A Study on the Changes of Japanese Students’ PISA Mathematical Literacy:Focusing on the Content Category of ‘Uncertainty and Data’on PISA2003, PISA2012 and PISA2015

Abstract

　　Watanabe (2019) revealed that the pattern of item difficulty of Japan does not have observable changes between PISA2003 and PISA2012 in whole by making international comparison.  Looking at common items between PISA2003 and PISA2012 to examine the pattern of item difficulty in more detail, one of the items of the area ‘uncertainty and data’ that related with probability and statistics has remarkable change of being easy item in only the result of Japan.  The results suggest that the revised course of study in 2008 has a gradual effect on the pattern of item difficulty.  Because this course of study is newly revised with the area ‘uncertainty and data’.  However, the students that took PISA2012 learned mathematics under the revised course of study in a period of its advanced implementation.  

　　The aim of this study is to verify the effect of the revised course of study in 2008 after its full implementation focusing on the area ‘uncertainty and data’ by analyzing PISA2015 data.  In order to consider the pattern of item difficulty in the area ‘uncertainty and data’, the method of multiple group item response theory is used to detect the differences of item difficulty between PISA2003, PISA2012 and PISA2015.   

　　The results revealed that the pattern of item difficulty in the area ‘uncertainty and data’ does not have observable changes among PISA2003, PISA2012 and PISA2015 in whole by making international comparison. However, focusing on common items, the item of the area ‘uncertainty and data’ that has remarkable change in the study of Watanabe (2019) became easer in the results of PISA2015 as well.  In conclusion, the effect of the revised course of study in 2008 is revealed that the specific item of the area ‘uncertainty and data’ become easer among PISA2003, PISA2012 and PISA2015.