8 OUT OF 10 LEARNERS STILL CANNOT READ AT APPROPRIATE LEVEL
Ten-year study shows South African primary school reading literacy is slow to improve with a drop at the top.
The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2016 report paints a disturbing picture of primary school reading literacy in South Africa, with no significant progress nationally since the last report in 2011. While the Russian Federation and Singapore were the top achievers, South Africa placed last out of the 50 countries participating in the study at fourth grade level. This is according to the international comparative reading assessment conducted by University of Pretoria (UP) researchers at the Centre for Evaluation and Assessment (CEA), who just published the South African findings of this global study on reading literacy.
Worldwide, more than 319 000 learners participated in PIRLS 2016. This third South African PIRLS national report builds on ten years of rigorous research in reading literacy. Although national performance is generally very low, there is a glimmer of hope. Between PIRLS 2011 and PIRLS 2016 there has been an improvement in performance for five African languages (out of the 11 languages tested) at Grade 4 level, despite the fact that these were the lowest performing languages in the 2011 study.
“Being able to read is the key to academic and future success,” says Celeste Combrinck, Acting Director at the CEA. “If you can't read, your opportunities in school or after school will be limited, which is why reading should start at a very young age.”
The CEA works closely with the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) and the TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Centre at Boston College, USA, as well as several other international research organisations and associations in countries such as Canada and Germany, to coordinate and collaborate on the PIRLS study across the globe. At the end of 2015, the CEA tested the reading comprehension skills of 12 810 Grade 4 learners in all 11 official languages across South Africa. In addition, over 5 000 Grade 5 learners were tested in Afrikaans, English and isiZulu. This data was processed and analysed by the international research group and then returned to the CEA. The study was supported by the South African Department of Basic Education (DBE) through partial funding and limited logistical support.