Analysis: Ireland is leading on reading and other countries are now keen to find out the secrets of our success in childhood reading literacy
Many have eyed Ireland's placing in the Olympic medals table and concluded that we have punched above our weight , for a small country,. Indeed, our global successes extend beyond the track, pool or ring to the corners of classrooms around the country. When international literacy assessments are used as a benchmark, Ireland is seen to be leading on reading.
The 2022 PISA results showed Irish 15-year-olds were outperformed by only one other country (Singapore) in reading literacy. The 2021 PIRLS assessments, carried out with children in fourth class, also had us ranked second in the world on reading. Our apparent success has caught the attention of policy-makers and researchers internationally. Though the question they ask is simple (how do we do it?), the answer is not so.
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From RTÉ News in December 2023, Irish teens outperform peers in literacy
A reading rollercoaster ride
This reading prowess appears all the more impressive when we consider that Ireland had fallen to 21st in the 2009 PISA tables. Reeling from these results, a consequential new policy, Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and for Life, was ushered in by 2011, bringing with it a swathe of changes across the education system.
These included an increase to the time spent on literacy at primary level, an increased focus on internal monitoring of literacy achievement through school-self evaluation and, somewhat controversially, the reporting of standardised test results to the Department of Education for the first time. These changes coincided with the arrival of austerity measures that included cuts to teacher pay and the suppression of special education resources in schools.
One could conclude that Ireland’s subsequent climb in international reading league tables can be attributed to changes in national policy, but this is not the case. Later re-analysis of the 2009 results found that the precipitous drop in reading fortune was an outlier result influenced by a number of factors that likely led to an over-exaggerated drop in reading performance. In other words, reading standards didn’t suddenly fall in 2009 and then climb again a few years later. Nonetheless, this concerted focus on literacy across the education system did have an impact on teaching in schools.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's News At One, one in six of us struggle with reading
Views from the classroom
New research shows that teachers made a concerted effort to boost student literacy achievement in their classrooms after the new strategy and Ireland's apparent poor performance. At primary level, this meant that time that might otherwise be spent on other subjects was redirected into reading and writing.
Teachers make clear that literacy is prioritised over other curriculum areas, with one stating "I don’t do religion every day. Literacy versus the Holy Spirit, that’s a no brainer for me". Others said that subjects such as drama are often squeezed out in order to fit in more time for literacy. Post-primary teachers, who traditionally viewed literacy as something for the English or special education teacher to address, became more open to embedding literacy skills in their science or geography lessons.
But this research also highlights complexities. While teachers largely agree that literacy should be a priority in schools, their opinions diverge in other ways. Teachers in schools participating in the DEIS programme indicate more concern about student literacy achievement. A substantial proportion of post-primary teachers believe that literacy remains a barrier to learning for some of their students. And teachers are vocal in underlying concerns about how technology use outside of schools is negatively impacting literacy learning in the classroom.
There is a concerning decline in the amount of children who report reading for pleasure outside of school
While headline figures about Ireland’s literacy achievement should be lauded, we cannot rest on our laurels. Literacy achievement in disadvantaged settings, in particular, requires renewed attention based on a recent report from Ireland’s Educational Research Centre. Additionally, further data indicate there is a concerning decline in the amount of children who report reading for pleasure outside of school.
So what is our secret reading sauce?
What, then, can we say about why Irish students score so well in international measures of reading? A few factors are worth considering. It is reasonable to conclude that the high priority afforded to literacy across the education system has had at least some impact on reading achievement. Despite growing issues with teacher recruitment and retention, Ireland tends to attract highly capable young people into the profession and the standard of teacher education they receive is considered effective and appropriate.
Our system of reform and curriculum renewal is based on partnership, meaning that change usually happens more slowly than in other jurisdictions, and with a comparatively greater level of consensus on what the changes might involve. We have also maintained a relatively broad curriculum, at least by international standards.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime, teacher shortage leading to classes being cancelled
Other potentially positive factors have been noted by recent visitors to these shores. A new report by Australian researcher Dr Jennifer Buckingham notes that parents and the broader community culturally appear to place a high store in literature and reading in a way that might manifest in student achievement.
It is likely a mix of in and out-of-school factors that best explain our success in reading - and that is only if you place store in the data from PISA and PIRLS assessments in the first place. Critics will remind you that these assessments offer a narrow measure of reading success and that we should be cautious about giving undue credence to the agenda set by global agencies like the OECD, who operate PISA.
This said, we should not presume that outcomes like this will continue as if on autopilot. At present, the ongoing teacher recruitment crisis is the elephant in the room in any discussion on fine-tuning the education system. Though the relative stability of the teaching profession has been a hallmark of the Irish education system, the current downwards trends, if they continue, are a significant cause of concern.
Separately, the effects of new policies may not necessarily have a beneficial impact on literacy, at least as measured in international assessments. For example, the new primary school curriculum reduces the discrete time given to literacy weekly. The effect of this change has yet to be seen.
All involved in the education system should be proud of reading success. At the same time, we should avoid taking this success for granted. Ongoing attention is needed to research, policy and practice to ensure that all children achieve their full literacy potential.
International Literacy Day is on Sunday September 8th
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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
