Page 87 - Štremfel, Urška, ed., 2016. Student (Under)achievement: Perspectives, Approaches, Challenges. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut. Digital Library, Documenta 11.
P. 87
6). One hundred (100) and ninety-five (95)% of Slovenian students success- 87
fully complete tasks where integrating and interpreting is required from them
at the lowest levels. Tasks of this kind require students to identify the main
idea of the text (the idea is rather simple and may be stated more than once)
or the author’s aim as part of a well-known topic in the text, with key informa-
tion clearly marked. Tasks at Level 2 of integrating and interpreting require stu-
dents to identify the main idea behind the text, understand relationships be-
tween characters, formulate the meaning of a shorter, pre-specified part of the
text, with the key information clearly marked; in doing so students also have
to draw some simple conclusions. In Slovenia, this level is on average achieved
by 80% and in OECD countries by 81% of students. Tasks at Level 3 differ from
tasks at Level 2 in that in order to identify the main idea of the text at Level 3
students must integrate different parts of the text, understand relationships in
the text and formulate the meaning of a certain word or phrase independent-
ly. In the process they need to compare, categorise and contrast information
and also take into consideration several different criteria and equivalent pieces
of information that are incorrect. In Slovenia, Level 3 of the Integrate and inter-
pret competency is on average reached by 25% fewer students (55%) than Lev-
el 2. The average level in OECD countries is similar: Level 3 is achieved by 57%
of students, i.e. 2% more than in Slovenia.
Table 6: The percentage of students successful in completing tasks at a
specific level of the Reflect and evaluate reading competency
Slovenia Level 1b Level 1a Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6
(percentage 97.7 90.1 73.2 49 21.8 4.8 0.4
of students)
OECD average 98.4 93.5 80.7 57.7 29.5 8.8 1.2
(percentage
of students)
PISA 2009 tasks which required students to reflect on a text and evaluate
its content turned out to be the most difficult for the majority of Slovenian stu-
dents, in particular at higher levels of this specific competency. At lower levels
(Levels 1b and 1a) of reflecting on the text and evaluating it, students have to
make very simple associations between information in the text and their own
general knowledge related to everyday situations. In Slovenia these two lev-
els are on average achieved by the highest percentage of 15-year-old students
(100% and 90%), however, the percentage is still below the OECD countries’av-
erage (98% and 93%). Tasks at Level 2, which, in Slovenia, is on average reached
by 73% of students (and 81% of students in OECD countries), require students
to make comparisons and associations between the text and some other gen-
reading literacy and motivation in the context of social changes
fully complete tasks where integrating and interpreting is required from them
at the lowest levels. Tasks of this kind require students to identify the main
idea of the text (the idea is rather simple and may be stated more than once)
or the author’s aim as part of a well-known topic in the text, with key informa-
tion clearly marked. Tasks at Level 2 of integrating and interpreting require stu-
dents to identify the main idea behind the text, understand relationships be-
tween characters, formulate the meaning of a shorter, pre-specified part of the
text, with the key information clearly marked; in doing so students also have
to draw some simple conclusions. In Slovenia, this level is on average achieved
by 80% and in OECD countries by 81% of students. Tasks at Level 3 differ from
tasks at Level 2 in that in order to identify the main idea of the text at Level 3
students must integrate different parts of the text, understand relationships in
the text and formulate the meaning of a certain word or phrase independent-
ly. In the process they need to compare, categorise and contrast information
and also take into consideration several different criteria and equivalent pieces
of information that are incorrect. In Slovenia, Level 3 of the Integrate and inter-
pret competency is on average reached by 25% fewer students (55%) than Lev-
el 2. The average level in OECD countries is similar: Level 3 is achieved by 57%
of students, i.e. 2% more than in Slovenia.
Table 6: The percentage of students successful in completing tasks at a
specific level of the Reflect and evaluate reading competency
Slovenia Level 1b Level 1a Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6
(percentage 97.7 90.1 73.2 49 21.8 4.8 0.4
of students)
OECD average 98.4 93.5 80.7 57.7 29.5 8.8 1.2
(percentage
of students)
PISA 2009 tasks which required students to reflect on a text and evaluate
its content turned out to be the most difficult for the majority of Slovenian stu-
dents, in particular at higher levels of this specific competency. At lower levels
(Levels 1b and 1a) of reflecting on the text and evaluating it, students have to
make very simple associations between information in the text and their own
general knowledge related to everyday situations. In Slovenia these two lev-
els are on average achieved by the highest percentage of 15-year-old students
(100% and 90%), however, the percentage is still below the OECD countries’av-
erage (98% and 93%). Tasks at Level 2, which, in Slovenia, is on average reached
by 73% of students (and 81% of students in OECD countries), require students
to make comparisons and associations between the text and some other gen-
reading literacy and motivation in the context of social changes
