Page 22 - Štremfel, Urška, ed., 2016. Student (Under)achievement: Perspectives, Approaches, Challenges. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut. Digital Library, Documenta 11.
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er context of lifelong learning and contributing to individuals’ social integra-
tion and personal development. Recently, it endorsed this statement with its
enshrinement of communication in the mother tongue (comprising listening,
speaking, reading and writing) as the first of eight key competencies which all
individuals need for personal fulfilment and development, active citizenship,
social inclusion and employment (Šterman Ivančič, 2013). According to some
experts (Friedman, 2005; OECD, 2001 in Šterman Ivančič, 2013), the non-eco-
nomic effects of reading literacy, in the sense of personal welfare and greater
social inclusion, are just as important as the effects on the economy or labour
market. This means reading literacy skills are not only important for individu-
als, but for everything individuals know, and know how to do, within a certain
economy – quite possibly the most important form of capital. For a number of
years, economists have been developing models by means of which they have
often shown that the level of reading literacy, and consequently the educa-
tional level of people in a certain country, are an indicator of the potential of
its growth (Šterman Ivančič, 2013).
An interesting piece of information in relation to this is indicated by the re-
22 sults of PISA 2009 and 2012: in Slovenia 79% of students achieve at least basic
reading competence (i.e. they reach Level 2), whereas in OECD countries the
percentage of such students is, on average, 82 (Štraus, Šterman Ivančič and
Štigl, 2013).
The percentage of achievement at individual levels of reading literacy in
Slovenia decreases with higher levels (the higher the level, the lower the per-
centage), which is also the case at the average level of OECD countries. Based
on the PISA 2009 results, it can be established that, on average, the majority of
Slovenian 15-year-olds reach Levels 1b (99%) and 1a (94%), followed by Level 2
(79%), while the first large decline in the percentage of achievement is seen –
similarly to the average level of OECD countries – in the transition to Level 3 of
reading literacy, where, on average, the achievement percentage of Sloveni-
an 15-year-olds decreases by 22 percentage points (57%). In 2012, the decrease
in percentage points in the field of reading literacy is even greater, i.e. 27 per-
centage points (52% of Slovenian 15-year-olds reach Level 3 of reading literacy).
Nowadays, the issue of student (under)achievement at international level
takes an important part in discussions about the economic and social devel-
opment of individual societies. The EU incorporated education and the signif-
icance of educational outcomes in the development of European integration
in a more significant sense for the first time in 2000, with the slogan ‘to be-
come the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the
world’. In doing so, it pointed the attention of its member states to the im-
portance of decreasing underachievement, in particular with the benchmark
which refers to the non-achievement of basic levels of literacy in PISA; member
states were thus encouraged to give student (under)achievement further de-
student (under)achievement: perspectives, approaches, challenges
tion and personal development. Recently, it endorsed this statement with its
enshrinement of communication in the mother tongue (comprising listening,
speaking, reading and writing) as the first of eight key competencies which all
individuals need for personal fulfilment and development, active citizenship,
social inclusion and employment (Šterman Ivančič, 2013). According to some
experts (Friedman, 2005; OECD, 2001 in Šterman Ivančič, 2013), the non-eco-
nomic effects of reading literacy, in the sense of personal welfare and greater
social inclusion, are just as important as the effects on the economy or labour
market. This means reading literacy skills are not only important for individu-
als, but for everything individuals know, and know how to do, within a certain
economy – quite possibly the most important form of capital. For a number of
years, economists have been developing models by means of which they have
often shown that the level of reading literacy, and consequently the educa-
tional level of people in a certain country, are an indicator of the potential of
its growth (Šterman Ivančič, 2013).
An interesting piece of information in relation to this is indicated by the re-
22 sults of PISA 2009 and 2012: in Slovenia 79% of students achieve at least basic
reading competence (i.e. they reach Level 2), whereas in OECD countries the
percentage of such students is, on average, 82 (Štraus, Šterman Ivančič and
Štigl, 2013).
The percentage of achievement at individual levels of reading literacy in
Slovenia decreases with higher levels (the higher the level, the lower the per-
centage), which is also the case at the average level of OECD countries. Based
on the PISA 2009 results, it can be established that, on average, the majority of
Slovenian 15-year-olds reach Levels 1b (99%) and 1a (94%), followed by Level 2
(79%), while the first large decline in the percentage of achievement is seen –
similarly to the average level of OECD countries – in the transition to Level 3 of
reading literacy, where, on average, the achievement percentage of Sloveni-
an 15-year-olds decreases by 22 percentage points (57%). In 2012, the decrease
in percentage points in the field of reading literacy is even greater, i.e. 27 per-
centage points (52% of Slovenian 15-year-olds reach Level 3 of reading literacy).
Nowadays, the issue of student (under)achievement at international level
takes an important part in discussions about the economic and social devel-
opment of individual societies. The EU incorporated education and the signif-
icance of educational outcomes in the development of European integration
in a more significant sense for the first time in 2000, with the slogan ‘to be-
come the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the
world’. In doing so, it pointed the attention of its member states to the im-
portance of decreasing underachievement, in particular with the benchmark
which refers to the non-achievement of basic levels of literacy in PISA; member
states were thus encouraged to give student (under)achievement further de-
student (under)achievement: perspectives, approaches, challenges
