Note: Participants should bring a laptop. Lecturers will hand out USB sticks with published PIRLS material for group work. Participants could practice analysis if they have the IEA IDB Analyzer and either SPSS, SAS, or R installed on their laptop.
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 5th 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.
Draft Agenda:
Introductory session – 10 min
• Introduction of participants and their research interests
• IEA – mission, studies, topics, audiences
PIRLS – 20 min
• Introduction
- Background
- Main research focus, framework
- Design
• PIRLS 2021
- Highlighted results
- Instruments, outcome variables and scales
- Access and availability of data files, technical documentation, analysis guides and software tools
Group work – 35 min
• Participants will form working groups
• Each group will receive selected questionnaire materials and information on the corresponding variables (e.g., perceptions and background) of PIRLS 2021
• Participants will develop their own research questions that could be answered with the information collected in PIRLS 2021
• Each group presents one or two research questions and gets feedback from instructors and audience
• If participants have the IEA IDB Analyzer and SPSS, SAS or R installed, they can practice analyzing the PIRLS data with support by the instructors
Example Analysis – 20 min
• Live demo of analysis of example research questions
• Discussion of analysis and results
Closing – 5 min
• Questions, summary & conclusions
• Invitation to advanced data analysis seminars and initiation of collaborative work
