Taipei, May 17 (CNA) Taiwan has moved up one place to rank seventh out of 44 countries and areas that took part in an international comparative assessment of student achievement in reading, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said Tuesday.
The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2021 international assessment of reading comprehension found Taiwan scoring 544 on average, which advanced the country higher in the rankings relative to 2016, the last time the study was conducted.
The study, which is conducted every five years, assesses reading and comprehension at the fourth-grade level of the participating countries and areas.
For instance, students were asked to retrieve explicitly stated information, interpret ideas, and evaluate content.
The PIRLS 2021 rankings also found Taiwan, where a total of 5,555 fourth-graders from 184 elementary schools participated, have surpassed the PIRLS Scale Centerpoint score of 500.
Singapore was ranked first in the survey, followed by Hong Kong, Russian Federation, England, Finland and Poland, with Taiwan, Sweden, Australia and Bulgaria rounding out the top 10.
What is also noteworthy about the PIRLS 2021 is that it introduced a digital version, which Taiwanese students took, as an alternative to the original paper-based assessment system, according to the ministry.
Chang Yu-wen (張郁雯), an education professor from the National Taipei University of Education, said Taiwanese students who enjoy digital resources at home tend to do better on the test.
However, she noted, tablets do not guarantee students' reading achievement, and it requires better construction from the parents to make sure that the digital tools are used for learning instead of online games or social media platforms.
