Transcript How can primary pupils’ reading motivation and

What can we learn from the
international PISA study about
improving reading at age 15?
February 2011
What is PISA?
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The Programme for International
Student Assessment (PISA) is an
international survey of the
educational achievement of 15year-olds
It is organised by the Organisation
for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD)
It started in 2000 and takes place
every three years
The 2009 survey focused on:
– Reading skills, with an emphasis
on the type of texts encountered
both inside and outside of
school and in preparation for
adult life and the world of work
– Reading attitudes, behaviours
and activities
How was the information gathered?
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At least 150 schools and 4500 students from each
of the 65 countries took part in PISA 2009
The students took a two hour standardised
assessment under test conditions
The same students were given half an hour to
complete an attitudinal questionnaire
Standards were applied to ensure equivalence in
translation and countries were invited to comment
on the difficulty and cultural appropriateness of the
questions
Students’
performance in
reading – what
does PISA
tell us?
What PISA reveals about performance
The countries that significantly
outperformed England in reading
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England achieved a mean
score of 495 (slightly above
the OECD mean)
12 countries significantly
outperformed England in
reading
It’s interesting to note that:
– Australia and New Zealand
are English speaking
– Canada has a substantial
number of English speakers
– Hong Kong and Singapore
have strong links with the
English education system
1) Shanghai-China
2) Korea
3) Finland
4) Hong Kong-China
5) Singapore
6) Canada
7) New Zealand
8) Japan
9) Australia
10) Netherlands
11) Belgium
12) Norway
How England’s performance has
changed since 2006
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Compared with 2006,
England
– achieved a slightly lower
mean score (495 in 2009
compared with 496 in
2006)
– was outperformed by 12
countries in 2009 and only
7 in 2006
– slightly narrowed the gap
between boys and girls
and low and high
achievers
Aspects of reading assessed by PISA
Reading was assessed in
relation to:
 the text format
 continuous
text arranged in
paragraphs
 non-continuous text arranged
in a non-linear format and
often including tables or
diagrams
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aspects of the reading process
 accessing
and retrieving
information
 integrating and interpreting
texts
 reflecting on and evaluating
texts
How England performed in the different
aspects
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2 aspects were
above the OECD
average
– non-continuous texts
– reflect and evaluate
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3 aspects were below
the OECD average
– continuous texts
– integrate and interpret
– access and retrieve
Reading aspects
England’s
score
OECD
Average
Non continuous
texts
506
493
Reflect and
evaluate
504
494
Overall reading
mean
495
493
Continuous texts
492
494
Integrate and
interpret
491
493
Access and
retrieve
491
495
Differences between the performance of
boys and girls
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The difference between boys’
and girls’ performance was
less than the OECD mean
– girls outperformed boys by an
average of 25 scale points
(compared with the OECD
mean of 39)
– girls’ and boys’ performance
was closest on integrate and
interpret (in line with comparison
countries)
Reflect and discuss…
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How do you think your students
might achieve in the different
aspects?
Would they be stronger at
reflecting and evaluating texts
than in accessing and retrieving
or integrating and interpreting
information?
Why might English students
perform better on noncontinuous texts?
Students’
attitudes to
reading – what
does PISA tell
us?
About the students’ backgrounds…
Students were asked
questions about their
parents’ background,
education and possessions
in their homes
 On average, students in the
PISA sample in England
had a higher socioeconomic status than the
average across OECD
countries
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Students’ attitudes to reading
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41% of students said they only
read when they have to
39% of students said they do not
read for enjoyment
37% of students said they find it
hard to finish books
27% said that reading is one of
their favourite hobbies
What students read
Magazines and newspapers
were the most commonly read
material (60%)
 32% of students chose to read
fiction several times a month
compared with 20% for nonfiction
 Comic books were much less
popular in England than in any
other country
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What students read online
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84% of students in England chatted online at least
several times a week compared with the OECD average
of 73%
76% of students in England read emails at least several
times a week compared with the
OECD average of 64%
56% of students in England
searched online to find information
compared with the OECD average
of 51%
Students’ use of libraries
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34% of students said that they enjoy visiting a bookshop or library
compared with the OECD average of 42%
51% of students said that they never visit a library to borrow
books for school work compared with the OECD average of 34%
58% of students said that they never visit a library to borrow
books to read for pleasure compared with the OECD average of
48%
Distinctive features of pedagogy
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Teachers in England were more likely to:
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ask the students to explain the meaning of a text
give students enough time to think about their answers
encourage students to express opinions about a text
ask difficult questions that challenge students to get a better
understanding of a text
– show students how the information in texts builds on what they
already know
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However, teachers in England were less likely to:
– recommend books or authors to read
– encourage students to relate stories to their own lives
What students were reading in school
Students were more likely to read:
 Poetry
 Tables and graphs
 Information texts about writers and books
 Diagrams and maps
 Advertising material
 Fiction
Students were less likely to read:
 Instruction manuals
 Newspaper reports
 Magazines
Reading activities in the classroom
Students were more likely to:
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explain the purpose of a text
find information from a graph, diagram or table
explain the way characters behave in a text
explain the cause of events in a text
explain the connection between different parts of a text (e.g. a written
part and a map)
– describe the way the information in a table or graph is organised
Students were less likely to:
– learn about the life of a writer
– learn about the place of a text in the history of literature
– memorise a text by heart e.g. a poem or part of a play
A key message from PISA
Both internationally and in England, the time spent on
reading connected positively to attainment in reading.
However, enjoyment of reading was an even stronger
predictor of attainment in reading.
Sharing effective practice
The DfE is interested in:
 understanding better how schools encourage, direct and monitor
wider reading.
 exploring the link between use of technology and extent of reading,
especially among more able readers. Are there ways to harness
technology for reading? Or should we be pressing pupils to read
more conventional printed texts?
We’d like to hear what you do that works, including photographs that
exemplify your practice. Please email your ideas to:
[email protected]
How you can use the evidence in this
study
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You might wish to use the test items and/or the
attitudinal survey as part of your own school or
departmental self-evaluation and to inform school
improvement planning…
These items, along with the England country report,
can be found at:
http://www.nfer.ac.uk/research/projects/oecdprogramme-for-international-student-assessmentoecd-pisa/