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Academic Outcomes
Table 19-2.  Average combined science literacy scale scores of 15-year-old students, by scientific skill subscale, sex, and country or jurisdiction: 2006

        Scientific skill subscale
  Combined science literacy score
  Identifying scientific issues
  Using scientific evidence
  Explaining phenomena scientifically
Country or jurisdiction Male Female   Male Female   Male Female   Male Female

    OECD average 501* 499   490 508*   498 501*   508* 493
OECD-member country                      
Australia 527 527   525 546*   530 533   527* 513
Austria 515 507   495 516*   509 500   526* 507
Belgium 511 510   508 523*   512 521   510* 494
Canada 536 532   525 539*   541 542   539* 522
Czech Republic 515 510   492 511*   501 500   537* 516
Denmark 500* 491   488 499*   490 487   512* 491
Finland 562 565   542 568*   564 571*   571* 562
France 497 494   491 507*   509 513   489* 474
Germany 519 512   502 518*   517 513   529* 508
Greece 468 479*   453 485*   456 475*   478 475
Hungary 507 501   477 489*   497 498   529* 507
Iceland 488 494   479 509*   487 495   491 485
Ireland 508 509   508 524*   503 509   510* 501
Italy 477 474   466 483*   466 468   487* 472
Japan 533 530   513 531*   543 545   535* 519
Korea, Republic of 521 523   508 530*   535 542   517 506
Luxembourg 491* 482   477 489*   493 490   495* 471
Mexico 413* 406   418 425*   404 401   415* 398
Netherlands 528* 521   527 539*   527 524   531* 512
New Zealand 528 532   525 547*   532 541   528* 517
Norway 484 489   478 501*   469 476   498 492
Poland 500 496   476 490*   492 495   514* 498
Portugal 477 472   480 493*   473 471   477* 462
Slovak Republic 491 485   465 485*   478 478   512* 490
Spain 491 486   482 496*   484 485   499* 481
Sweden 504 503   491 507*   494 499   516* 504
Switzerland 514* 509   510 520*   520 517   517* 498
Turkey 418 430*   414 443*   410 426*   423 423
United Kingdom 520* 510   510 517*   517 510   527* 506
United States 489 489   484 500*   486 491   492* 480
 
Non-OECD-member jurisdiction
Argentina 384 397*   381 408*   374 396*   387 386
Azerbaijan 379 386*   349 357*   342 347*   408 417*
Brazil 395* 386   394 402*   382* 375   400* 382
Bulgaria 426 443*   411 445*   404 430*   442 447
Chile 448* 426   445 443   447* 431   448* 414
Chinese Taipei 536 529   506 512   532 532   554* 535
Colombia 393 384   401 404   386 381   388* 371
Croatia 492 494   480 507*   488 493   498* 487
Estonia 530 533   504 528*   529 533   544 537
Hong Kong-China 546 539   520 535*   544 541   560* 539
Indonesia 399 387   397 389   388 383   403* 386
Israel 456 452   451 463   456 464   451* 436
Jordan 408 436*   393 425*   385 424*   427 448*
Kyrgyz Republic 319 325*   311 330*   280 295*   335 333
Latvia 486 493*   473 504*   484 497*   491* 481
Liechtenstein 516 527   508 534*   524 544   519 513
Lithuania 483 493*   463 489*   478 495*   499* 490
Macao-China 513 509   483 498*   512 511   527* 513
Montenegro, Republic of 411 413   393 409*   403 411*   421* 412
Qatar 334 365*   334 371*   307 341*   342 371*
Romania 417 419   401 418*   403 412   431* 421
Russian Federation 481 478   453 472*   478 483   493* 474
Serbia, Republic of 433 438   420 441*   419 431*   444 438
Slovenia 515 523*   504 530*   510 522*   528* 518
Thailand 411 428*   394 427*   409 433*   418 421
Tunisia 383 388   373 394*   377 387*   386 381
Uruguay 427 430   418 439*   425 433   429* 418

* Significantly higher score than other sex (p < .05).

NOTE: The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is an intergovernmental organization of 30 industrialized nations. The OECD average represents the average of the 30 member nations where each country is counted equally regardless of population size. The combined science scale and the three subscales are each computed separately. Therefore, the combined science scale score is not the average of the three subscale scores.

SOURCE: Baldi, S., Jin, Y., Skewer, M., Green, P. J., and Herget, D. (2007). Highlights From PISA 2006: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Science and Mathematics Literacy in an International Context (NCES 2008-016), figure 6, data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), 2006.

 
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