‘Better policies for better lives’?: constructive critique of the OECD’s (mis)measure of student well-being

Rappleye, Jeremy; Komatsu, Hirokazu; Uchida, Yukiko; Kryś, Kuba; Markus, Hazel Rose

doi:10.1080/02680939.2019.1576923

Cited by 74 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Would these settings – and perhaps people in general across cultural settings – be better served by conceptions and measures of well-being that better reflect realities of embeddedness and interdependence? Research on such questions is only beginning ( Hitokoto and Uchida, 2015 ; White, 2017 ; Rappleye et al, 2020 ). We offer this work as a step in that direction.…”

Section: Conclusion: Decolonial Caution About the Science Of Well-beimentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultural Models of Well-Being Implicit in Four Ghanaian Languages

et al. 2020

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This contribution to the collection of articles on "African Cultural Models" considers the topic of well-being. Reflecting modern individualist selfways of North American and European worlds, normative conceptions of well-being in hegemonic psychological science tend to valorize self-acceptance, personal growth, and autonomy. In contrast, given the embedded interdependence of everyday life in many West African worlds, one can hypothesize that cultural models of well-being in many Ghanaian settings will place greater emphasis on sustainability-oriented themes of material sufficiency and successful navigation of normative obligations. To explore this hypothesis, we interviewed local cultural experts who function as custodians of religion and an important source of support for well-being in many Ghanaian settings. We asked participants to identify and explain models of well-being implicit in four Ghanaian languages (Akan, Dagbani, Ewe, and Ga). Participants were 19 men and 15 women (age range 32-92 years; Mean = 59.83; SD: 14.01). Results reveal some features of local models, including good health and positive affective states, that appear to resonate with standard understandings of well-being in hegemonic psychological science. However, results also provide evidence for other features of local models-specifically, good living (including moral living, material success, and proper relationality) and peace of mind-associated with a sustainability or maintenance orientation to well-being.

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Section: Conclusion: Decolonial Caution About the Science Of Well-beimentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultural Models of Well-Being Implicit in Four Ghanaian Languages

et al. 2020

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“…PISA-D has been widely critiqued for its neo-colonial rationale and frameworks (e.g. Kaess 2018), while the OECD's (mis)measure of non-cognitive domains such as well-being (Rappleye et al 2020), global competence (Auld and Morris 2019) and social and emotional learning (Williamson 2019) raise serious doubts about its capacity to assess whether systems are developing students as a 'whole person'. Although the Organisation's rebranding and expanded frameworks are positioned as necessary to assist national responses to changing global realities, we suggest that they are primarily necessary to ensure organisational survival and expansion.…”

Section: Concluding Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A historical perspective on the OECD’s ‘humanitarian turn’: PISA for Development and the Learning Framework 2030

Auld

2020

Comparative Education

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This paper identifies OECD's shifting agendas and approaches to education since inception and distinguishes three time periods. Each of these periods reflects shifting geopolitical and economic realities that shaped OECD's priorities and modes of operation. They also demonstrate the adaptive capacity and expansionist nature of OECD's education work as it successfully innovates, finds market niches and adds new dimensions to its datasets. These have culminated in its recent strategic initiatives, namely: PISA for Development and the Learning Framework 2030. The former aims to adapt PISA to fit into low-and middle-income countries and serve as the global learning metric; and the latter aims to incorporate non-cognitive competencies into its main tests. Together they are designed to expand and consolidate the Organisation's influence in the context of the SDGs. By adopting a historical perspective, we provide a critical understanding of OECD's shifting role in global education governance and its 'humanitarian turn.

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“…Unlike objective constructs, wellbeing is subjective and socioculturally formed, meaning it does not easily lend itself to global measurement (Tov and Diener, 2009). Indeed, educationalists have challenged the OECD's 'global' approach to conceptualising wellbeing; suggesting wellbeing is deeply entrenched in different cultural ontologies and what it means to live 'the best life' (Rappleye et al, 2019). Given Heller-Sahlgren's 'trade-off' report uses PISA data, it serves as a useful springboard for discussion of the theoretical assumptions underpinning transnational comparisons of wellbeing and achievement on the whole: provided in this section.…”

Section: Transnational Comparisons and The Theoretical Assumptions Unmentioning

confidence: 99%

Children’s wellbeing and their academic achievement: The dangerous discourse of ‘trade-offs’ in education

Clarke

2020

Theory and Research in Education

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Research conducted in England over the last decade has documented sustained, significant decreases in children’s wellbeing. While recent changes to curriculum policy promoting children’s wellbeing have been introduced, a notable feature of the discourse surrounding the promotion of children’s wellbeing is that wellbeing is regarded as opposed to, or in tension with, children’s academic achievement. Recently, Gabriel Heller-Sahlgren proposed that there is an inevitable ‘trade-off’ between children’s ‘wellbeing’ and their academic achievement. Using PISA 2012 data, Heller-Sahlgren argues that pupil happiness and high achievement do not go hand in hand; implying policymakers have a decision to make about which they uphold as the priority. In this article, I discuss the theoretical assumptions underpinning transnational comparisons of children’s wellbeing and review evidence from psychology and education to ascertain whether a trade-off is empirically supported. I argue that far from being incompatible, children’s wellbeing and achievement are positively associated. However, this relationship is not straightforward and requires careful disentangling of the hedonic and eudaimonic components of wellbeing. I underline four main gaps in current knowledge of the wellbeing-achievement relationship to date: the need for (1) multidimensional conceptualisation and measurement of wellbeing, (2) exploration of mediating mechanisms/constructs explaining the wellbeing-achievement relationship, (3) objective operationalisation of achievement, and (4) investigation of developmental differences. To conclude, I argue that when making policy recommendations researchers should avoid ‘all or nothing’ thinking which lures governments into false dichotomies.

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‘Better policies for better lives’?: constructive critique of the OECD’s (mis)measure of student well-being

Cited by 74 publications

References 49 publications

Cultural Models of Well-Being Implicit in Four Ghanaian Languages

Cultural Models of Well-Being Implicit in Four Ghanaian Languages

A historical perspective on the OECD’s ‘humanitarian turn’: PISA for Development and the Learning Framework 2030

Children’s wellbeing and their academic achievement: The dangerous discourse of ‘trade-offs’ in education

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