Educational system assessment: Italy and Finland, comparative case study

Abstract

Educational system assessment allows the evaluation of some learning outcomes and permits the continuous monitoring of educational processes. The aim of this study is to explore the ways used to assess and evaluate school systems and universities and students' learning outcomes in Italy and Finland, two important educational realities as shown in PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) results (OECD, 2019). The attention is focused on common and uncommon practices employed in each country and on perceptions that the educational system assessment creates in those who evaluate and in those evaluated. Ten stakeholders from Italy and Finland participated in focus groups or interviews one to one audio-taped, transcribed and analysed using qualitative methods. The results underline that the evaluation of school systems and universities helps build a large database and that the evaluation process have to be made with trust between stakeholders involved, with innovation and awareness. The general acceptance is increasing: stakeholders from two contexts considered highlight that, in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness, school systems and universities need a formative assessment and evaluation in which everyone is involved from central educational institutions to teachers and students.