Lisbon, Nov. 13, 2024 (Lusa) - Eight out of ten 15-year-old Portuguese students consider it important to listen to several perspectives before taking a position on a given issue, according to the international PISA 2022 report, which highlights Portugal as standing out in this respect among 38 countries.
In the latest edition of the Programme for International Student Assessments 2022, Portugal emerges as the country with the highest share of students (65%) who challenge the notion that there is only one correct position in the event of disagreement.
Among the 38 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries analysed in the study, Portugal is also the country with the smallest proportion (29%) in students who consider everyone's perspective but believe that there is only one correct position in case of disagreement.
On the other hand, in Czechia, Finland, Iceland, Jordan, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Palestine and Poland, fewer than 50% of students reported considering everyone's perspective before making a decision.
In Indonesia and Thailand, fewer than 20% of students disagree with the idea that there is only one right position in the event of disagreement.
PISA 2022 examines additional forms of parental interaction, such as engaging in discussions about political or social issues and nurturing a social connection between children and parents.
The document concludes that students whose parents talk to them about political or social issues are more developed in critical thinking than students whose parents do this less, reporting that this has been observed in most countries and economies with available data, and particularly in Belgium, Brazil, Ireland and Portugal.
PISA 2022 also shows higher levels of proactivity in maths study behaviour when students feel more connected to their parents, for example feeling that they encourage them to make their own decisions or that they care.
In the United Arab Emirates, for example, more than 80% of students who reported feeling this way towards their parents paid more attention when their maths teacher was talking than around 60% of their less supported peers.
In New Zealand, around 80% of students whose parents help them as much as they need it reported that they try harder more often, which is 20 percentage points more than students whose parents help them less.
VP/ARO // ARO.
Lusa
