Reading literacy test scores of 9-year-olds: Selected countries, 1992

Table 399.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                       |      |     |  Overall  |  Narra-   |Narrative\2\|  Narra-   |Expository\3\|Documents\4\
                       |Grade |Mean |mean score |tive\2\ 1st| mean score |tive\2\ 3rd|mean score   |mean score
        Country        |tested|age  | (s.e.)\1\ | quartile  |  (s.e.)\1\ | quartile  |  (s.e.)\1\  |  (s.e.)\1\
_______________________|______|_____|___________|___________|____________|___________|_____________|____________
           1           |  2   |  3  |     4     |     5     |     6      |     7     |     8       |     9
_______________________|______|_____|___________|___________|____________|___________|_____________|____________
Finland ...............|    3 | 9.7 |  569 (3.4)|       508 |  568 (3.0) |       602 |  569 (3.1)  |  569 (4.0)
United States .........|    4 |10.0 |  547 (2.8)|       476 |  553 (3.1) |       619 |  538 (2.6)  |  550 (2.7)
Sweden ................|    3 | 9.8 |  539 (2.8)|       467 |  536 (2.6) |       592 |  542 (2.7)  |  539 (3.2)
France ................|    4 |10.1 |  531 (4.0)|       467 |  532 (4.1) |       580 |  533 (4.1)  |  527 (3.9)
Italy .................|    4 | 9.9 |  529 (4.3)|       468 |  533 (4.0) |       576 |  538 (4.0)  |  517 (4.9)
                       |      |     |           |           |            |           |             |
New Zealand ...........|    5 |10.0 |  528 (3.3)|       452 |  534 (3.5) |       594 |  531 (3.1)  |  521 (3.3)
Norway ................|    3 | 9.8 |  524 (2.6)|       455 |  525 (2.8) |       576 |  528 (2.3)  |  519 (2.8)
Iceland\5\ ............|    3 | 9.8 |  518 (0.0)|       448 |  518 (0.0) |       571 |  517 (0.0)  |  519 (0.0)
Hong Kong .............|    4 |10.0 |  517 (3.9)|       431 |  494 (4.1) |       548 |  503 (3.4)  |  554 (4.2)
Singapore .............|    3 | 9.3 |  515 (1.0)|       450 |  521 (1.1) |       567 |  519 (1.0)  |  504 (1.0)
                       |      |     |           |           |            |           |             |
Switzerland ...........|    3 | 9.7 |  511 (2.7)|       438 |  506 (2.6) |       566 |  507 (2.7)  |  522 (2.8)
Ireland ...............|    4 | 9.3 |  509 (3.6)|       445 |  518 (3.7) |       571 |  514 (3.2)  |  495 (3.8)
Belgium\6\ ............|    4 | 9.8 |  507 (3.2)|       439 |  510 (3.3) |       558 |  505 (2.8)  |  506 (3.5)
Greece ................|    4 | 9.3 |  504 (3.7)|       447 |  514 (3.8) |       567 |  511 (3.6)  |  488 (3.8)
Spain .................|    4 |10.0 |  504 (2.5)|       429 |  497 (2.4) |       543 |  505 (2.3)  |  509 (2.7)
                       |      |     |           |           |            |           |             |
Germany (former West) .|    3 | 9.4 |  503 (3.0)|       421 |  491 (2.8) |       543 |  497 (2.9)  |  520 (3.2)
Canada\7\ .............|    3 | 8.9 |  500 (3.0)|       437 |  502 (3.5) |       566 |  499 (2.7)  |  500 (2.8)
Germany (former East) .|    3 | 9.5 |  499 (4.3)|       414 |  482 (4.2) |       531 |  493 (3.6)  |  522 (5.0)
Hungary ...............|    3 | 9.3 |  499 (3.1)|       437 |  496 (2.9) |       541 |  493 (3.1)  |  509 (3.5)
Slovenia ..............|    3 | 9.7 |  498 (2.6)|       435 |  502 (2.7) |       570 |  489 (2.5)  |  503 (2.5)
                       |      |     |           |           |            |           |             |
Netherlands ...........|    3 | 9.2 |  485 (3.6)|       425 |  494 (3.3) |       539 |  480 (3.4)  |  481 (3.9)
Cyprus ................|    4 | 9.8 |  481 (2.3)|       421 |  492 (2.4) |       548 |  475 (2.3)  |  476 (2.1)
Portugal ..............|    4 |10.4 |  478 (3.6)|       419 |  483 (3.3) |       531 |  480 (3.0)  |  471 (4.5)
Denmark ...............|    3 | 9.8 |  475 (3.5)|       386 |  463 (3.4) |       539 |  467 (3.5)  |  496 (3.6)
Trinidad/Tobago .......|    4 | 9.6 |  451 (3.4)|       383 |  455 (3.6) |       502 |  458 (3.4)  |  440 (3.3)
                       |      |     |           |           |            |           |             |
Indonesia .............|    4 |10.8 |  394 (3.0)|       351 |  402 (2.8) |       436 |  411 (3.2)  |  369 (3.0)
Venezuela .............|    4 |10.1 |  383 (3.4)|       322 |  378 (3.2) |       426 |  396 (3.3)  |  374 (3.7)
_______________________|______|_____|___________|___________|____________|___________|_____________|____________

\1\s.e.=standard error.
\2\Narrative prose is continuous text in which the writer's aim is to tell a story.
\3\Expository prose is continuous text designed to describe factual information to the reader.
\4\Documents are structured information presented in the form of charts, tables, maps, graphs, lists, or sets of instructions.
\5\Iceland tested all students, therefore standard errors are not applicable.
\6\Only French-speaking students were tested.
\7\British Columbia only.

SOURCE: International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, How in the World Do Students Read?, 1992. (This table was prepared April 1993.)

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