Questionnaire data from the PIRLS 2006 provided a number of international indices [1] measuring various elements of the educational context influencing reading achievement. These constructs refer to characteristics of school, teachers, parents, and pupils. Examples include: -Availability of school resources (principals’ reports of how much the school’s capacity to provide instruction is affected by inadequacy of resources, such as qualified teaching staff, instructional materials, etc). -Home–school involvement (principals’ reports on parents’ involvement in school’s activities). -Teacher career satisfaction (teachers’ reports on satisfaction with their current position and career choice as a whole). -Home educational resources (students’ and parents’ reports about the home environment and the extent to which it influences students’ reading activities). -Parents’ attitudes towards reading (parents’ agreement with statements such as: I read only if I have to, I like talking about books with other people, etc.). -Early home literacy activities (parents’ reports about engaging in early literacy activities with the students before they enter the primary school). -Students’ attitudes toward reading (students’ agreement with statements such as: I read only if I have to, I think reading is boring). -Students’ reading self-concept (based on students’ responses to statements such as: reading is very easy for me, when I am reading by myself I understand almost everything I read, etc.). Additionally, other important features of the school educational context are considered in studying reading achievement [2], such as how much reading is emphasized in the school curriculum, how classes are organized for reading instruction, etc. The first aim of this study is to explore, using the PIRLS 2006 data for European countries, the relationship between contextual variables at the country, school and pupil levels, and the Rasch-scaled score for reading achievement. This in needed in order to clarify which variables, at different levels, show to have a direct impact on reading achievement. The second aim is to examine, by means of multi-group structural equation modelling, the interplay between school, teacher, family and student factors, and their relationships to reading achievement. Different models of how different factors affect reading achievement will be tested, also considering their indirect effects. Models invariance across groups of European countries with different types of school curricula and organization for the teaching of reading will also be tested. The theoretical framework of this study is consistent with the PIRLS 2006 assessment framework [2] that considers a complex structure of factors influencing reading literacy.

Data is based on the answers of Grade 4 pupils, as well as on those of parents, teachers and principals who took part in PIRLS 2006 in European countries. Data will be analyzed according to the following scheme. First we will look at the reliability of international indices in the European context: indices with a very low alpha value will not be considered for further analysis. To develop and test a regression model and multigroup structural equations model we will use the strategy of randomly splitting the data file in two. To evaluate the extent to which the hypothesized structural model supports the observed data, we will rely on multiple indices of fit such as the chi squared/degrees of freedom ratio [3], the comparative fit index (CFI) [4], the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) [5], etc.

The expected outcomes include the identification of the contextual variables that, at different levels, show to have a direct impact on reading achievement. The results will also lead to the individuation of the model of the relationships between contextual variables and reading achievement, which has the best data fit among the ones tested. It will be also possible to establish if and to what extent this model shows invariance across groups of European countries with different types of school curricula and organization for the teaching of reading.