How the study was done

11th April 2003, 1:00am

Share

How the study was done

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/how-study-was-done
two test papers were taken by each of 140,000 10-year-olds.

The papers were divided into short stories and non-fiction pieces, each 400 to 700 words long. Children were either given one of each type, or two of the same type.

Papers consisted of a mix of multiple-choice questions and questions which required written answers.

Many countries performed significantly better in one type of reading.

English-speaking countries scored more highly on reading stories, whereas France did better at factual reading.

Even in Canada, this was true, with the English-speaking province of Ontario doing significantly better reading fiction than fact, a pattern reversed in French-speaking Quebec.

But the highest performing nations, Sweden and Holland, did equally well at both.

Want to keep reading for free?

Register with Tes and you can read two free articles every month plus you'll have access to our range of award-winning newsletters.

Keep reading for just £1 per month

You've reached your limit of free articles this month. Subscribe for £1 per month for three months and get:

  • Unlimited access to all Tes magazine content
  • Exclusive subscriber-only stories
  • Award-winning email newsletters
Recent
Most read
Most shared