Page 88 - Štremfel, Urška, ed., 2016. Student (Under)achievement: Perspectives, Approaches, Challenges. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut. Digital Library, Documenta 11.
P. 88
eral knowledge they possess, and to explain a certain aspect of the text based
on their own personal experience or knowledge. This level of the reflect and
evaluate competency is achieved by 17 percentage points fewer students in
Slovenia than the previous lower levels, while the difference in the transition
to Level 3 is 24 percentage points (Level 3 of this competency is, in Slovenia, on
average achieved by less than half of students, i.e. 49%). To successfully com-
plete a task at Level 3, students are required to make associations or compari-
sons and explain or evaluate a certain aspect of the text. In doing so, they must
demonstrate a clear understanding of the text and point out in what way the
text is associated with everyday life or even less familiar topics. At the average
level of OECD countries, such tasks are successfully completed by almost 9%
more students than in Slovenia (49% vs. 58%).
On average, Slovenian students are successful in deciphering information
clearly stated in a familiar text, comparing individual ones by taking into ac-
count several criteria, understanding relationships between characters in the
text and drawing simple conclusions. However, only a small proportion of stu-
dents are able to deal with various (including less familiar) text formats and
88 contents, make inferences about the meaning of the text that is not clearly
indicated, reflect on it, evaluate it and interpret it outside of given informa-
tion and text boundaries and relate their conclusions with personal experienc-
es. But does this really suffice for a society which is supposed to be based on
knowledge and where young people are supposed to be active and co-shape
it as competent participants? Will they be able to respond to increasingly de-
manding requirements and conditions in the labour market in this way?
In order to be able to better explain the aforementioned reading-related
results, there is a need to focus on the background factors contributing to the
situation. One of the significant factors of reading literacy, which is studied in
more detail in the PISA 2009 international report, is student reading motiva-
tion, which will be described and analysed in the paper hereafter. The author’s
aim is to find out in which way motivation to read different texts is correlated
with reading outcomes in Slovenia and what are the areas that are – based on
the PISA 2009 results - worth strengthening in the sense of developing young
people’s interest in reading.
Reading Motivation
Motivation to Read as an Important Factor of Reading
Outcomes
In PISA 2009, reading motivation is defined by means of indices3 of reading for
enjoyment, the enjoyment of reading activities and diversity of reading mate-
3 An index is a value that has an OECD mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1. Accordingly, a posi-
tive index value for Slovenia means Slovenian students on average evaluated the items that consti-
student (under)achievement: perspectives, approaches, challenges
on their own personal experience or knowledge. This level of the reflect and
evaluate competency is achieved by 17 percentage points fewer students in
Slovenia than the previous lower levels, while the difference in the transition
to Level 3 is 24 percentage points (Level 3 of this competency is, in Slovenia, on
average achieved by less than half of students, i.e. 49%). To successfully com-
plete a task at Level 3, students are required to make associations or compari-
sons and explain or evaluate a certain aspect of the text. In doing so, they must
demonstrate a clear understanding of the text and point out in what way the
text is associated with everyday life or even less familiar topics. At the average
level of OECD countries, such tasks are successfully completed by almost 9%
more students than in Slovenia (49% vs. 58%).
On average, Slovenian students are successful in deciphering information
clearly stated in a familiar text, comparing individual ones by taking into ac-
count several criteria, understanding relationships between characters in the
text and drawing simple conclusions. However, only a small proportion of stu-
dents are able to deal with various (including less familiar) text formats and
88 contents, make inferences about the meaning of the text that is not clearly
indicated, reflect on it, evaluate it and interpret it outside of given informa-
tion and text boundaries and relate their conclusions with personal experienc-
es. But does this really suffice for a society which is supposed to be based on
knowledge and where young people are supposed to be active and co-shape
it as competent participants? Will they be able to respond to increasingly de-
manding requirements and conditions in the labour market in this way?
In order to be able to better explain the aforementioned reading-related
results, there is a need to focus on the background factors contributing to the
situation. One of the significant factors of reading literacy, which is studied in
more detail in the PISA 2009 international report, is student reading motiva-
tion, which will be described and analysed in the paper hereafter. The author’s
aim is to find out in which way motivation to read different texts is correlated
with reading outcomes in Slovenia and what are the areas that are – based on
the PISA 2009 results - worth strengthening in the sense of developing young
people’s interest in reading.
Reading Motivation
Motivation to Read as an Important Factor of Reading
Outcomes
In PISA 2009, reading motivation is defined by means of indices3 of reading for
enjoyment, the enjoyment of reading activities and diversity of reading mate-
3 An index is a value that has an OECD mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1. Accordingly, a posi-
tive index value for Slovenia means Slovenian students on average evaluated the items that consti-
student (under)achievement: perspectives, approaches, challenges
