Towards a Global Competency Level Framework for Policy Decision: Evidence-Based PISA Reporting Scale

Abstract

Filipino learners have been lagging behind other countries in terms of reading competency as indicated by the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). To pave ways for the enhancement of curricula in line with global standards, this study aimed to describe the congruence of the English Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs) to PISA's reading literacy standards in terms of (1) competency standards, (2) cognitive demand, and (3) their relationship to global reading competency. It used a quantitative and a cross-sectional design. Total enumeration sampling method was used where the study's respondents are the 26 Grade 10 Science, Technology, and Engineering learners of Bajet-Castillo High School. The researchers-made Higher-Order Thinking Skills Classification Questionnaire composed of 25 items was the survey's main research tool which is anchored on PISA Reading Literacy Framework, the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy, and the MELCs in English for Grade 10. One-sample t-test and paired-samples t-test were utilized to identify if there are significant differences among curriculum's indicators to the .75 benchmark as well as the congruency level between standards and cognitive demands, respectively. Results showed mixed levels of conformance to the benchmark with Q2 (t = -4.244, p < .001) and Q4 (t = -2.122, p = .044) significantly lesser, and Q6 (t = 2.107, p = .045) significantly greater than the benchmark, indicating partial congruence and significant differences only in certain combinations. Moreover, there is a positive but insignificant relationship between implementation of PISA's reading standards and global reading competency (R = .293, R² = .086, F(1,24) = 2.257, p = .146) as shown by the linear regression. Ultimately, a policy-oriented framework that correlates curriculum's congruence and cognitive demand of instruction with PISA's levels of reading is proposed.