International large-scale assessment (ILSA): Implications for pre-service teacher education in the Philippines

Allen A. Espinosa, Ma. Arsenia C. Gomez, Allan S. Reyes, Heidi B. Macahilig, Leah Amor S. Cortez and Adonis P. David
Philippine Normal University, Philippines

The participation of countries in various international large-scale assessments (ILSA) is motivated by different factors. In recent years however, there has been a growing popularity and importance placed on the results of ILSA. Recognising the significance of ILSA as a valuable source of feedback for enhancing the basic education system, the Philippines, through its Department of Education, has actively engaged in participating. This discussion paper examines the current state of the Philippines in relation to ILSA and underscores the need to incorporate the findings of ILSA into the review of the pre-service teacher education program. Although there is limited literature available on how ILSA should inform Philippine pre-service teacher education, existing studies suggest that the current teacher education curriculum falls short in terms of meeting the expectations of ILSA. By framing the discussion within the context of the value of ILSA as an assessment system that can provide feedback for educational improvement, it becomes evident that considering ILSA in the program design of pre-service teacher education is a recognition of its significance, despite its Western origins.
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Authors: Allen A. Espinosa is an associate professor of science education and currently the director of the Educational Policy Research and Development Center of the Philippine Normal University. His current research interests span a broad range of topics including policy research, teacher education, information disorder, and social justice in education. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4431-9016 Email: espinosa.aa@pnu.edu.ph Ma. Arsenia C. Gomez is an associate professor of social science education at the Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences and a Faculty Researcher at the Educational Policy Research and Development Center of the Philippine Normal University. Her current research interests include Muslim education and contemporary issues in education. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9299-9928 Email: gomez.mac@pnu.edu.ph Allan S. Reyes is an associate professor of mathematics education and a senior program manager at the Research Center for Teacher Quality of the Philippine Normal University. His current research interests include teacher education and policy research. He provided technical assistance to the Department of Education on the development of the Results-Based Performance Management System (RPMS). Email: allan.reyes@pnu.edu.ph Heidi B. Macahilig is an associate professor of reading education at the College of Graduate Studies and Teacher Education Research and currently the director of the Office of Admissions of the Philippine Normal University. Her current research interests include first and second language reading and literacy, beginning reading instruction, reading assessment and language-of-instruction policy. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9236-8918 Email: macahilig.hb@pnu.edu.ph Leah Amor S. Cortez is an associate professor of science education at the College of Graduate Studies and Teacher Education Research of the Philippine Normal University and the Executive Director and Provost of Philippine Normal University South Luzon. Her research interests include life and environmental sciences, ethnoscience, science pedagogies, learning, and assessment. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7005-9900 Email: cortez.las@pnu.edu.ph Adonis P. David (corresponding author) is Professor of Counselling and Psychology at the College of Graduate Studies and Teacher Education Research in the Philippine Normal University where he currently serves as the Vice President for Research, Planning and Quality Assurance. His current research interests centre on the psychological well-being of teachers and counselors, gender and education, and career development. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3792-8884 Email: david.ap@pnu.edu.ph Please cite as: Espinosa, A. A., Gomez, M. A. C., Reyes, A. S., Macahilig, H. B., Cortez, L. A. S. & David, A. P. (2023). International large-scale assessment (ILSA): Implications for pre-service teacher education in the Philippines. Issues in Educational Research, 33(2), 553-569. http://www.iier.org.au/iier33/espinosa.pdf