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| Overview: Performance
in the area of resources and economic activities was inconsistent,
with some good performances, particularly on team tasks and at
year 8, but some poor performances as well. Students were able
to generate some creative and useful solutions to problems presented
in some of the tasks. On other tasks, in particular ones that
asked about specific knowledge, or why people would support or
oppose a particular position, students did not fare as well. |
The
assessments included seven tasks investigating students’ knowledge,
understandings and processes in the area of resources and economic
activities. This area focuses on people’s allocation and
management of resources, and their participation in economic
activities.
Many of these involved a problem or dilemma that asked students
to look at both sides of an issue or to come up with a solution
to a problem. Students were moderately successful at discussing
these issues and were frequently able to come up with creative
solutions or approaches to the problems. There was substantial
variability in performance at both year 4 and year 8. For example,
students did not do particularly well when asked to come up with
reasons for why people would support or oppose wind power Wind
Power, (p39). They also had trouble in thinking about
New Zealand imports and exports Exports – Imports,
(p42). On the other
hand, when working in teams, students were able to describe problems
and generate good solutions to the problem of a potato disease
in Spud Grub (p40).
Four of the tasks were identical for both year 4 and year 8 students,
and three were administered only to year 8 students. Four are trend
tasks (fully described with data for both 2005 and 2009) and three
are link tasks, only partially described here so that they might
be used again in a future administration.
The tasks are presented in two sections: trend tasks, and then
link tasks. Within each section, tasks attempted by both year 4
and year 8 students are presented first, followed by tasks attempted
only by year 8 students.
Averaged across 31 task components administered to both year 4
and year 8 students, 12% more year 8 than year 4 students succeeded
with these components. On the trend tasks, there was little change
at year 8, but a small decline at year 4. Averaged across 30 task
components on three tasks, 4% fewer year 4 students succeeded in
2009 than in 2005. At year 8 level, averaged across 56 components
on four tasks, 1% more students succeeded in 2009 than in 2005. |
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