PIRLS 2021 – How to Analyze Primary Students’ Reading Literacy

• Booking Name: Tuesday Morning Workshop D
• Time: 9:00 - 12:00
• Facilitator: Falk Brese and Minge Chen
• Registration deadline: 15 August 2023
• The workshop is fully booked, there is a limited waiting list. To see if the waiting list is still available, click on "Link to Registration" below.

The primary objective of this workshop is to explore how data from international assessments can be used for research regarding outcomes and contexts of reading literacy. The workshop will put emphasis on how data from studies conducted by the IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement) could provide further insights for policy and practice.

As a leading organization in the field of educational research for more than 60 years, the IEA promotes capacity building and knowledge sharing to facilitate innovation and foster quality in education. IEA studies approach the reality of educational learning outcomes in all its complexity by collecting a huge variety of background information that can be related to students’ achievement, knowledge, and attitudes.

This course will introduce participants to the IEA Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2021. The PRILS 2021 database will be published in June 2023 and will provide a fresh and rich source for secondary research of outcomes related to reading literacy across the world, and in particular in Europe with more than 30 European countries participating. PIRLS 2021 is the 5^th cycle of IEA’s flagship study in reading literacy, following the administrations in 2001, 2006, 2011, and 2016.

The course will include an overview of PIRLS, covering its background, conceptual framework and design. It will present some key findings from the 2021 data collection. Participants will be introduced to the survey instruments and database, and be provided with access paths to data sources, technical documentation, analysis guides and software tools. There will also be a presentation about available variables such as students’ achievement, their attitudes towards reading, characteristics of their teachers who teach reading, and class- and school-level learning contexts.

With this information, participants will formulate and discuss research questions that can be addressed with PIRLS 2021 data. The instructors will be available to mentor the development of research ideas and design as well as to answer data related and technical questions. Research questions from individual attendants will be presented to all participants in order to provide opportunities to share ideas.

No prior knowledge about large-scale international studies is required. Basic knowledge about statistical analysis is not required but is an advantage.

References:
Mullis, I. V. S., & Martin, M. O. (Eds.). (2019). PIRLS 2021 Assessment Frameworks. Retrieved from Boston College, TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center website: https://timssandpirls.bc.edu/pirls2021/frameworks/
Reynolds, K.A., Wry, E., Mullis, I.V.S., & von Davier, M. (2022). PIRLS 2021 Encyclopedia: Education Policy and Curriculum in Reading. Retrieved from Boston College, TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center website: https://pirls2021.org/encyclopedia
Martin, M. O., Mullis, I. V. S., & Hooper, M. (Eds.). (2017). Methods and Procedures in PIRLS 2016. Retrieved from Boston College, TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center website: https://timssandpirls.bc.edu/publications/pirls/2016-methods.html
Foy, Pierre PIRLS 2016 User Guide for the International Database. Retrieved from Boston College, TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center website: https://timssandpirls.bc.edu/pirls2016/international-database/index.html

Requirements - IMPORTANT:

• Participants should bring a laptop.
• Lecturers will hand out USB sticks with published PIRLS material (assessment framework, questionnaires, international database) that can be used during the group work.
• Participants who would like to practice analysis should download and install the IEA IDB Analyzer (https://www.iea.nl/data-tools/) and have either SPSS, SAS, or R installed on their laptop prior to the workshop.
   
• You are only eligible to attend this workshop if you are registered as participant of ECER.
• Please do NOT register for more than one workshop. We will cancel double bookings.
• Should you not be able to attend, please cancel your reservation, as there might be a waiting list.