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Chapter 7
School Contexts
While the foundation for literacy is laid in the home and the home is a
continuing source of support for literacy activities, formal instruction in
reading takes place in the school. Thus, the learning environment that the
school provides is a crucial factor in supporting reading achievement and
establishing a positive orientation toward reading. This chapter provides
reports from school principals, teachers, students, and parents on aspects
of the school context, particularly school demographics, the role of the
principal, school resources, home-school involvement, school attendance,
school climate for learning, and school safety.
What Are the Schools’ Demographic Characteristics?
To provide information on the demographic context for the schools attended
by fourth-grade students, PIRLS 2006 collected data on school location
(urban, suburban, and rural) and the composition of the student body in
terms of the percentage of students from economically disadvantaged homes
and the percentage of students who do not speak the language of the PIRLS
test as their first language.
Exhibit 7.1 presents, for the PIRLS 2006 countries, the percentage of
fourth-grade students in schools characterized by their principals as urban,
suburban, and rural, together with their average reading achievement,
as well as the change in the percentage of students in such schools since
2001. On average internationally, more than two fifths of students (43%)
attended schools in urban areas, almost one quarter (24%) in suburban