COPENHAGEN, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Danish school pupils, particularly boys, are performing poorly in natural science subjects, said the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in a study released on Tuesday.
PISA is a study that has compared school pupils' performance since 2000 in 72 countries, with the test consisting of a number of practical assignments in reading, mathematics, and science.
The study is conducted every three years by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
A total of 344 Danish schools participated in the latest PISA study, in which 7,657 15-year-olds were assessed.
Despite the fact that Danish pupils continue to perform above the OECD average in both reading and mathematics, it was found that male pupils' performance in mathematics has declined since the last study, while the performance of females has improved.
Vibeke Tornhoj Christensen, senior researcher and project manager for PISA in Denmark, attributes the disappointing performance of Danish pupils in natural science to teaching methods.
"However, the decline in natural sciences involves looking at how best to handle natural sciences in Danish teaching," Christensen wrote in the study.
