International Reading Literacy Study Research Articles

Re‐examining the relationship between patience, risk‐taking, and human capital investment across countries*

SummaryHanushek et al. (2022) show that students in countries in which people are more patient and less risk‐taking perform better in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test. In this paper, we probe the robustness of this study. Our narrow replication shows that most of the results are robust to alternative model specifications. Our broad replication shows that the main results are robust to measuring student performance with data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) instead of PISA.

Exploring school factors of academic achievement in Macau: The application of educational data mining in Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2016 assessment

International large-scale assessments, provide structured and static data, and due to their extensive databases, they can be considered as a valuable resource for Big Data in Education. In this paper, we propose an educational data mining approach to detect and analyze factors linked to academic performance in Macau schools using data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2016. We conducted a secondary data analysis based on a set of socioeconomic, process, and outcome variables from PIRLS and other sources, and built decision trees to obtain a predictive model of school performance. By doing so, we were able to identify the school and student-level variables that are most significant in predicting student performance in Macau. These findings will be useful for informing educational policy decisions and shedding light on the causes of poor performance in Macau schools. Overall, our study highlights the potential of educational data mining approaches in analyzing large-scale assessment data and generating insights for educational research and practice.

Children's literature: reading strategies and receptivity in early childhood

To ensure students' mastery of reading and writing constitutes one of the biggest challenges currently facing Brazilian public schools. Data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (Pirls, 2021) estimate that around 40% of Brazilian students in the 4th year of elementary school do not master basic reading skills. Despite the complex nature of the theme, when specifically dealing with young children, literary books play a very relevant role in this process, since research indicates that they constitute a kind of gateway to the world of literature and reading. In this sense, the present article presents the results of an action investigation that aimed to analyze the reception of children's literature books for preschoolers in the age range of 4 to 5 years old, from a preschool, in the city of Presidente Prudente/SP. For the development of the research, we provide children with high-quality literature books – awarded by the Jabuti Prize, which is the most prestigious literary award in Brazil. Group organization was utilized to have a bigger “control” of children's speech and press conferences with the purpose of understanding what criteria the children use when choosing the books. Reading circles were utilized as a methodology to initiate a dialogue within the group and the sharing of impressions about the chosen books. Three elements emerged as central in the choice of books by the children: the cover as the most decisive element, the illustrations and the connections that they made between the book, its characters and the pre-existing knowledge they already had. The work demonstrates that it is necessary to provide opportunities in schools for practices that involve children more, that encourage them to choose what they want to read.

The effect of peer bullying on academic achievement: A meta‐analysis study related to results of TIMSS and PIRLS

AbstractFocusing on the variables that can affect both academic achievement and the well‐being of students has been crucial for their development, making schools effective and designing educational policy as well as curriculum. The study has aimed to investigate the effect of peer bullying on academic achievement and to determine moderators in the relationship between these two terms by using TIMSS (The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) and PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) data through the meta‐analysis method. Based on seven international survey data sets from TIMSS (2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015) and PIRLS (2006, 2011, and 2016), the current research has focused on 793 independent findings, including 3,503,005 students in 77 countries. In the analysis process, the mean effect size was measured by using the coefficient of standardized means (Cohen's d) based on the random effect model. In addition, the significance of the moderator variables was calculated by using the Q statistic. The findings of the study revealed that peer bullying had a significant effect on academic achievement, and in this effect, grades of the students and course types played moderator roles, while the culture of the countries was not a moderator. It could be concluded that the effect of peer relationships not only on the social development of students but also on their academic performance should not be ignored.

Progress in International Reading Literacy Study-Based Reading Competency Assessment Instrument with Culturally Educative Texts for Primary School Students

The objectives of this research and development are (1) to produce a product prototype of the PIRLS equivalent reading literacy competency assessment instrument with educative cultural content text for grade 6 elementary school students, (2) to test the PIRLS equivalent reading literacy competency assessment instrument with educative cultural content text for grade 6 elementary school students from the aspects of content validity, construct validity, Esay question reliability test, Objective question reliability test, difficulty level, and differentiability. This type of research and development uses the Borg & Gall model which consists of 10 stages. The data collected is qualitative and quantitative data. The data is related to content validity, construct validity, readability, and practicality of the assessment instrument as well as the practicality of the user manual. The collected data were analyzed with content validity (Gregory), Product Moment, and Cronbach's Alpha. Based on the results of the analysis and discussion, the results of the correlation person analysis for the overall r value of 30 items > r table for subject 28 the r table value is 0.361 with the acquisition of the smallest value of 0.383 and the largest of 0.724. In addition to the results of the limited subject test, the results of the analysis of the broad subject test using SPSS for windows version 26 software also showed the results that the person correlation value for the reading literacy competency assessment instrument from a total of 30 items obtained a calculated r value> r table for subjects 141 people the r table value of 0.361 with the acquisition of the smallest value of 0.439 and the largest value of 0.896. While the acquisition of the teacher response score is 0.882. So, based on these results it can be said that the product of the reading literacy competency assessment instrument equivalent to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study with educational cultural content text is suitable for direct use for every grade 6 elementary school student.

Reading to Young Children: Higher Home Frequency Associated with Higher Educational Achievement in PIRLS and PISA

The benefits of reading aloud to young children for their reading development are well documented, and international large-scale assessments (ILSAs) offer an opportunity to explore its unique contribution to literacy achievement at both the primary and secondary levels. Using Portuguese data from ILSAs, this study shows the relationship between reading to young children in the home context and their later reading performance. Specifically, we use the Program for International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2011, which tests fourth-grade students, and the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018, which is used for the assessment of 15-year-olds. Data sources from these surveys include the mean reading performance of similar cohorts of students and home/parental questionnaires that include questions about the frequency of home book-reading, as well as other background variables. Linear regression analyses show a positive and significant relationship, both at the fourth-grade level and in secondary school, between students’ performance and having been read to at home during early childhood. These findings indicate that the advantages associated with book reading in the early years are maintained throughout students’ schooling. In addition, the analysis shows that, in both surveys, girls score higher than boys in reading, and that there is a positive association between parental education and reading achievement. Implications about how children’s early literacy development sets the foundation for future educational achievement are discussed, namely in the context of country-specific reading initiatives and reading practices.

Investigating the relationship between parental attitudes toward reading, early literacy activities, and reading literacy in Arabic among Emirati children

Emirati children’s reading skills have consistently lagged behind global standards on international standardized tests. Given the United Arab Emirates’s Vision 2031, which aims for a world-class education system, and given the importance of Arabic literacy in preserving national identity and cultural heritage, there is an urgent need to investigate the factors that influence Arabic literacy among Emirati children. Therefore, this study, using data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2016 database, aimed to examine the relationships between parents’ attitudes toward reading, early literacy activities, early literacy tasks, and Arabic literacy. Specifically, the study aimed to (1) determine the predictive value of parental attitudes toward reading for Arabic reading literacy among Emirati children; (2) examine how early literacy activities and tasks contribute to Arabic reading literacy; and (3) examine the mediating role of early literacy activities and tasks in the relationship between parental attitudes and Arabic reading literacy. The results of the study suggest that parental attitudes toward reading are an important predictor of their children’s Arabic reading literacy. Participation in early literacy activities before primary school and mastery of early literacy tasks at the beginning of primary school were both associated with reading proficiency in Arabic. Furthermore, both early literacy activities and early literacy tasks significantly mediated the relationship between parental attitudes toward reading and children’s reading proficiency in Arabic. The findings are critical for educators to adapt teaching methods, curricula, and parental involvement programs to more effectively support Arabic literacy development. The study highlights the need for an inclusive approach involving parents, educators, and policymakers to create an enabling environment for the development of Arabic literacy, which is essential for academic success and cultural preservation.

Education policy reform and the impact of free preschool education on boys’ and girls’ reading competence

AbstractNumerous authors have reported a positive relationship between preschool enrolment and academic performance in later years, even helping to reduce the academic gap existing between students from different socio‐economic backgrounds. In this context, this paper goes further by analysing the impact that early childhood education (from 3 to 6 years) has on Spanish boys’ and girls’ reading achievement when they are in fourth grade (10 years). For this purpose, we take advantage of the 2006 Spanish education reform that promoted free second stage preschool education by using data from Progress in International Reading Literacy Study 2011 and 2016 and an instrumental variable approach, in order to get closer to causality than previous literature for Spain. We find that attending preschool has a positive influence on reading achievement, well above the impact found when using simple ordinary least squares estimates, being higher for girls than for boys.

Intermediate Phase learner performance in English: A quantitative analysis

Background: According to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS, 2006 with 87%, 2011 with 82%, 2016 with 78%, 2021 with 81%), an international reading comprehension assessment conducted at the Grade 4 level, South African learners perform very poorly in reading comprehension, even when reading in their African home languages.Objectives: To analyse learner performance in the Intermediate Phase (IP) focusing on English First Additional Language (EFAL) before and after the implementation of the Primary School Reading Improvement Programme (PSRIP) in Johannesburg West (JW) district. The study aims to analyse EFAL learning gains obtained during the pilot phase of the PSRIP in JW district.Method: Quantitative data (learner performance in EFAL) was collected from South Africa-School Administration and Management System (SA-SAMS) in six schools in JW. Learner performance marks from Term 1 before PSRIP was implemented and from Term 4 after PSRIP implementation were analysed quantitatively using System Analysis Program Development (SAP) data and analytics solutions.Results: Learner performance analysis based on the DBE pass rates indicates positive outcomes, learner performance increased in 3 out of 6 schools; however, based on the PSRIP pass rates, only 2 out of 6 schools managed to get 90% of their learners obtaining at least 50% in EFAL after PSRIP was introduced.Conclusion: Implementation of PSRIP affected learner performance positively; however, more support is needed to meet the PSRIP targets.Contribution: Based on these findings, there is a need to further investigate how (if at all) the PSRIP strategies can be used in other languages that are taught at IP level. Study results will inform language in education policies. Furthermore, the Department of Basic Education’s reading campaigns may adopt the benefits of the PSRIP in improving literacy development in other South African languages including the indigenous languages.

Privatization of preschool education: The implications for educational inequalities in cross-national perspective

Preschool education is regarded by many researchers and policymakers as a potential equalizer of educational opportunities. Yet, cross-national research shows that there exist large variations in the equalizing effects of preschool education across countries. In this paper, we study to what extent the national level of privatization of the preschool sector can explain these cross-national differences by examining its impact on the equalizing effects of preschool education. For this purpose, we use data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study 2016 for 24 countries. The results show that having spent more time in preschool is more strongly associated with primary school achievements for children of disadvantaged families. We find some modest support that this compensatory pattern—in which preschool compensates for a reduced set of resources in the home environment—is somewhat weaker in societies with higher levels of privatization, though not reaching conventional standards of statistical significance. The study highlights the relevance of considering the impact of national preschool settings on the distribution of preschool benefits across children with varying socioeconomic backgrounds.

SECONDARY SCHOOL MATURITA READING LISTS AS A MOTIVATION TO SUPPORT READING

Reading motivation is incredibly important for both formal and informal lifelong learning. According to research studies such as PISA (2018) (Programme for International Student Assessment), PIRLS (2021) (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study), educating active readers is a key priority. A study was conducted using the content analysis method of documents "School Maturita reading lists" to determine the actual content of the current school reading lists of artistic texts in the reality of technically oriented secondary schools in the Moravian-Silesian and Olomouc regions of the Czech Republic. In addition, the researchers aimed to discover what kinds of non-cognitive aspects influence reading among students at technical secondary schools using the method of semi-structured interviews with 12 students. One of the most exciting findings of this research was that more than half (75%) of respondents believed that motivational reading recommendations from parents, family spending free time reading, and awareness of the value of reading for life were among the solid non-cognitive factors influencing their interest in reading, the joy of talking about what they have read, experience sharing. External and internal factors can shape pupils' attitudes and motivation to read. The majority (90%) of the respondents considered school Maturita reading lists a formal study obligation.

Regularized Mislevy-Wu Model for Handling Nonignorable Missing Item Responses

Missing item responses are frequently found in educational large-scale assessment studies. In this article, the Mislevy-Wu item response model is applied for handling nonignorable missing item responses. This model allows that the missingness of an item depends on the item itself and a further latent variable. However, with low to moderate amounts of missing item responses, model parameters for the missingness mechanism are difficult to estimate. Hence, regularized estimation using a fused ridge penalty is applied to the Mislevy-Wu model to stabilize estimation. The fused ridge penalty function is separately defined for multiple-choice and constructed response items because previous research indicated that the missingness mechanisms strongly differed for the two item types. In a simulation study, it turned out that regularized estimation improves the stability of item parameter estimation. The method is also illustrated using international data from the progress in international reading literacy study (PIRLS) 2011 data.

A modeling approach to identify academically resilient students: evidence from PIRLS 2016

AbstractIn studies of academic resilience, the concept is typically operationalized by pre-defined cutoff values of students’ achievement level and their social background. A threat to the validity of such arbitrary operationalizations is that students around the cutoff values may be misclassified. The main objective of the current study is to apply a modeling approach to identify academically resilient students. Data come from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study 2016. The primary method used was latent profile analysis. The study demonstrates that it is possible to identify a group of academically resilient students using a set of variables indicating achievement level and protective factors. Even though results suggest that academically resilient students have higher reading achievement compared to other less-advantaged students, it is evident that they have higher interest and confidence in reading than the non-resilient groups. A sensitivity analysis for other countries indicated similar results. Implications stemming from the results are discussed.

Literacy as Epistemology and Educational Policy: An Exploration of a Large Swedish Professional Development Programme for Teachers

ABSTRACT From once being synonymous with reading and writing, literacy, as a concept has expanded in the last three decades to today being associated with multiple meaning making forms and competences. Impactful, in this shift, has been the research orientation of New Literacy Studies. Besides academia, the literacy concept has also had a major influence on the global assessment frameworks of Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). This study is interested in the epistemological potential of this perception of literacy, but also on how it affects educational policy. Material examined is a large Swedish governmentally-initiated professional development programme for teachers, launched in 2014. Two main variants of the literacy concept can be identified in the programme, one more closely aligned with New Literacy Studies, and the other more influenced by PISA and PIRLS. Findings show, strong impact from the global assessment version of the literacy concept, resulting in a mainly skills-based and instrumental educational discourse, far from the concept of Bildung, traditionally characteristic of the Nordic school systems. Further, of the two variants, New Literacy has a broader epistemological potential, and is, as such, more closely related to Bildung.

Comparing parental and school pressure in terms of their relations with students' well-being

Towards the end of the elementary school years, children experience increased learning demands and pressure to perform, which can threaten their well-being. However, while parents and teachers are considered the main sources of academic pressure, a systematic comparison of the two has not yet been conducted. Therefore, this study examined the relation between those sources of academic pressure and five different facets of well-being among elementary school children. Our sample comprised 342 fourth graders (45.9 % female, Mage = 10.29) participating in the field test of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2021 in Germany. Controlling for gender and academic achievement, parental and school pressure were negatively related to several facets of students' well-being, with our findings showing that parental pressure was associated with a greater number of aspects of well-being. However, a direct comparison of the two sources of academic pressure did not reveal significant differences in the relations with the various facets of students' well-being. Limitations of the study and implications for research and practice are discussed. Educational relevance statementStudents' well-being is an important educational goal and research on this topic is of great relevance. This study represents an important contribution to the current literature as it examines the relationship between students' well-being and academic pressure among elementary school children. Studies of this age group in this context are rare but nonetheless of great importance. In addition, the present study included two different sources of academic pressure (parents, individuals in the school environment). Direct comparison of different sources of academic pressure in the elementary school context provides a more nuanced picture of how it affects students during their early school career.We found that both, parental and school pressure are negatively related to several facets of well-being. However, the results did not show a preponderance of one source of academic pressure over the other in terms of its association with students' well-being.The findings are of great practical importance, as they indicate that the behavior of teachers and parents is related to the well-being of students at a sensitive stage of their school career and general development. Therefore, their awareness of this issue should be raised. In addition, students' resilience and stress management skills should be strengthened so that they can better cope with academic pressure.

Examining the Differentiated Impacts of Balanced Literacy: An Analysis of Reading Comprehension Skills

For years, educational practitioners and decision-makers have encouraged teachers to implement a balanced literacy approach in class. However, the effects of balanced literacy on the reading comprehension of students from different backgrounds have not been carefully examined in the current literature. Using the large data sets from the 2016 International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), this study examines the effects of balanced literacy on the performance in getting direct information and interpreting skills of native-English speakers and English Language Learners (ELLs). This study indicates that teacher-directed activities benefited 4th-grade native-English speakers and ELLs’ reading outcomes in getting direct information and interpreting skills. However, the other components of balanced literacy, including student-centered instructions and independent learning activities, could not contribute to 4th-grade students’ reading performance in getting direct information and interpreting skills.

The happy-fish-little-pond effect on enjoyment: Generalizability across multiple domains and countries

Academic enjoyment is an important educational construct given that it benefits students' engagement, persistence, wellbeing, and mental health. In this study, we examine two factors that determine this crucial emotion, namely student- and class-level achievement. Past research has been restricted to single-country or single-domain examinations of secondary school students, limiting generalizability of findings. To bridge this gap, we utilize the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (TIMSS-PIRLS) combined 2011 data (N = 180,084 4th-grade students, 37 countries). Our results provide robust evidence that student-level achievement positively predicts enjoyment in math, science, and reading, while the effects of class-level achievement are negative—the Happy-Fish-Little-Pond Effect. These results showed relative universality across the domains and countries examined.

Developing critical thinking in classrooms: Teacher responses to a Reading-for-Meaning workshop

Background: The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study of 2016 lays claim to the need for critical thinking to be developed since, in the South African context, 78% of learners could not even retrieve explicitly stated information (lower-order thinking) from texts, as opposed to 4% in the rest of the world. Critical, higher-order thinking and reading-for-meaning skills development are imperative to allow learners to become active participants in this changing world.Objectives: The study focused on teachers’ responses to a Reading-for-Meaning workshop aimed at empowering teachers with tools or strategies to improve learners’ comprehension through developing critical, higher-order thinking skills.Method: The research is an interpretative, qualitative study which aimed at understanding how critical thinking is integrated into reading for meaning in classrooms. The Microsoft program Teams was used as the online platform to present the workshop which facilitated synchronous e-learning. Purposive sampling was applied and 36 intermediate and senior phase teachers teaching from grades four to nine solicited. Data were collected from a Telegram chatroom and a web-page questionnaire which was inductively analysed.Results: Teachers experienced all the strategies positively and, on implementation in their classrooms, found that these strategies encouraged learner engagement, improved interpretation, boosted confidence and led to meaningful engagement with texts and deeper thinking which allowed them to think more critically.Conclusion: The Reading-for-Meaning workshop provided the tools which teachers used to encourage learners to express their opinion and answer more critical questions based on predictions, make inferences, make connections, clarify, summarise and paraphrase, and so develop critical thinking skills and subsequently improve comprehension skills.Contribution: On a conceptual level, the article has established a connection between the theories of critical thinking and pedagogical strategies. This opens up new directions for research for scholars in the field of literacy and education.

The Impact of the Presence of Prosodic Features (Tone Markings) on Comprehending Setswana Words in Reading

The paper is about the impact of prosodic features, more especially tone marking, in extracting the meaning in Setswana readings, because of its contribution to meaning in Setswana. The research was conducted in response to the 2016 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), which found that more than 80% of Grade 4 students tested in an African Language were unable to read for comprehension. The semiotic theoretical framework, which is concerned with how signs are used for interpretation, served as the foundation for this study. The focus of the study was on the Intermediate Phase learners from eight schools where Setswana is taught as a First Additional Language and/or as a Home Language. Qualitative and quantitative method approaches were used to collect data. Participants were chosen through random sampling. The study discovered that when words are not marked, learners are unable to determine which meaning is intended. It was discovered that in reading the most difficult aspect is comprehending what has been read. The study proposes that new means of emphasizing prosodic markers (such as tones, accent, stress, and rhythm) be given special focus in the South African education system so that learners may be able to extract meaning and comprehend what they read.

An Interdependent Literacy Model to Assist with Critical Reading Comprehension in the English First Additional Language Classroom

Various attempts have been made to assist the multitude of South African learners who experience literacy challenges, particularly critical reading challenges, in the classroom. Although a number of critical literacy models that focus on reading literacy have been developed to alleviate the reading comprehension crisis in South Africa, poor reading comprehension continues to prevail among South African learners, as shown in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study reports. This article argues for a focus on critical reading comprehension in the classroom. Based on a review of the Four Resources Model of Critical Literacy and the Interdependent Model of Critical Literacy, the researchers propose a new model to the literacy debate, the Critical Reading Interdependent Literacy Model (CRILM), which is designed to be used at school level and is suitable to be used from Grade 4 and beyond. CRILM is based on an instruction and learning framework that promotes a participatory-interactive-interdependent relationship between educators, learners, the text, and the author. Through the text and author, learners will be able to initiate critical insight and societal knowledge development from within the English First Additional Language classroom. Centred on the educator, the learners, the text, and the author, as well as their relation to reality, this proposed new model hypothesises the interaction and interdependence of all the participants during the reading process for the successful development of classroom critical reading comprehension.