Media neglect of Indigenous student performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2001–2015

Edward Rock Davis; Rachel Wilson; John Robert Evans

doi:10.1017/jie.2019.4

Authors

Edward Rock Davis School of Education and Social Work, Education Annexe, The University of Sydney
Rachel Wilson School of Education and Social Work, Education Annexe, The University of Sydney
John Robert Evans Australian Centre for Public and Population Health Research, University of Technology Sydney

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1017/jie.2019.4

Keywords:

Aboriginal education, media bias, media discourse, Programme for International Student Assessment

Abstract

This research explores media reporting of Indigenous students’ Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results in two national and 11 metropolitan Australian newspapers from 2001 to 2015. Of almost 300 articles on PISA, only 10 focused on reporting of Indigenous PISA results. While general or non-Indigenous PISA results featured in media reports, especially at the time of the publication of PISA results, there was overwhelming neglect of Indigenous results and the performance gap. A thematic analysis of articles showed mainstream PISA reporting had critical commentary which is not found in the Indigenous PISA articles. The three themes identified include: a lack of teacher quality in remote and rural schools; the debate on Gonski funding recommendations and the PISA achievement gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. This study concluded the overwhelming neglect is linked to media bias, which continues to drive mainstream media coverage of Indigenous Australians.

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