Between The Lines: Our children top the world at reading, but do they enjoy it?
The PIRLS 2011 International Results in Reading were recently announced, and Hong Kong placed first out of 49 countries in reading ability of fourth-graders. This was widely reported locally and internationally.
Local media focused on how well Hong Kong children are being educated, while international media reports made comparisons between the education system in their respective countries and those of Asian countries.
PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) has been tracking trends in fourth-grade reading ability for 15 years. It uses extensive measuring tools to assess a number of reading-related contexts, including home environment support, students' backgrounds and attitudes toward reading, the reading curriculum, and teachers' education and training.
I hate to rain on everyone's parade, but Hong Kong's first place in reading ability is just one outcome of this nearly 400-page report. Buried in the report are tables indicating that Hong Kong scored the lowest of all participants in three critical areas: motivation to read, confidence and interest in reading for pleasure, and parents' enjoyment of reading.
This report found that children had higher reading achievement by the fourth grade if they were able to read some sentences and write some words by the time they started primary school. Thus, Hong Kong's high scores can be attributed to the fact that virtually all Hong Kong children in the study attended one year or more of pre-primary education, and 68 per cent of them had three years or more.
This is high compared with the international average of 78 per cent having one year or more of preschool and 42 per cent having three years or more.
On the other hand, when Hong Kong fourth-graders were asked to rate statements such as "I like to read things that make me think", and "I like it when a book helps me imagine other worlds", this assessment of their motivation to read placed them at the very bottom of the table.