PIRLS 2021 Fact Sheet

Long title
Progress in International Reading Literacy Study
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Frequency of data collection
Every 5 years
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Previous cycles
2001, 2006, 2011, 2016
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Schedule

Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, countries remained committed to participating in PIRLS 2021, overcoming various obstacles to ensure students could take the PIRLS 2021 assessment. Most countries assessed fourth-grade students at the end of the school year according to the original schedule, while a small number of countries assessed fourth-grade students at the end of the school year a full year later. Fourteen countries delayed the assessment and assessed the fourth-grade cohort at the beginning of the fifth grade. 

  • 2018 (February)–2019 (June): framework and instrument development
  • 2020 (March–April): field test*
  • 2020 (October–December): Southern Hemisphere data collection according to the original plan
  • 2021 (February–July): Northern Hemisphere data collection according to the original plan
  • 2021 (August–December) Southern Hemisphere data collection (assessed fourth grade one year later)
  • 2021 (September–December): Northern Hemisphere data collection (fourth-grade cohort assessed at the beginning of the fifth grade)
  • 2022 (April–July): Northern Hemisphere data collection (assessed fourth grade one year later)
  • 2023 (May 16): release of international report and methods and procedures
  • 2023 (June 22): release of the international database, user guide and supplementary materials

*Some participating countries administered their field tests after March – April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic..

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Objectives
  • Monitor system-level trends in student achievement in reading at Grade 4 in a global context.
  • Evaluate how well students read, interpret, and critique online information in an environment that looks and feels like the internet.
  • Gather and provide information and data for improving learning and teaching in reading.
  • Help improve the teaching of reading and the acquisition of reading skills around the world.
  • Gain a better understanding of education systems and enable countries to make informed decisions for improving their education policies.
  • Compare education systems worldwide in terms of their organization, instructional resources, and practices related to their students’ reading achievement, thus allowing them to learn from the experience of others in designing effective education policy.
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Assessment domain(s)
  • Reading literacy
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Study framework (summary)

Reading framework

  • Purposes for reading
    • Reading for literary experience
    • Acquire and use information
  • Processes of comprehension
    • Focus on and retrieve explicitly stated information
    • Make straightforward inferences
    • Interpret and integrate ideas and information
    • Evaluate and critique content and textual elements

 

The contextual framework

  • Home contexts
    • Environment for learning
    • Emphasis on literacy
  • School contexts
    • School resources
    • School climate
    • School discipline and safety
    • School emphasis on reading instruction
  • Classroom contexts
    • Classroom reading instruction
    • Information technology in the classroom
    • Classroom climate
    • Teachers’ preparation
  • Student attributes
    • Student reading attitudes
    • Student demographics
  • National contexts
    • Organization of education system
    • Reading curriculum
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More information on study framework
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Participating entities

Numbers

  • Overall: 57 countries and 8 benchmarking entities
  • digitalPIRLS:  27 countries and 5 benchmarking entities
  • paperPIRLS: 31 countries and 1 benchmarking entities

 

Lists

Countries: Albania, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belgium (Flemish), Belgium (French), Brazil, Bulgaria, Chinese Taipei, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, Hungary, Islamic Rep. of Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Macao SAR, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uzbekistan

Benchmarking entities: Alberta, Canada; British Columbia, Canada; Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada; Quebec, Canada; Moscow City, Russian Federation; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; South Africa (Grade 6)

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Target population and sample (summary)

Target population (students)

Grade representing 4 years of formal schooling, counting from the first year of ISCED Level 1

 

Sample (students)

Per country: 150–200 schools, 1 or 2 classes per school, approx. 4,500 students.

In total: nearly 400,000 students

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Data collection techniques and instruments (summary)

Student achievement

Formats provided

  • PIRLS: booklets administered on computers through an eAssessment system (digitalPIRLS), including ePIRLS (now fully integrated into PIRLS rather than a separate digital assessment)
  • paperPIRLS: paper-based booklets

digitalPIRLS and paperPIRLS

  • Had the same content organized into 18 passages with accompanying questions (item blocks), with half of the passages assessing reading for literary experience and half assessing reading to acquire and use information.
  • Included 18 passages arranged into 18 booklets of two passages each (each booklet with one passage assessing reading for literary experience and one passage assessing reading to acquire and use information).
  • Used a group adaptive assessment design
    • There were three levels of item block difficulty (difficult, medium, and easy).
    • The 18 booklets were divided into two levels of booklet difficulty:
      • Nine more difficult booklets (including two difficult passages or one medium and one difficult passage)
      • Nine less difficult booklets (including an easy and a medium passage or two easy passages)
    • Each country administered the entire assessment with the balance of more difficult and less difficult booklets varying with the achievement level of the students in the country.

ePIRLS

  • ePIRLS consisted of five tasks that assessed online informational reading
  • ePIRLS was integrated in digitalPIRLS, so that no additional testing time was required

 

Background questionnaires

  • Student questionnaire
  • Learning to Read survey (home questionnaire)
  • Teacher questionnaire
  • School questionnaire
  • Curriculum questionnaire (completed by National Research Coordinators)

 

Descriptive encyclopedia chapters

Each country provided a chapter describing its education system, with a particular focus on reading education for primary school children.

 

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Initiator
IEA
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Study director(s)
TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center
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Study website(s)
PIRLS 2021 at Boston College
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Contact

IEA

Keizersgracht 311

1016 EE Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Tel.: +31 20 625 3625

Fax: +31 20 420 7136

E-mail: secretariat@iea.nl

URL: http://www.iea.nl

 

TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center

Boston College

140 Commonwealth Ave.

Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

USA

Tel: +1 617 552 1600

Fax: +1 617 552 1203

E-mail: timssandpirls@bc.edu

URL: http://timssandpirls.bc.edu/index.html

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Related studies
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Sources
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