Latest International Results from PIRLS Show Most Students Demonstrate Basic Reading Literacy Skills Despite Dip in Achievement During COVID-19 Pandemic
Achievement trends in fourth grade reading show negative impact from pandemic; home and school socioeconomic status persist as strong indicators of achievement; most children attend schools with positive environments; many students and their parents only “somewhat” like reading.
International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) together with the International Study Center at Boston College have released the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2021 report. PIRLS is the first large-scale assessment to report results after successfully collecting data during the COVID-19 pandemic, assessing 400,000 students in 57 countries.
The report, PIRLS 2021 International Results, provides important insights into the current state of literacy education. It also serves as a fundamental resource for educators, policymakers, and researchers worldwide to monitor educational recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic
PIRLS 2021 was the fifth assessment cycle marking 20 years of trends, and the transition to digital assessment. Approximately half the countries evaluated students using a state-of-the-art digital assessment with engaging and interactive reading assessment materials, including simulated online projects with multiple websites, videos, and navigational features such as links and pop-ups.
Substantial percentages of students reached the PIRLS International Benchmarks, despite an unknown negative impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to PIRLS, the global standard for monitoring reading achievement at the fourth grade, conducted by IEA.
There was nearly universal literacy in the 43 countries that managed to collect achievement data on schedule. Most countries had at least 85 percent of their students reaching the Low International Benchmark, demonstrating that they could read straightforward texts. More than one-third of the students in the majority of countries reached the High International Benchmark, demonstrating the ability to interpret, integrate, and evaluate a variety of text and visual elements in relatively difficult reading materials, according to the 2021 assessment directed by Dr. Ina V.S. Mullis and
Dr. Matthias von Davier at IEA’s TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center at Boston College.
However, achievement trends reflected the negative impact of the pandemic on education, showing declines in reading achievement in 21 of the 32 countries that had comparable trend data between 2016 and 2021, eight with no change, and only three with higher achievement. According to their parents, staying home from school adversely affected learning for two-thirds of the students.
The gender gap in reading achievement favouring girls persisted in PIRLS 2021, according to the research. Girls had higher reading achievement than boys in 51 of the 57 PIRLS 2021 countries, with an average difference of 19 points.
“These data provide a comprehensive view of the impact of the pandemic on education,” said Dr. von Davier. “By gathering this information, we can better understand the daily challenges faced by students and educators in times of crises, and work towards solutions to support teaching and learning.”
Highlights based on all 57 countries include:
Home support has a substantial impact on reading achievement. Fourth grade students had higher reading achievement, on average, when they had higher home socioeconomic status (SES), their parents often engaged them in early literacy activities, and they could do early literacy tasks very well when they began school. Parents’ enjoyment of reading was associated with their children’s higher reading achievement. However, more than two-thirds of the students had parents who only “somewhat like” or “do not like” to read.
Most students are in supportive school environments. Students attending schools with a more affluent student body, schools where instruction was not affected by resource shortages, and schools with hardly any discipline or safety problems had higher average reading achievement at the fourth grade. A higher degree of emphasis on academic achievement also was associated with higher reading achievement.
Higher average reading achievement and more positive attitudes tend to exist in mutually reinforcing relationships. PIRLS 2021 data show a positive relationship between students’ confidence in their reading skills and higher average reading achievement. Their self-assessments coincide very well with the PIRLS assessment results, i.e., 43 percent reported they were “very confident” and had average achievement close to the High International Benchmark (541), while the 22 percent who reported they were “not confident” had average achievement just reaching the Intermediate Benchmark (475). Students’ reading enjoyment was associated with higher average achievement, however, the majority only “somewhat” or “do not like” to read.
IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement) is an international cooperative of national research institutions, governmental research agencies, scholars, and analysts working to research, understand, and improve education worldwide. They conduct high-quality, large-scale comparative studies of education across the globe in order to provide educators, policymakers, and parents with insights into how students perform. Since its inception, PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) studies have been directed by the International Study Center at the Lynch School of Education in Boston College.
