2010 National Assessment of World Studies (Time, Space, Society and Resource Use) in Primary Education in Flanders

In 2010 a national assessment was carried out, which was commissioned by the Flemish government, to assess whether pupils have achieved the attainment targets for world orientation (domains of time, space, society and resource utilization) at the end of primary education. This is the second national assessment on world orientation: in 2005, the attainment targets of the nature domain were assessed. Data were collected through five written tests covering the domains of time, space and society. A representative sample of 3397 pupils from 113 Flemish primary schools participated. This representative sample was supplemented by an additional sample of 941 pupils from 62 Dutch-speaking schools in the Brussels Capital Region. The attainment targets for resource utilization were assessed through a performance assessment. 767 pupils from the representative sample took part in this practical test. It was not possible to administer this practical test in the schools of the additional sample in Brussels. Tests were supplemented with background questionnaires for pupils, parents and teachers. The pupil questionnaire collected, among other things, information on their family situation and their interest in world orientation. Parents were asked about their child, their family background and their satisfaction with the school. The teacher questionnaire collected, among other things, information on themselves, their classroom practices and their motivation to teach. The response rates to these questionnaires were almost 100% for pupils, 93% for parents and 95% for teachers.