The role of media in PISA 2022 mathematics education policymaking in Anglophone countries

As governments react to international rankings, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) of 15-year-old students has arguably influenced many governments’ mathematics education policies. In this paper, we look at the relationship between the latest cycle of PISA, policymaking and media in the economies where English is an official or substantial working language (Anglophone countries). We analysed three sources of media responses to PISA 2022 results, from governments, mainstream media, and social media, focusing on the number of the reactions, the sentiment of the reactions, and some relevant themes pertaining to PISA 2022 mathematics coverage. The results show that the PISA results have been used and discussed differently by different governments and that media responses seem to relate to pertinent policy objectives. Our contribution sheds light on how the PISA 2022 results interact with policymaking for mathematics education in Anglophone countries.