Abstract
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which is coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), is a worldwide evaluation of 15-year-old school pupils' scholastic performance. Japan attained the highest level on PISA Mathematical Literacy Test in 2003. However, Japan could not reach the highest level in the area of the Probability and Statistics, called 'Uncertainty', on this test. At that time, the Japanese course of study did not cover the contents of probability and statistics totally. That is why we should accept the fail in that area. Then, what kind of answer patterns did the Japanese students have on PISA2003 Mathematical Literacy Test, especially in the area of "Uncertainty"? If we get the picture of their answer patterns, it would be possible to make a deep analysis of secular change between the results in PISA2003 and the future results in PISA2012 in the future. The aim of this study is to reveal the answer patterns of Japanese students on PISA2003 Mathematical Literacy Test. Especially by focusing on the "Uncertainty", domain compare 13 countries and areas (namely, Australia. Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand and the United States). Analysis revealed that Japan has an unusual answer pattern in terms of items functioning. Particularly, "Uncertainty" shows a marked tendency to possess unusual answer pattern.
