PISA: When the Energy for Learning Has Not Yet Become Proficiency

The 2025 PISA results show that only about 17 per cent of 15-year-old students achieved at least Level 2 in mathematics, 27 per cent in reading, and 37 per cent in science. This means many Indonesian children have not yet reached the basic ability to utilise what they have learned. However, PISA 2025 tells another story.

PISA captures student engagement in learning, such as curiosity, perseverance, the ability to manage learning, and the willingness to change approaches when previous methods fail. Interestingly, proficiency and learning engagement do not always go hand in hand.

Approximately 8/0 per cent of Indonesian students reported having curiosity about many things, which is higher than the OECD average of 73 per cent. Furthermore, 74 per cent stated they would increase their effort when work becomes difficult, compared to the OECD average of 60 per cent.

Although these figures come from student self-reporting, they indicate an important asset. In this writing, I refer to curiosity and the willingness to persist as the ‘energy for learning’.

This is where the paradox lies. About 52 per cent of students admit to frequently planning their learning approaches, and 55 per cent check whether they truly understand the material. When facing difficulties, 90 per cent say they ask teachers for help and 92 per cent ask peers. Yet, the majority of students still have not reached minimum proficiency levels.

The question is: Has the energy possessed by students been managed in such a way that it brings them closer to proficiency and enables them to manage their own learning methods more effectively?

Energy for learning is not enough to simply possess. That energy needs direction, must be maintained when difficulties arise, and its usage must be refined when efforts do not yield progress. Whenever PISA results are disappointing, we are often tempted to change the curriculum, replace assessment systems, add programmes, or launch new policies. However, not all learning problems are solved with grand changes. Sometimes, what is more immediate to fix is the learning habit itself.

In many classrooms, learning is still dominated by the delivery of knowledge from teacher to student. Learning should increasingly become a process that fosters a student’s learning mindset. From reflecting on more than two decades in the field of education, I have formulated the idea of a learning mindset as Awareness of Learning, Desire to Learn, Diligence in Learning, and Innovative Learning (SIRI-B).

This idea has been presented on various occasions as a simple way to see what needs to grow within a student. The 2025 PISA findings provide new context and relevance to this reflection. This connection does not mean PISA measures SIRI-B; rather, PISA provides findings on how students engage with and manage their learning process, while SIRI-B organises these into simple pedagogical language.

‘Awareness of Learning’ means students know what they are learning, why it is important, what they have understood, and what they have not yet mastered. This aligns with PISA’s focus on students’ ability to plan learning approaches and monitor their own understanding. Awareness provides direction so that student effort moves towards comprehension.

‘Desire to Learn’ provides the power. PISA’s findings on the high level of curiosity among Indonesian students show an asset that needs to be nurtured so that it develops into a habit of questioning, investigating, finding connections, and discovering meaning. Students need an internal drive to keep searching, rather than solely for grades, exams, assignments, or teacher instructions.

‘Diligence in Learning’ maintains effort when the learning process becomes difficult. The willingness of Indonesian students to increase effort when facing difficult tasks is an important asset also evident in PISA. Diligence means persisting when understanding is not yet achieved, trying again after failure, accepting feedback, correcting mistakes, and not giving up immediately. It is not merely about studying longer, but about maintaining effort to produce progress.

‘Innovative Learning’ means improving methods when previous strategies do not work. PISA also pays attention to the willingness of students to change learning approaches and seek help when necessary. If reading repeatedly does not lead to understanding, a student can summarise, create diagrams, or explain it to others. If studying alone reaches a dead end, asking for help from teachers or peers can be a more effective choice. Innovation does not necessarily mean always creating something new, but rather finding more effective ways to learn when old methods fail to yield progress.

SIRI-B is not four rigid stages; the four elements reinforce each other. Awareness provides direction. Desire provides energy. Diligence maintains effort. Innovation improves methods. SIRI-B is not a new subject, nor is it an additional programme that increases the administrative burden on teachers. It is a change in learning orientation. With that orientation, a teacher’s question shifts: Is the student aware of what they are learning? Do they still want to find out? Do they persist when encountering difficulties? Are they able to improve their methods when previous strategies fail?

Such a change does not need to wait for a new curriculum. It can begin with questions about what the student intends to understand, opportunities to express what has not yet been mastered, feedback that encourages improvement, the chance to try again after failure, or a brief reflection before the lesson ends.

It would be a mistake to read the 2025 PISA results only as news of Indonesia’s low scores. It also shows that proficiency and engagement in learning must be read together.

The challenge is how the energy for learning can obtain direction, persist when facing difficulties, and find more effective methods until it moves closer to proficiency. The homework following PISA 2025 does not always have to start at the desk.