The atmosphere of tenth grade classrooms has improved worldwide since 2000 and Canada was no exception, according to the most recent results from the world’s premiere education study, the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
In 25 out of 38 countries, classroom discipline improved and in the rest, like Canada, it was unchanged. Classroom discipline is determined by asking students how often their teachers have to wait for noisy disruptions to end before the lesson begins. In Japan, 93 per cent said teachers had to wait “never or hardly ever” or “in some lessons.” At 72 per cent, Canada meets the OECD average for discipline. The least disciplined classrooms were in Greece and Argentina, where only 62 per cent reported general quiet. Canada improved its score on the other two measures of classroom climate. The number of students who agreed or strongly agreed that “most of my teachers really listen to what I have to say” rose from 70 to 74 per cent. The number who agreed or strongly agreed that “If I need extra help, I will receive it from my teachers” rose from 87 to 89 per cent, one of the highest figures in the world. PISA says all of the results are statistically significant.