BECE. Newsletter 

Vol.14, No.2, 2023 1775 

 

 

 

 

Global Competence of Students in PISA High-

Performing Regions: The Impact of Individual and 

School Factors 

By Liu, B. & Huang, Q. 
Correspondence to: Qinhui Huang, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong 

Kong, China. E-mail: huangqh@link.cuhk.edu.hk 

MIDST the constant progression of globalization, it is of great signifi-

cance to cultivate talents with global competence and ample knowledge 

about international affairs in order for the nation to seize development oppor-

tunities and react properly to global challenges. There has been increasing re-

search on the possibility of fostering student global competence in the school 

setting. Using data of four high-performing countries and regions in the PISA 

Global Competence Survey 2018, this study analyzed the effects of school 

and personal factors on student global competence as well as the influence of 

school factors on the relation between student personal factors and global 

competence development. 

The research findings reveal that:  
 Family socioeconomic status (SES), multilingual capability, and reading interest of 

students positively predict their global competence to varying degrees.  

 The average ESCS level of the school positively predicts global competence of stu-

dents of all four countries and regions, multicultural events and globalized curricu-

la have no significant impact on student global competence, and teacher multicul-

tural belief negatively predicts global competence of Singaporean students. 

 The average ESCS level of the school only has a significantly negative moderating 

effect on the relationship between Hong Kong students’ reading interest and global 

competence, and teacher multicultural belief can positively moderate the relation 

between family SES and global competence of Canadian students. 

The study suggests that schools should offer students from diverse 

backgrounds equal opportunities for global competence training, place pre-

miums on improving students’ foreign language proficiency, and work to 

create a reading-valued campus culture; and that they should encourage in-

ternational peer communication, organize intercultural activities, improve the 

depth and breadth of globalized curricula, and provide teachers with profes-

sional training on global competence education. 

 
Source: Journal of East China Normal University (Education Science Edition), 2023; 

41(2):38-529. 

A 

mailto:huangqh@link.cuhk.edu.hk