TEN-YEAR-OLDS in the Russian Federation, China’s Hong Kong, Canada’s Alberta and Singapore showed the greatest reading ability among their peers, according to a global literacy study released recently.
The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, conducted by Boston College, US, assessed reading ability of approximately 215,000 fourth-grade students (typically age 10) in 40 countries and five provinces.
Rounding out the top 10 were British Columbia, Luxembourg, Ontario, Italy, Hungary and Sweden. The worst performances came from South Africa. Compared with the previous study undertaken in 2001, Sweden has dropped from the top to 10th position. US has fallen from 8th to 18th rank and UK has dropped from 3rd to 19th place.
According to the study, US students lagged behind despite the No Child Left Behind law, which was passed in 2002 as part of efforts to increase literacy rates among students in primary and secondary schools. In contrast with US, Singapore, which was behind US in 2001, has made considerable progress by improving teacher training and promoting English reading among children.
The findings were a severe embarrassment for the UK government, which has poured hundreds of millions of pounds into English reading and literacy. Ministers said the drop in standards among 10-year-olds was due to a decline in the amount of time teachers spent reading directly to students in class. Ed Balls, UK Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, said he accepted some responsibility for the decline in standards and called on parents to tip the balance back in favor of English reading at home.
The results of the study showed a general decrease of interest in books in recent years, as children showed a greater preference for the computer. Only 32 percent students polled read assigned literature every day. The researchers emphasized the role of parents in reading habits. According to the study, children from homes fostering literacy became better readers. Those who spent most time in early-childhood education generally had the highest scores.
