Page 84 - Štremfel, Urška, ed., 2016. Student (Under)achievement: Perspectives, Approaches, Challenges. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut. Digital Library, Documenta 11.
P. 84
sorb something new and also re-evaluate it at the given moment. In contrast,
students who are classified into Levels 1a or 1b of the reading literacy scale are
successful in identifying only information given explicitly, in short simple texts,
with both the content and the text format familiar to them. They are able to
identify simple connections between two items of information in a text where
an item of information is repeated and no other equivalent is given that might
mislead them. They also manage to successfully identify the dominant idea of
a well-known topic and identify the associations between given pieces of in-
formation and their own everyday experiences.
The basic level, which is according to PISA defined as some sort of a
boundary that enables young people to actively participate in society and
lead a productive life, is Level 2 on the reading literacy scale. In Slovenia this
level is, on average, achieved by 79% of all students compared to 81% of their
peers in OECD countries. Students whose reading competencies are demon-
strated to be at this level are able to retrieve and identify a piece of information
that meets different criteria, compare it to other given pieces of information,
interpret the meaning of a clearly indicated section of the text and find con-
84 nections between the content of the text and their personal, everyday experi-
ences. Tasks at this level of reading literacy usually require students to identi-
fy one or more parts of a piece of information, which are sometimes not given
perfectly clearly, and in doing so students must consider several different cri-
teria. A task may also require a student to identify the main idea of the text,
understand associations within the text, formulate the meaning of a desig-
nated text section where the piece of information may not be given perfect-
ly clearly, draw simple conclusions and compare information in terms of differ-
ent criteria.
In Slovenia, the performance percentage at individual levels of reading
literacy decreases in line with higher levels, similarly to the average level of
OECD countries. On average, the majority of 15-year-old students reach Levels
1b (99%) and 1a (94%), followed by Level 2 (79 %), and the first sharp decrease
in the performance percentage and a deviation from the OECD average is per-
ceived in the transition to Level 3 of reading literacy. Here, on average, the per-
formance percentage of Slovenian 15-year-old students drops by slightly less
than 22 percentage points (57%). A similar decrease is likewise perceived in all
subscales of reading literacy, based on which the performance percentage in
three basic reading literacy competencies in PISA is established (i.e. access and
retrieve information, integrate and interpret the text, reflect on and evaluate
the content of the text).
In the field of reading literacy there are also significant differences in terms
of gender, with girls being at a great advantage. In the PISA 2009 reading lit-
eracy test, Slovenian female students on average scored 511 points and male
student (under)achievement: perspectives, approaches, challenges
students who are classified into Levels 1a or 1b of the reading literacy scale are
successful in identifying only information given explicitly, in short simple texts,
with both the content and the text format familiar to them. They are able to
identify simple connections between two items of information in a text where
an item of information is repeated and no other equivalent is given that might
mislead them. They also manage to successfully identify the dominant idea of
a well-known topic and identify the associations between given pieces of in-
formation and their own everyday experiences.
The basic level, which is according to PISA defined as some sort of a
boundary that enables young people to actively participate in society and
lead a productive life, is Level 2 on the reading literacy scale. In Slovenia this
level is, on average, achieved by 79% of all students compared to 81% of their
peers in OECD countries. Students whose reading competencies are demon-
strated to be at this level are able to retrieve and identify a piece of information
that meets different criteria, compare it to other given pieces of information,
interpret the meaning of a clearly indicated section of the text and find con-
84 nections between the content of the text and their personal, everyday experi-
ences. Tasks at this level of reading literacy usually require students to identi-
fy one or more parts of a piece of information, which are sometimes not given
perfectly clearly, and in doing so students must consider several different cri-
teria. A task may also require a student to identify the main idea of the text,
understand associations within the text, formulate the meaning of a desig-
nated text section where the piece of information may not be given perfect-
ly clearly, draw simple conclusions and compare information in terms of differ-
ent criteria.
In Slovenia, the performance percentage at individual levels of reading
literacy decreases in line with higher levels, similarly to the average level of
OECD countries. On average, the majority of 15-year-old students reach Levels
1b (99%) and 1a (94%), followed by Level 2 (79 %), and the first sharp decrease
in the performance percentage and a deviation from the OECD average is per-
ceived in the transition to Level 3 of reading literacy. Here, on average, the per-
formance percentage of Slovenian 15-year-old students drops by slightly less
than 22 percentage points (57%). A similar decrease is likewise perceived in all
subscales of reading literacy, based on which the performance percentage in
three basic reading literacy competencies in PISA is established (i.e. access and
retrieve information, integrate and interpret the text, reflect on and evaluate
the content of the text).
In the field of reading literacy there are also significant differences in terms
of gender, with girls being at a great advantage. In the PISA 2009 reading lit-
eracy test, Slovenian female students on average scored 511 points and male
student (under)achievement: perspectives, approaches, challenges
