Exploring the gap difference in 2000-2009 PISA Test Scores between Argentina, Chile and Mexico

Student reading proficiency scores in the PISA 2000 study were, on average, equally poor in Argentina, Chile and Mexico. By contrast, important differences were observed in PISA 2009. In this paper, the 2000-2009 difference is decomposed into coefficient and covariate effects by applying Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition techniques. Decomposing the total gap into characteristic and coefficient effects showed striking country differences. In Argentina, both effects were moderate, had similar weight and negative sign. In Mexico these effects were moderate, similar in absolute value, and opposed in sign; and in Chile these effects were high, had similar value and positive sign. This paper seeks to examine potential factors of policy interest explaining divergences in trajectories between these countries.