The report will make for interesting reading for teaching professionals keen to explore wider issues around inequality in learning, offering a global context that supports trends often seen in the UK.
Progress in international reading literacy study (Pirls)
Synopsis
The IEA Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2011 was the third assessment in a five-year study into global trends for literacy achievement in primary school. PIRLS 2011 also examined the national policies and practices related to literacy, and included questionnaires for students, parents/caregivers, teachers, and school leaders in order to investigate young children’s experience of learning to read at home and in school.
The study found a substantial range in scores between the highest and lowest performing countries. The top-performing countries were Hong Kong SAR, the Russian Federation, Finland, and Singapore, with Singapore having the largest percentage of students (24%) reaching the Advanced International Benchmark. The PIRLS found that most countries had a significant percentage (95% or more) of pupils achieving at least a basic level of reading.
Girls outperformed boys in nearly all of the participating countries, particularly in the area of literary reading, but socio-economic factors were also important. Although there was variation across countries, higher achievement in reading was associated with pupils attending schools where a greater percentage of students were from relatively affluent socioeconomic backgrounds, and entered school with early literacy skills.