Against the Odds
Disadvantaged Students Who Succeed in School
Many socio-economically disadvantaged students excel in PISA. Students who succeed at school despite a disadvantaged background -- resilient students -- are the focus of Against the Odds. The report shows that overcoming barriers to achievement is possible, and provides students, parents, policy makers and other education stakeholders insights into what enables socio-economically disadvantaged students to fulfil their potential. Resilient students are characterised by positive approaches to learning, for example, having more interest in science or having more self-confidence. The evidence in PISA shows that positive approaches to learning tend to boost the performance of advantaged students more than that of disadvantaged ones. From an equity perspective, therefore, policies aimed at fostering positive approaches to learning ought to target disadvantaged students more than others.
Defining and Characterising Student Resilience in PISA
Resilient students come from disadvantaged backgrounds yet exhibit high levels of school success. This chapter answers a question central to this report from a PISA perspective: What does it mean to “beat the odds” and how does this differ across countries?