Study uncovers problem-solving gap between rich and poor teens

Scottish 15-year-olds from the poorest areas are around two and half years behind their counterparts with the most advantaged backgrounds when it comes to problemsolving, it has emerged.

The gap between the rich and poor has been identified by the internationally respected Pisa study which looks at the academic performance of teenagers in the OECD countries.

The study also found that 15-year-olds in Korea, Estonia, England and Germany were better at problem-solving than their Scottish counterparts.

Although Pisa rated Scottish 15-year-olds as being “above average” when it came to problem-solving, they fared worse than children in a total of nine countries.

Scottish teenagers scored similarly to those from six countries including Northern Ireland and the US, but outperformed 15-year-olds from 19 countries including France and Wales.

When it came to the gap between rich and poor, the study, published yesterday, said: “The average scores in collaborativeproblem-solving between the most disadvantaged and least disadvantaged students are apart by nearly 74 points. If, as the OECD sur- mises with maths, reading and science, a year’s schooling is equivalent to about 30 points, that would imply a difference of nearly two and half years education.”

Conservative education spokeswoman Liz Smith said: “Like literacy and numeracy, problem solving is an essential skill for all pupils, but these statistics suggests that the SNP is making no progress when it comes to narrowing the stubborn gap.”

Education secretary John Swinney said: “The results today show us that our 15-yearolds have key strengths in the skills that are necessary for contributing to today’s society.”