Chapter 4 - TIMSS and PIRLS Home

supports for studying and access to a supply of children’s books. Students were
asked about whether they had their own room and an Internet connection at
home, and more than half (55%) reported having both of these.
Students Spoke the Language of the Test Before Starting School
Because learning to read is dependent on children’s early language experiences,
the language or languages spoken at home and how they are used are important
factors in reading literacy development. As formal reading instruction begins,
children are likely to be at an initial disadvantage if their knowledge of the
language of instruction is substantially below the expected level for their
age. As would be expected, students still learning the language of instruction
generally struggle even more in content areas with higher language demand
such as reading.
Exhibit 4.3 shows parents’ reports about whether students spoke the
language of the test before starting school. For students in the fourth grade,
92 percent across countries, on average, spoke the language of the test before
starting school. However, the eight percent who did not speak the language
of the test before starting school had much lower average achievement on
PIRLS 2011 (479 vs. 516). The results for the sixth grade and benchmarking
students as well as for prePIRLS show that only about one-fourth of the students
in Botswana spoke the language of the test before starting school. Just over half
(56%) of the fifth-grade South African students in schools with instruction in
English or Afrikaans spoke those languages before starting school.
Parents Like Reading
For most children, the home provides modeling and direct guidance in effective
literacy practices. Young children who see adults and older children reading
or using texts in different ways are learning to appreciate and use printed
materials. Research has shown that children socialized in reading retain or
even increase their advantage in language performance compared to their
classmates (Kloostermann, Notten, Tolsma, & Kraaykamp, 2011). Beyond
modeling, parents or other caregivers can directly support reading development
by expressing positive opinions about reading and literacy. Promoting reading
as a valuable and meaningful activity can motivate children to read.
Exhibit 4.4 presents the PIRLS 2011 Parents Like Reading scale. Students
were scored on the Parents Like Reading scale according to their parents’ degree
of agreement with seven statements about reading and how often they read for
enjoyment. Parents who Like reading “agreed a lot” with four of the statements
PIRLS 2011 INTERNATIONAL RESULTS IN READING
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