Improvement of Educational Performance Indicators in Peru
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Improvement of educational performance indicators in Peru through mathematical optimization Lady Denisse Infante Acosta, Ing.1, Jonatán Edward Rojas Polo, Mg.1 1Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Perú, [email protected], [email protected] Abstract– In recent years, the Peruvian Ministry of Education The statistics of the last Student Census Evaluation (ECE, has been conducting census evaluations aimed at fourth-grade for its acronym in Spanish) [1], ECE 2018, show the percentage elementary and second-grade high school students, in the subjects of of students who are part of the group qualified as Satisfactory: mathematics, reading comprehension, social sciences and science 14.1% in mathematics (36.4% Beginning and 33.7% Before and technology, whose results are qualified as Before beginning, beginning), 16.2% in reading comprehension (37.5% Beginning, In process or Satisfactory. According to the latest census (ECE 2018) applied to high school students, it is observed that, Beginning and 18.5% Before beginning), 11.6% in social although the area of mathematics has the second highest percentage sciences (29.8% Beginning and 22.4% Before beginning), 8.5% qualified as Satisfactory (14.1%), it has the disadvantage of in science and technology (43.1% Beginning and 10.4% Before registering 36.4% as Beginning and 33.7% as Before beginning, beginning). It is concluded that, although the subject of which represents one of the biggest obstacles to achieve optimal mathematics has the second highest percentage qualified as academic performances across all subjects evaluated. Satisfactory, it is also the one with the highest cumulative percentage (70.1%), considering the two lowest qualifiers For these reasons, this research aims at improving and (Before beginning and Beginning). consolidating mathematical knowledge in high school students through the strategic distribution of tutoring centers, within the Lima Based on these results, it is observed that one of the most Metropolitan Area. To achieve this, the ECE 2018 database was analyzed to cluster the results according to the districts constituting important variables to improve is the average qualification each of the five areas of Lima; subsequently, those areas in which obtained in the subject of mathematics, for which this centers are primarily required were identified; and finally, through investigation seeks to propose a strategic distribution of mathematical optimization, the optimal number of centers required tutoring centers for high school students, delimited within the and their locations to maximize the coverage were determined. Lima Metropolitan Area. For the evaluation of the project, the ECE 2018 database will be analyzed in order to cluster the Keywords-- Educational system, academic performance results of the evaluation considering the geographical area improvement, mathematical optimization, tutoring center mentioned; following this, the filtered results will be grouped by each district area of the Lima Metropolitan Area (Norte, I. INTRODUCTION Este, Sur, Centro y Moderna); subsequently, those areas where In recent years, the educational level in Peru has improved the tutoring centers are required as a priority will be evaluated in its performance indicators and achievements obtained by and determined; and, finally, through a mathematical elementary and high school students, from both private and optimization model, the required number of centers will be state schools. Since 2015, besides the sample evaluations, the found and thus the locations of each of these will be established. Peruvian Ministry of Education (MINEDU), in collaboration with the Office of Quality Measurement of Learning (UMC, for II. STATE OF THE ART its acronym in Spanish), has incorporated census evaluations Tutoring centers, which are focused on improving the aimed at students of fourth grade of elementary school and educational level, are an aspect that is transversely present in second grade of high school, considering the educational levels different countries around the world, regardless of the in Peru. This last group of students is qualified in four academic geographical location or the development level of the country. subjects: mathematics, reading comprehension, social sciences The utility given varies depending on the objectives of each and science and technology. student; this alternative education can support the understanding or reinforcement of different issues, as well as The results are qualified using the following scale: Before strengthen the performance in those that are already mastered. beginning (the student has not achieved the necessary learning The demand for this kind of service is mainly required by high to be at the Beginning level), Beginning (the student has school students, compared to elementary ones [2]. achieved very elementary learning regarding what was expected for his current grade), In process (the student has Among the factors associated with the performance partially achieved the expected learning for his current grade; obtained by students, the parental educational attainment and he is on the way to achieving it, but he still has difficulties) or the household income (represented by the GDP) are perceived Satisfactory (the student has achieved the expected learning for as the main ones; in other words, the assumption that a better his current grade and he is prepared to face the learning index in these variables generates a better academic challenges of the following grade). achievement is proposed. Based on a comparison between these Digital Object Identifier (DOI): http://dx.doi.org/10.18687/LACCEI2020.1.1.394 ISBN: 978-958-52071-4-1 ISSN: 2414-6390 18th LACCEI International Multi-Conference for Engineering, Education, and Technology: “Engineering, Integration, and Alliances for a Sustainable 1 Development” “Hemispheric Cooperation for Competitiveness and Prosperity on a Knowledge-Based Economy”, July 27-31, 2020, Virtual Edition. variables and the results obtained in the PISA evaluation, TABLE I specifically with the MARA index (Mathematics and Reading TOTAL OF SURVEYS CONDUCTED BY DISTRICT AND GROUPED BY EACH AREA OF THE LIMA METROPOLITAN AREA - ECE 2018 Ability), the existing relationships are identified. On the one Total per Total per hand, there is a positive correlation between household income District area District and MARA results as for the poorest countries; however, the district district area impact of this factor declines as the wealthier ones are analyzed. Ancón 1,002 On the other hand, parental educational attainment has a Carabayllo 5,108 Comas 9,101 positive impact on the educational performance of children as Independencia 2,637 Lima Norte 40,327 for the wealthiest countries; however, this relationship Los Olivos 7,087 decreases as the poorer ones are analyzed [3]. Puente Piedra 5,826 San Martin de Porres 9,377 In Latin America, the average result obtained in the PISA Santa Rosa 189 assessments is lower than the average obtained in other Ate 10,090 countries in which educational standards are similar; thus, the Chaclacayo 1,022 latent inequality in the socioeconomic conditions within most Cieneguilla 373 countries of this region plays an important role in the results of Lima Este El Agustino 2,178 37,107 this evaluation [4]. In the case of Peru, it is observed that family Lurigancho 3,538 San Juan de Lurigancho 16,218 wealth is more relevant compared to the parental educational Santa Anita 3,688 attainment in terms of its relation to the academic performance Breña 2,023 demonstrated through the MARA score [3]. In this context, it La Victoria 2,200 can be inferred that greater purchasing power could lead to a Lima Centro Lima 5,093 13,161 higher level and better quality of education, given that there is Rímac 2,807 not necessarily democratization of resources in the country San Luis 1,038 concerned. In consequence, an alternative present in various Chorrillos 5,497 countries where there is such inequality of conditions is the use Lurín 1,511 of private tutoring to reinforce or improve student learning. Pachacamac 1,971 Pucusana 216 Punta Hermosa 72 Lima Sur 29,726 The main advantage of private tutoring is that it is Punta negra 129 developed according to the student needs: once his strengths San Bartolo 151 and weaknesses have been identified, a methodology focused San Juan de Miraflores 6,305 on improving the shortcomings and consolidating the Villa El Salvador 6,616 knowledge already acquired is proposed [5]. However, the Villa María del Triunfo 7,258 counterpart of this tutoring must be kept in mind, since Barranco 1,441 sometimes the resolution of exercises can become mechanical, Jesús María 1,420 especially in the case of topics associated with mathematics, La Molina 2,991 and the objective of these private classes must be to improve Lince 862 Magdalena del Mar 819 the understanding of theoretical principles [2]. Miraflores 1,772 Lima Moderna 20,050 Pueblo Libre 997 III. ANALYSIS OF THE ECE 2018 RESULTS San Borja 1,142 The Student Census Evaluation measures what and how San Isidro 1,117 San Miguel 2,499 many students are learning from public and private schools [6]. Santiago de Surco 4,040 The databases provided by the Peruvian Ministry of Education Surquillo 950 include the results of fourth grade of elementary school and Source: MINEDU - UMC. Evaluación Censal de Estudiantes 2018. Segundo second grade of high school. In the case of the last one, there grado de secundaria are a total of 535,146 records including the assessments applied to the twenty-five regions of Peru; specifically, in the case of Table III presents the results disaggregated by levels of the Lima Metropolitan Area, there are a total of 140,371 achievement in mathematics and crossed by four variables: sex, observations for a total of forty-two censored districts. Table I management, geographical area and district area of the Lima shows the detail and consolidation of the total surveys Metropolitan Area. Finally, in Table IV, the results obtained by conducted by district and grouped by each area of Lima.