Iceland 478 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.1
Lithuania 478 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.7   Iceland 476 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.5   Hungary 476 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.7
Croatia 476 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.4   Hungary 474 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.8   Croatia 476 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.7
Iceland 468 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.0   Croatia 473 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.9   Lithuania 471 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.0
Slovak Republic 464 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.7   Israel 471 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.8   Israel 467 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.7
Israel 463 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.5   Slovak Republic 457 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.2   Slovak Republic 459 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.9
Greece 454 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.9   Greece 453 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 4.2   Greece 454 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 4.1
Bulgaria 449 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 4.5   Chile 443 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.9   Chile 447 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.7
Chile 446 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.6   Bulgaria 440 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 4.8   Bulgaria 445 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 4.6
United Arab Emirates 437 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.5   Uruguay 433 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.9   United Arab Emirates 437 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.8
Uruguay 434 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.3   United Arab Emirates 431 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.7   Uruguay 436 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.4
Cyprus 432 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 1.4   Cyprus 430 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 1.9   Cyprus 434 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 1.5
Turkey 426 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 4.2   Turkey 428 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 4.0   Turkey 423 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 4.2
Costa Rica 420 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.3   Thailand 423 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.5   Thailand 422 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.1
Thailand 419 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.9   Costa Rica 422 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.7   Qatar 418 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 1.0
Qatar 417 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 1.2   Colombia 420 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.9   Colombia 416 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.5
Mexico 414 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.3   Mexico 415 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.9   Costa Rica 415 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.6
Colombia 412 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.6   Qatar 414 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 1.5   Mexico 415 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.3
Montenegro, Republic of 411 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 1.3   Montenegro, Republic of 408 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 1.6   Montenegro, Republic of 410 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 1.7
Brazil 403 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.7   Peru 399 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.1   Peru 398 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.7
Peru 392 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.6   Brazil 398 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.9   Brazil 398 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.6
Tunisia 385 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.3   Tunisia 379 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.6   Tunisia 390 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.7
Dominican Republic 332 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.6   Dominican Republic 324 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 3.5   Dominican Republic 330 Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.9
Buenos Aires (Argentina) —   †   Buenos Aires (Argentina) —   †   Buenos Aires (Argentina) —   †
Romania —   †   Romania —   †   Romania —   †
Jordan —   †   Jordan —   †   Jordan —   †
Vietnam —   †   Vietnam —   †   Vietnam —   †
Georgia —   †   Georgia —   †   Georgia —   †
Albania —   †   Albania —   †   Albania —   †
Trinidad and Tobago —   †   Trinidad and Tobago —   †   Trinidad and Tobago —   †
Macedonia, Republic of —   †   Macedonia, Republic of —   †   Macedonia, Republic of —   †
Algeria —   †   Algeria —   †   Algeria —   †
Indonesia —   †   Indonesia —   †   Indonesia —   †
Malta —   †   Malta —   †   Malta —   †
Lebanon —   †   Lebanon —   †   Lebanon —   †
Kosovo —   †   Kosovo —   †   Kosovo —   †
Moldova, Republic of —   †   Moldova, Republic of —   †   Moldova, Republic of —   †
                           
U.S. states and territories         U.S. states and territories         U.S. states and territories      
Massachusetts 526 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 6.8   Massachusetts 538 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 6.9   Massachusetts 529 Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. 6.4
North Carolina 500   4.9   North Carolina 508   5.3   North Carolina 502   4.9
Puerto Rico —   †   Puerto Rico —   †   Puerto Rico —   †
Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. Average score is higher than U.S. score at the .05 level of statistical significance.
Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance. Average score is lower than U.S. score at the .05 level of statistical significance.
― Not available.
† Not applicable.
NOTE: Education systems are ordered by 2015 average subscale score. The OECD average is the average of the national averages of the OECD member countries, with each country weighted equally. Albania, Algeria , Buenos Aires (Argentina), Georgia, Indonesia, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Malta, Republic of Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Puerto Rico, Romania, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vietnam administered paper-based trend items and have no scores for science subscales. Standard error is noted by s.e. Italics indicate non-OECD countries and education systems. B-S-J-G (China) refers to the four PISA participating China provinces: Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Guangdong. Results for Massachusetts and North Carolina are for public school students only. Although Argentina, Malaysia, and Kazakhstan participated in PISA 2015, technical problems with their samples prevent results from being discussed in this report.
SOURCE: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), 2015.