Education 2013

Utdanning 2013 – fra barnehage til doktorgrad (Education 2013 – from kindergarten to doctorate) covers a wide range of topics within the field of education and all levels of the education system.

Chapter 1 gives an overview of the key figures for education, with the emphasis on the past decade. The chapter presents and describes figures for kindergartens, primary schools, lower and upper secondary schools and higher education institutions, such as colleges and universities. The statistics cover the number of kindergarten children, pupils and students, the number of educational institutions broken down into private and public institutions, the number and application of full-time equivalents (FTEs), the pupils and students’ choice of subjects, the throughput and the level of education among the population, plus more.

In Chapter 2, the correlation between children’s participation in Norwegian kindergartens and language and behavioural development in early childhood is examined. Data for this work was taken from the mother and child study (Den norske mor- og barn-undersøk­elsen) that is managed and conducted by Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

Chapter 3 is an overview article on «The Norwegian Test Decade» (Det norske testtiåret) – the «boom years» of the national and international tests. The article gives an overview of national and international tests in primary and lower secondary schools in Norway, as well as the most relevant tests for younger children, higher education and the adult population in general. The widely discussed tests include PISA, TIMSS, PIRLS, PIAAC and national tests.

Why do children whose parents have a higher education do better in school? Children of parents with a higher education have, on average, better grades than other children. However, there is little empirical support for giving this correlation a causal interpretation. In Chapter 4 two alternative strategies are used to identify any causal effect of parents’ education on children’s school achievements.

Are students› levels of achievement at primary and lower secondary school influenced by their freedom to choose an upper secondary school? Chapter 5 describes a study aimed at shedding light on whether the grades of pupils at primary and lower secondary school are better when they have the freedom to choose their upper secondary education. The study compares the case of Hordaland’s changeover to freedom of choice in upper secondary schooling in the scholastic year 2005/06 with other counties that have retained control of the intake of pupils.

Chapter 6 examines the recruitment to science subjects in upper secondary schooling and higher education. The article gives us an insight into pupils and students’ expectations and motives for choice of study.

Many pupils who take vocational courses drop out, but what happens to those who ­complete their vocational training – do they find work? Are there disparities in the ­employment rate between different educational programmes, counties, genders and ­immigrant groups? Chapter 7 examines the transition from vocational training to the labour market.

Education in Norway in an international perspective examines the OECD publication ­«Education at a Glance», and has published some interesting results that are highly ­relevant to a wide audience. Chapter 8 deals with several education indicators, including the throughput in upper secondary schools and the education level of the population, and draws up international comparisons.

Chapter 9 describes students who have taken doctoral degrees in Norway, and provides breakdowns by gender and subject area, as well as time series. The article also examines where these students end up in the labour market, with a focus on whether there is a disparity between students with non-Norwegian citizenship and Norwegian students.