The Hard Work of Interpretation: The National Politics of PISA Reception in Hungary and Romania

Abstract

This article discusses the dynamic interaction between global policy and knowledge flows and two post-communist education systems -Hungary and Romania -with special attention to the appropriation of post-bureaucratic regulation tools and the structural changes enhanced by the knowledge transmitted by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey. First, through the lens of the socio-history of educational assessments, the varieties of state socialist education systems are detailed in order to contextualise the subsequent discussion about the entry of the two countries into the PISA survey and the national institutional changes generated by PISA. After the thematic comparison of the country case studies, the article concludes that the two cases do not allow the conceptualisation of a single post-socialist model of PISA reception, but, on the contrary, the international comparative framework of PISA offers an opportunity to critically interrogate the complex processes of convergence and divergence in the study of globalisation, and to elaborate a differentiated perspective on post-socialist education systems and governance strategies.

Lessons Learned from PISA: A Systematic Review of Peer-Reviewed Articles on the Programme for International Student Assessment

“…In Germany, for example, many articles following the 'PISA Shock' (Ertl, 2006) surrounding Germany's performance in PISA's first cycle focused on the ramifications of PISA upon Germany alone. Discussion concerning reforms occurring in Germany post-PISA (Di Fuccia, Witteck, Markic, & Eilks, 2012;Hartong, 2012;Klemm, 2003) have also included debate regarding the nature of educational standards previously upheld by the German educational system and those standards now being introduced via PISA-driven reform (Neumann et al, 2012;Sünker, 2003).…”

Policies of ‘modernisation’ in European education: Enactments and consequences

“…But more research is needed, especially comparative or historical, on how processes of modernisation, inspired by NPM, have been inscribed, interpreted, translated and enacted in nation states across Europe according to their different traditions of state models and welfare regimes. Examples of such work can of course already be found, some in this journal -see, for instance, Neumann et al, 2012;Papanastasiou, 2013;Sundberg and Wahlström, 2012).…”

Momentos de Hegemonia – raízes históricas do capitalismo autoritário e a política educacional: o caso da Hungria

“…No geral, durante as transformações dos anos de 1980 e 1990, o sistema húngaro de educação superior desenvolveu um Ocidental-centrismo quase incondicional, implicando que todas as iniciativas políticas e reformas fossem vistas como métodos para se avançar rumo a um cenário mais "democrático" e "europeu desenvolvido". Eficiência, racionalização, melhor competitividade internacional e redução de gastos excessivos eram objetivos centrais nestas reformas, que também foram legitimadas pelo contraste desses valores com aqueles da era socialista anterior (Neumann et al, 2012). Apesar desses esforços, o sistema educacional permaneceu um tanto caótico, mesmo após a introdução do sistema de Bolonha em 2005.…”