Teacher education for an uncertain future: Implications of PISA’s global competence

Abstract

In 2018, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) is set to introduce an assessment of Global Competence in its Programme for International Student Achievement (PISA). This assessment lays the foundation for a set of knowledge, skills, values and beliefs that the OECD considers necessary to become a globally competent citizen. Throughout this chapter, we identify and critique the intended socialising function of PISA’s Global Competence and consider its implications for Initial Teacher Education (ITE). We do this by drawing on Bernstein’s theoretical tools to engage in a critical analysis of PISA’s Global Competence framework. Our analysis reveals three key findings: (1) PISA’s Global Competence acts as a symbolic regulator of consciousness, (2) PISA’s Global Competence facilitates a new form of global pedagogic governance and (3) ITE can play an important role in either reproducing, disrupting or transforming the socialising function of PISA’s Global Competence. In conclusion, we argue that engaging with Comparative and International Education scholarship will prepare pre-service teachers to respond to the complexities and demands of an uncertain educational future within an increasingly globalised educational landscape.