Page 61 - Štremfel, Urška, ed., 2016. Student (Under)achievement: Perspectives, Approaches, Challenges. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut. Digital Library, Documenta 11.
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ch pertain to students’ background of reading from a longer period prior 61
to PISA assessment. Such factors are, for instance, enjoyment of reading, diver-
sity of reading material, students’ reports on the usefulness of various reading
strategies in learning and similar. A more detailed description of these factors
will be given below.
Research into the associations between background factors and achieve-
ment, for instance achievement in reading literacy in PISA, is usually based on
the assumption that the associations along the entire span of achievement are
linear. Based on this assumption, the extent to which individual factors con-
tribute to the average achievement is then investigated (with other factors be-
ing controlled). In this paper, the question of linearity along the entire span of
achievement will be somewhat expanded, i.e. possible differences in associa-
tions between different factors and reading achievement will be investigated
in terms of whether low or high achievement is involved. The reason for this fo-
cus is the aim to provide a clearer picture of how the associations between the
background factors and achievement differ between groups of students, with
a special focus on low-achieving students. The research question is therefore
for which background factors measured in PISA 2009 there are differences in
their association with reading achievement when low achievement is consid-
ered in comparison with higher achievement.
By participating in PISA 2009, it was the first time Slovenia was able to ob-
tain detailed information about the reading of Slovenian 15-year-olds in com-
parison with their peers from around the world. Internationally comparable
data on various reading-related factors was also acquired simultaneously.
As previously stated, the results published in 2010 revealed a below-average
achievement in comparison with achievement in OECD, which was confirmed
by the results collected in 2012. Determining the differences in the associa-
tions referred to in the aforementioned research question will be an aid to un-
derstanding how students learn and what the differences are between them;
it will also provide an important basis for planning pedagogic approaches in
the future and the scope of thinking about some possible steps for improving
achievement by means of school work.
Students’ current year-group is of more importance than their age when
looking for starting points for planning pedagogic approaches; teaching ap-
proaches are developed based on the curricula prepared for individual years.
As previously stated, the majority of Slovenian 15-year-olds are in Year 1 of up-
per secondary schools. Accordingly, PISA 2009 data for Slovenia, which in-
cludes a representative sample of all students of Year 1 of upper secondary
schools, will be used to address the aforementioned research questions. In ad-
dition to the sample of 15-year-olds based on which international comparisons
in PISA 2009 were made, Slovenia also included an additional sample of Year
1 students who were, during the course of the assessment, not aged 15. By
low reading achievement in pisa 2009
to PISA assessment. Such factors are, for instance, enjoyment of reading, diver-
sity of reading material, students’ reports on the usefulness of various reading
strategies in learning and similar. A more detailed description of these factors
will be given below.
Research into the associations between background factors and achieve-
ment, for instance achievement in reading literacy in PISA, is usually based on
the assumption that the associations along the entire span of achievement are
linear. Based on this assumption, the extent to which individual factors con-
tribute to the average achievement is then investigated (with other factors be-
ing controlled). In this paper, the question of linearity along the entire span of
achievement will be somewhat expanded, i.e. possible differences in associa-
tions between different factors and reading achievement will be investigated
in terms of whether low or high achievement is involved. The reason for this fo-
cus is the aim to provide a clearer picture of how the associations between the
background factors and achievement differ between groups of students, with
a special focus on low-achieving students. The research question is therefore
for which background factors measured in PISA 2009 there are differences in
their association with reading achievement when low achievement is consid-
ered in comparison with higher achievement.
By participating in PISA 2009, it was the first time Slovenia was able to ob-
tain detailed information about the reading of Slovenian 15-year-olds in com-
parison with their peers from around the world. Internationally comparable
data on various reading-related factors was also acquired simultaneously.
As previously stated, the results published in 2010 revealed a below-average
achievement in comparison with achievement in OECD, which was confirmed
by the results collected in 2012. Determining the differences in the associa-
tions referred to in the aforementioned research question will be an aid to un-
derstanding how students learn and what the differences are between them;
it will also provide an important basis for planning pedagogic approaches in
the future and the scope of thinking about some possible steps for improving
achievement by means of school work.
Students’ current year-group is of more importance than their age when
looking for starting points for planning pedagogic approaches; teaching ap-
proaches are developed based on the curricula prepared for individual years.
As previously stated, the majority of Slovenian 15-year-olds are in Year 1 of up-
per secondary schools. Accordingly, PISA 2009 data for Slovenia, which in-
cludes a representative sample of all students of Year 1 of upper secondary
schools, will be used to address the aforementioned research questions. In ad-
dition to the sample of 15-year-olds based on which international comparisons
in PISA 2009 were made, Slovenia also included an additional sample of Year
1 students who were, during the course of the assessment, not aged 15. By
low reading achievement in pisa 2009
