Preliminary Findings of the IEA Reading Literacy Study: New Zealand achievement in the national and international context

Abstract

This paper focuses on the preliminary reading literacy test scores for NewZealand, of students in the grade levels where most 9-(Standard 3) and 14- (Form 4) year-olds were to be found. In addition to some within country analyses, New Zealand results are compared with the results for the probability samples of students in 32 systems of education which participated in the IEA study of Reading Literacy. Within country comparisons by gender and ethnicity reveal large differences in favour of Pakeha students at both levels, and gender differences in favour of girls particularly at the Standard 3 level. Between country comparisons of results suggest high levels of reading competence among the New Zealand students in the target age groups.It is self evident that the demands of schooling, work and citizenship in modern societies require some degree of literacy. By international standards the reading ability of New Zealand children has been considered to be high. Purves (1979) and Guthrie (1981) found that New Zealand 14-and 18-year-old students scored higher on tests of reading and literature than students in any other country who participated in the IEA studies in reading and literature which were conducted in 1970. When the factors which could account for these results were considered, Purves (1979) noted:All of these factors confirm that these students are members of a highly literate, or print oriented society (even though they watch a lot of television), and that reading is taken for granted, and not thought of as something out of the ordinary, (p. 14)Some two decades later, at the end of 1990, New Zealand, along with 30 countries (or educational systems), participated in an international study of reading literacy which was once again co-ordinated by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). Nine-and 14-year-old students in these countries completed reading tests in two booklets and a background questionnaire. In addition, Downloaded by [University of Strathclyde] at 09:07 14 December 2014 196 H. Wagemaker classroom teachers for the classes selected and the principal of the schools selected also completed questionnaires. Why Participate?Questions such as why a country would participate in international comparative studies such as reading literacy are often asked. While many people would not doubt the value of studies which reflect purely national or regional concerns, the value of comparative research is often less readily accepted. Questions most often raised include those related to the ability and indeed the appropriateness of making crossnational comparisons which are fair and sensitive to differences in curricula, structures and a country's stage of educational development. Clearly such questions may be asked of any research or statistically based cross-national comparative study.In one of the first official publications of IEA, Foshay et al. (1962) captured some of the main arguments for participating in cross-national studies, difficulties notwithstanding: If custo...

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