Educational Processes and Educational Outcomes in the Media: Representation Practices and Reality Formation

Results of national and international school performance studies (e.g., PISA) are frequently discussed by major national newspapers in prominent positions, usually on the front page. The reporting often focuses on issues of equal opportunity and equity in the German educational system. The large differences between students who reach Competency Level 5 and those who only reach Competency Level 1 are highlighted. The close correlation between social characteristics (social background and gender) and the results achieved in the test is striking in the reporting. Using terms such as "educationally disadvantaged family", social groups are constructed in the media, which attribute the complex correlations between test performance and students to simple factors – namely those that lie outside the control of the school system. The lecture will elaborate which factors are medially foregrounded with regard to results in school performance studies – using the example of PISA.